Bowlers Copse Woodland Project
About Bowlers Copse Project
Progress Report February 2011
In early November 2010 we restarted work on Thursday and Sunday mornings.
You may have seen us at the far end of the copse towards Bicester. We have enjoyed the fresh area and the exercise. The second section of hazel has been recoppiced and fencing work done to keep the Muntjac deer from getting in to eat the new hazel in the spring. Through Wendlebury Gardening Club we have found a ready supply for 9ft hazel bean poles. These are sold in sets of 11:- 5 pairs of poles and a horizontal along the top. In 5 years time we expect to have more material from that same area. The 4 areas, which were cleared and replanted with the help of several residents since 2003, are doing well. There should be a dense screen of vegetation in the summer.
In other sections we have improved the fencing and we plan to make some gates as we did in 2008. One of these gate making days will be a demonstration and we will send an invitation for you to come and see the work. This will be later in the spring.
Come along just to look and have a coffee, or join us for fun, exercise and learning. See activity Details for more info
About the Project
The Woodland Project in Bowlers's Copse was formed with the intention of restoring some of the ancient woodland in the locality so as to provide an amenity for the village and to encourage villagers to participate in a long term co-operative venture. We have undertaken is to restore a remnant of Bowlers Copse which has hazel and widely spaced oak trees. When work started in the winter of 2003 the copse was mostly overgrown with brambles and ivy. Most of the original hazel had died and been replaced by Hawthorne, Aspen and Ash and many of these were in poor condition.
Since that date the project has cleared much of the unwanted growth and planted 1,300 new Hazel. The small number of original hazel which had survived have been coppiced and are now producing useful timber. Two access bridges have been built and the copse now has a path which meanders through the whole length and around the pond at the Northern perimeter. In addition to the new Hazel we have also planted other native species including Spindle, Purging Blackthorn, Rose Guelder and Wild Plum.
Part of the original vision was to involve the local community in a very long term project and we hope that others will join us and learn more about the way our forefathers lived, renewable energy, craft skills, native trees plants and animals. Along the way we hope that we will improve the community by getting people involved in enjoyable outdoor activity and would like to see the range of activities associated with the copse broaden.
But at the end it is all a matter of attitudes and preference. There is no particular reason why we should not use plastic clothes pegs produced in a China rather than use locally made wooden ones - or is there?