Friends of Turner Wood

13/10/2022

Hi Folks On Sunday 30th October, in the woods on Snow Hill from 6:00 pm. Prepare for a scare! With Witches, Frights and Ghouls a plenty. Park at Heathfield school, walk up Rishworth Mill Lane. There will be signs. Enter opposite Mill House Farm,,,,if you dare!

16/01/2022

We're lucky that Heather, a local archaeologist, has found a fascination with Turner Wood's history. First, she identified charcoal pits and possible prehistoric and Roman sites near Turner Hill. Now, her team is actively excavating the mysterious stone ruin near Snow Hill, above the mill pond. Below are their preliminary findings.

It's an interesting idea that the route down into the Ryburn Valley (now the A672) needed defending during the Wars of the Roses. There's a possible Roman post on Black Hill that might have had the same purpose.

The diggers are on site most Saturdays around 2pm and they'd love your help =:D

30/03/2021

A couple of interesting adventures are beginning in the woodland.

First, ecologist Miranda Cowan came to look around on behalf of Treesponsibility. She loved the place and gave the OK for the new trees you can see, all tubed and staked, up above the road on the pub side. Miranda is now also preparing our Ecological Design Plan for the new work area that Council are considering. This Thursday, the 1st, she is starting a reptile survey of the open glades up on Turner Hill and, later in the season, will help Friends of Rishworth Mill Dam to conduct an amphibian survey of the mill pond.

Secondly, I showed an archeologist, Heather, and her daughter, Sam, through the woods. The outing was for Sam to consider how she might conduct Forest School there but Heather was intrigued by the signs of ancient occupation and industry. She identified charcoal burning pits and possible stone remains of burial mounds and circles. If we're nice to her, she might find time to produce a historical analysis of the woodland that will greatly enhance our visitors' experience.

Turner Wood is a magical place that has worked its charm on some new friends =:D

30/03/2021

In return for their generous funding of my training, I wrote this article for the Forestry & Timber News =:D

26/03/2021

Next Thursday, April Fool's Day, Treesponsibility's ecologist, Miranda, is starting a reptile survey around the open glades of Turner Wood. Around 10.30, we need to carry some pieces of roofing material up from the road, so a couple of helpers for an hour or so would be welcome. Later, we'll go back and see what crawls in under the squares. Is anyone available, please? =:D

20/01/2021

The Tree Finger Gang are hoping to make start on rhododendron control at Snow Hill, this Sunday =:D

12/12/2020

I've been exploring re-wilding at https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/explore-rewilding which led me to consider which natural processes are missing from Turner Wood?

It seems to me there are things that plants and animals do to shape the ecology; and there are environmental events that affect it, too. We need to think about how we can replace or replicate these effects. What are your ideas?

Missing keystone species and how we could replace their effects.
- wolf, lynx and eagle control animal populations and change grazers' behaviour: mimic by excluding prey species e.g. deer fences to protect key areas; culling only if essential.
- beaver, auroch, elk and bison push over trees, strip branches and make clearings: mimic these through coppice management; leaving dead wood; stripping bark and branches on weaker trees, dragging logs.
- wild horse and wild boar create scrapes and wallows and spread seeds: use short-term grazing by ponies and small pigs, within the capacity of the land.

Environmental processes and possible replacement actions.
- fire: controlled burning of bracken and brash.
- flooding: reinstate pond sluices and use them to vary depth and flows, allow temporary logjams in pond and stream (but manage to mitigate flash floods downstream), create leaky dams and terraces on shallower slopes.
- erosion: allow stream to move; create flow around pond inlet weir.
- lightning: leave standing deadwood; pollard trees.

This still doesn't answer how to help the woodland cope with rapid climate change plus frequent new diseases and feral species. Connecting the woodland with neighbouring systems would be great and allow natural migration to occur but, for trees, not at the pace of climate change. The prediction is that within fifty years Turner Wood will have the climate of Cornwall; within a hundred (the lifetime of a tree), the south of France. Normally, native species move with their climate zone and adapt but this isn't possible in a fractured landscape under rapid change. We could give a chance to species that should have migrated e.g. by seeding tree species from the climate zone that is forming. If the seeds can't successfully compete and fail to grow, maybe it isn't their time. Better than allowing the existing species to be overwhelmed? What do you think? =:D

Rewilding Britain aims to tackle the climate emergency and extinction crisis, reconnect people with the natural world and to help communities thrive.

16/11/2020

In the ancient tradition that we started last year, November is when we invite the groups that have a close interest in Turner Wood to saunter around and share what their achievements and plans are.

Due to the limits on group meetings and process delays that Covid-19 has imposed, this year we offer a quick roll call of the organisations that are helping to protect and enhance this beautiful, ancient place. If you wish to add anything or correct my notes, you can post directly on this forum.

Thankyou, everyone =:D

Calderdale Council: we applied for planning permission for a simple work yard off the A672, last year. All of the information requirements were answered by the end of June and we are awaiting the outcome but, of course, Covid-19 has slowed everything down.

