Sydenham Hill Wood Work

Happy Christmas Wishing all volunteers, staff and visitors a very Happy Christmas and hoping for a much better 2021 for all of us. Workdays have been suspended yet again as London has been placed in Tier 4. This means the Wood will be very busy during the holiday period but remedial and conservation work cannot be carried out.  We hope everyone who visits will leave just with good memories and that the plants and wildlife that make our Wood so special are left to thrive for another year. Have the best Christmas and New Year possible under the present circumstances and stay healthy and safe.

Repairs Continue It's been a great help to have had two workdays this week instead of one.  The heavy and persistent rain of late, coupled with the increase in visitors to the wood, have left paths in a sorry state. Also, due to the vandalism of the handrail on the upper path by the kissing gate next to Cox's Walk bridge, the slope has become a mudslide and is in serious danger of being damaged beyond repair.     During the  two workdays, volunteers and the conservation officer have worked hard to try to rectify some of the more urgent issues.    The Tennis Court Glade The Tennis Court glade on the upper path is a part of the wood where native bluebells bloom in spring, wild raspberries fruit in the summer and various fungi in the autumn. It is a particularly special part of the Wood. However, this area has seen a noticeable and worrying widening of the path, which has been encroaching ever more into the glade itself. To encourage people to stay on the...

  Repairs in the Wood The relaxation of the second lockdown has allowed the resumption of work in the Wood. The backlog of repairs is great as a result of workdays being suspended for five months earlier this year and another month in November. This coincided with a threefold increase in the number of visitors to the Wood. Consequently, there is a great deal of repair work necessary to support conservation.   These are the tasks completed during this week's workday on 9th December.   When trees come down in storms, clearly they can cause a lot of damage. Near the path from the old railway line to the folly, a tree was blown down and its upper branches destroyed a section of fencing protecting the woodland containing the main area of wild garlic. This section has been repaired to conserve this special area.     Hard work replaces the missing section of fencing.   Further towards Cox's Walk footbridge, a new dead-hedge has been built to help people navigate t...

Respecting Conservation A lot of hard work goes into making the wood safe for visitors  to enjoy. The previous post explained why some areas have been enclosed by fencing and dead-hedges have been built along paths. These measures help to protect the ecology of the wood and allow people to enjoy a great deal of unrestricted access to the less sensitive areas. Feedback from visitors is very positive as people appreciate the effort to keep the wood in good condition.  Sadly, however, there are times when a tiny minority cause damage, whether deliberately or through not understanding.    Vandalism to fencing Recently, there have been cases of fences being smashed down and dead hedges uprooted. This not only causes damage to the protected areas but also cancels out the efforts of the staff and volunteers who have worked hard to protect those areas. Furthermore, some of the repairs made necessary will be a drain on the very tight finances of the Trust. Recently a section ...