Gains
from the rains
So we are
now securely on track for the wettest summer in 100 years. Some areas of the
country have experienced one month’s rainfall in just a few hours. Our rivers
seem to be constantly in spate will little sign of easing up. Catchment
walkover surveys are slow going and Electric Fishing is near impossible!
I wouldn’t
be British if I didn’t complain, but it’s not all doom and gloom. The restoration
project at Nethergill farm is coming on nicely (see previous blog). The willow
bundles are taking full advantage of our mild and wet summer, greening up,
rooting and stabilising the bank.
The Willow
Bundling project up at Nethergill Farm was one of my first restoration projects
with the Trust, so it is satisfying to see it working and still in place
despite being completely submerged on numerous occasions.
So
what have I learnt:
Despite being
a success so far there are lots of things to learn. Below are some of the issues
that have been raised to date.
1: Fencing
As part of the
project 400m of river was fenced off to control livestock access to the banks,
leaving a 1-2 metre buffer strip between the field and the edge of the bank.
Because the area is prone to flooding we decided to use 5 line fencing with two
barbs on top to prevent debris building up and ripping the fence out.
Problem: During lambing if the ewe lambed
next to the fence the lamb sometimes got between the 5 line wire and could not
return to it’s mother.
Solution: 5 Line fencing is fine for Cattle
but maybe consider stock fencing or shorting the distance between the wires,
closer to the ground to prevent lambs getting through.
2: Tree Planting Bundling
20 trees were planted on the riverside of the fence to
improve tree cover, shading and regulate river temperature. The trees were
planted inside a 7ft metal mesh tree guard so that cattle could
be allowed inside the fence for a couple of weeks each year to reduce the risk
of Himalayan balsam. The guards had to be large enough to prevent cattle
damaging the trees.
Problem: Weeds have out-competed the trees and thus we have had poor recruitment
especially considering the exceptional growing conditions this year.
Solution: Lay a mulch mat down around the whips to prevent weeds growing, also put
them inside a shelter to prevent voles eating the new trees.
2: Bundling
About 50m of
bundling was carried out at the toe of an eroding bank with overhanging slumps knocked
off and dropped back in behind the bundles to provide them with some soil to root
into.
Problem: There is still
a substantial amount of bare soil. Granted it has only been 3 months since the
project has been complete but considering the amount of rainfall we have
received it would be beneficial if we could get grass/weeds growing faster creating
less exposed soils.
Solution:
Plant a native grass seed mix on the bare soil to
encourage and promote vegetation growth rather than waiting for the bank to
reseed itself.
Dan Turner
Project Officer
Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust
