Grassland restoration

Andy and Dave from South Glos Streetcare have enacted huge clearance of brambles and coarse, tussocky grass in the cowshed field at Filnore.  Unfortunately although the remote controlled Robocut will chomp anything it does not clear up the arisings.

So we are left with a layer of bramble shreddings  .  .  .  

.  .  .  .  and cut grass, which have to be raked off to prevent any increase in fertility.  

Wild flowers have a better chance against more vigorous plants like hemlock, hogweed, thistles, willow herb and brambles, if the fertility is lower.

So today 13 of us (a raker's dozen) raked and stacked the arisings into piles, or around trees, or at the edge of the remaining bramble patches.

We cleared a third of it in a morning, so just the remaining two thirds to go.  We need to get it off before the underlying plants grow up through, making it difficult to remove.

This is in preparation for a summer hay cut, when we hope Andy will return with his chugging friend Robocut.