Sydenham Hill Wood Work

Improving the Paths. The clay soils of the Wood create problems for walking in the wetter winter months. The clay becomes saturates quickly and excess water lies on the surface. This make paths very slippery and in places, waterlogged.    The problem of waterlogging is seen clearly in the winter view of the path leading down from the folly to the old railway alignment.   Where this happens, people will attempt to avoid the worst sections by leaving the path and walking alongside on vegetation which gives a more secure foothold. Of course, this results in a wider path and damage to the plants which is often irreparable. The threefold increase in visitors during lock-downs and the need to observe social distancing has made matters worse, This can be seen in the tennis court glade where the path in now at least  twice as wide as it used to be and alongside the path leading down from the Cedar of Lebanon, where a new path has been cut through a patch of wild garlic....

 Fences and Paths As work days gear up, much of the effort is being put into protecting vulnerable parts of the Wood from trampling.   Most of the Wood is open to free access but approximately 10% has been fenced off to allow regeneration of the woodland undergrowth. The difference this makes can be seen clearly in the fenced area next to the railway where wild garlic and bluebells are part of the dense ground cover. The areas where free access is allowed often are devoid of, or have intermittent patches of ground cover.   Map showing the two areas fenced off to allow regeneration of the woodland.   The largest area of regeneration is bounded by the paths radiating from the Crescent Wood Rd. entrance and extends as far as the folly.  This area has had its fencing enhanced to protect the plants but also the ground nesting birds and the mammals in the Wood. It is hoped that this will help to provide a safe area for hedgehogs to re-colonise. Using two fence posts t...