Carrie Creates: Caroline conducted her first few Wellbeing Walks and was ready to start kids story adventures when coronavirus cancelled springtime. We hope she'll be back soon but, not one to go quietly, Caroline has passed her basic chainsaw certificate and joined the Tree Finger Gang to help manage the woodland.

Community Rights of Way Service (CROWS): these wonderful folk asked if they could help, even though the paths aren't public rights of way. They advised how we could improve the mill pond path and the Snow Hill entrance, then took on the technical sections by the top sluice and up into the beechwood Cathedral, moving large rocks to build revetments and save the collapsing tracks.

Forest Plans: Matt has patiently answered all of Council and the Forestry Commission's questions and achieved success in getting our Woodland Management Plan approved.

Forestry Commission: the local officer, Joost, was very happy with our proposals for managing the woodland with ecology as the priority. He was concerned about the impact of climate change and new diseases upon ancient remnants lie Turner Wood and suggested we plant a few areas with species like hormbeam or sweet chestnut, from further south, to provide resilience.

Friends of Rishworth Mill Dam: having raised enough funds, this active group have commissioned Irontree Forge and others to restore the sluice gate at the mill pond entrance, though they do a fair portion of the tasks themselves.

Halifax Scientific Society: offered advice for the management plan based upon their members' many years of knowledge of these woods.

Irontree Forge: Rick and the Friends have enthusiastically dismantled and rebuilt the sluice mechanism and recently pulled out the old wooden sluice gate itself, without flooding the Palace! Well done.

Little Steps Eco-Management: Monica's business works for the woodland owner, Mondavia Superannuation (our pension scheme), to manage the woodlands and keep all these groups coordinated.

Miranda Cowan Ecology: we've asked Treesponsibility to consider planting up some of the bare areas around the boundaries of the woodland and Miranda was commissioned to check that there would be no adverse impacts. She fell in love with Turner Wood and has offered to also help with a pond survey next spring, before any dredging is planned.

Mondavia Superannuation: Monica and David's Australian pension fund is the official owner of Turner Wood. (Mondavia; geddit?) What a wonderful place to invest our time and resources!

Northern England Raptor Forum: Tim Eaton-Walker from the Old Bridge in Ripponden and Stephen Dowing have been monitoring bird life at the southern beech wood for many years. Their records show a poor diversity and low numbers of birds: beech are selfish creatures unlike oak which live happily with hundreds of animal species, which is why we'll be working to restore the native oak woodlands there.

Peter Brooks Ecology: when Council questioned whether our proposed work yard would damage valuable ancient oak woodland, Peter surveyed the area and reported that, as shown in old maps, the area has been used as a paddock for grazing animals for at least 150 years and there are no woodland remnants on the site.

The Tree Finger Gang: a happy band of woodland warriors, at work in the cooler months (like now), bringing ancient coppices back into balance and letting sunlight into the woodland floor. Their work is slow and methodical but they will reverse years of neglect, increasing biodiversity and resilience by encouraging new growth. Some of their arisings will be available as firewood and craft wood.

Traditional Archery: Captain Custard and his friends are practicing their craft in the southern beech wood, running through the woods and shooting at targets for accuracy and time points.

Treesponsibility: these heroes from Hebden Bridge planted ten thousand trees in our fields at Warland Farm and, now their patch has widened, are planning to repair some of the overgrazed and cleared areas we've inherited in Turner Wood.

Warland Farm Commons Community: as we introduce new folk into our arts and craft community at the farm, we always take time to look around Turner Wood and imagine how they might use and enjoy the opportunities they find in this wonderful corner of West Yorkshire.

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With good luck and a fair wind, next year we'll have a real, live Anniversary Walk when all of these wonderful folk and more can gather to share ideas and enjoy a celebration at our new workshed. Fingers crossed =:David

28/10/2020

As the leaves fall and the birds leave their nests, the Tree Finger Gang are contemplating their woodland management tasks for the new season. Last winter, they did a light coppicing of the south end of the section west of the A672. It doesn't look much different but sunlight can now get to the ground to improve the lot of ground-dwelling creatures and new shoots. Starting in a couple of weeks, they'll address the middle section, between the two bends, and we'll try to remove some fallen beech that threaten to block the stream at the south end. So, you may hear a chainsaw occasionally but we'll confirm it's us with notices. If there is no notice, please call me on 07779 893821. Enjoy the woods! =:D

24/10/2020

It's great to see this work progressing despite all the trials. I wonder what treasure they'll uncover? =:D

18/04/2020

Well, the Tree Finger Gang have made a start: giving some TLC to the forgotten acres to the west of the A672, starting at the Cunning Corner end. In line with our management plan, Ranger Joe and Scary Mark (working well apart) are coppicing a selection of the old growth to allow sunlight through to encourage new growth and to create new ecological nîches.
There are a few dying ash along the road, there, which need to be removed before they fall into traffic. Lots of young ash have been given a chance by their coppice work.
Forestry is classed as an essential service because woodland management can't happen much beyond April, when the buds burst and the birds start nesting. As a by-product of their efforts, the guys will have a bit of seasoned firewood available when the cosy days return.
Stay safe, everyone =:D