Felling continues at pace and should be complete towards the end of next week..
Felling larch in Zone 4 will be complete tomorrow. Some of these trees will be difficult to extract without damage to other healthy trees. These will therefore be left to decompose.
The hand-cutters (guys with chainsaws) continue to fell in Zone 5, the last zone. The harvester will continue to assist in cutting up the logs that are hand-felled
It is now anticipated that all felling of larch trees in the SPHN area will be completed by the 8th April.
The forwarder will continue to remove logs from across the felled area (Zones 1 to 5) The forwarding operation is expected to continue until the end of April. Please note that the forwarder moves through the zones collecting same size category (roughly same diameter) of logs to allow effective and safe stacking. This give the appearance that logs are ‘left’ rather than each area fully cleared.
RTS has increased the number of timber haulage lorries to remove the logs off site. This will allow more logs to be safely forwarded to the stacking area.
Please continue to respect the safety signs erected by RTS. These signs are put there for the SAFETY of the public and ALL users of the woodland. Please don’t interfere with the signs and barriers. Your cooperation on this matter is appreciated.
The crossing remains which allows access from Gillies Hill into the non SPHN area of the woodland. The map below shows the route from Gillies Hill to the Walled Garden and up towards the Daffy Valley.
Please avoid the zone 5 where the harvester and chainsaw operators are working. Paths in the zone may be closed off. Please follow all guidance and banksmen instructions to ensure your safety. Please keep a safe distance from the forwarder while it is loading and moving about the woodland. Do not interfere with the barriers and signs. These are for everyone’s safety.
PLEASE DO NOT APPROACH THE MACHINES
OR THE CHAINSAW OPERATORS.
A further update will be provided next Thursday 7th April.
Thank you for your continued cooperation and tolerance while the felling and forwarding progresses. Thankfully we are nearing the end of the felling. The forwarding operation will take a while longer but hopefully we can start opening up areas of the woodland again.
For background information about why the larch is to be removed in this area, the Scottish Plant Health Notice, SPHN and outline plans, please visit previous updates from this page: SPHN – Larch Removal
Measures to Protect the Squirrel Population
Measures undertaken to protect the squirrels are outlined in the blog on the CCDT website of 6th January: Squirrel Dreys & Bird Boxes Blog
The 10 Squirrel feeders continue to be filled by volunteers …. And the red squirrels are definitely using them.
If you have any queries, comments or concerns or about the work being carried out, please email woodland@ccdt.org.uk
Blog written by Jim O’Connor