On the Ground in January 2017

January 30, 2017

Don’t forget to say hello if you spot our Rangers and volunteers out working in the National Park. Here’s a taste of what they achieved in January 2017.

Installation of new tramper friendly kiss gates, improving access at Kingley Vale NNR in West Sussex.
Volunteer spent 42 task days clearing scrub on chalk grassland and heathland on 30 different sites, with 8 different organisations including National Trust, Natural England, Sussex Wildlife Trust, Lewes District Council, Eastbourne Borough Council and Pyecombe Golf Course.
Work to improve rare chalk grassland was carried out at Beeding Hill in West Sussex and Beddingham Hill in East Sussex.
Repaired fences to enable cattle to graze at Mill Hill nature reserve near Shoreham and installed a new water trough to support grazing at Graffham Down in West Sussex.
Birch and pine have been cleared from a small pocket of heathland at Hammer Wood as part of developing a network of heath wildlife corridors.
Pines were removed from Woolmer Forest to support this nationally important heathland site.
Over the month of January there were 16 days of coppicing on 8 sites across the National Park.
This included coppicing to support the pearl bordered fritillary at Church Copse, ancient semi-natural woodland, in West Sussex; Rewel Wood and Lodge Copse in West Sussex; Verdley and Brickfield Copse in Hampshire.
Meanwhile coppice rotation continues at Avington Park near Winchester – some of the resulting stakes will be used for securing latrine floats to help monitor the reintroduction of water voles.