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Clearing the Brook

The main glade in the late summer sunshine.
 
During the two most recent workdays (22nd and 25th August), volunteers have worked hard to clear the banks of the Am Brook. The upper section between its source and where it disappears to feed the Dewy Pond, was cleared of vegetation, mainly brambles, which had grown up so  much that the stream was no longer visible. It is hoped that this clearance will allow other native species of plants to have a chance to grow and that it might cut down on nitrate enrichment which is causing eutrophication of the Dewy pond (see last post). 
 
The work was hard and laborious and it was made even more challenging by the large amount of brambles which had to be cleared. A strip of bank a couple of metres wide has been cleared and this has opened up the channel of the Am Brook to show it is still flowing. The cut material was used to build a dead-hedge along the side of the footpath which runs parallel to the book itself. 
A view down the Am Brook showing how the clearance has opened up the stream.

 
It was impossible to see the stream like this before the brambles were cleared.

The new dead-hedge along the boundary with Dulwich Wood.
Some progress made in clearing the Dewy Pond.


Talking about the Dewy Pond, the old pond-dipping platform used for outdoor education groups was beginning to show its age. Contractors have built a new two-stage platform which will be a welcome improvement.




   

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