The sun shone down on the Friends when they gathered in the woods on December 12th for another volunteering day. About two-dozen volunteers, including young children and grandparents, spent the day building deadwood fencing, picking litter, cutting back Hazel and Hornbeam trees to encourage new growth, and planting over 100 new tree saplings. The trees were donated by the Woodland Trust and include Elder, Crab Apple, Hazel, Blackthorn and Dog Rose. All have edible fruits and flowers which can be used in a variety of ways(for example Crab Apple jelly, Elderflower cordial, Rosehip jam & Sloe Gin), providing a very useful additional amenity in the Wood in the years to come.

Working enthusiastically to dig through the somewhat frozen soil, or to hammer in fence posts, the volunteers certainly didn’t feel the cold. Charles Parkes, who once again planned the day and led the team, made sure even the novices could contribute – teaching how to coppice a tree or weave the felled branches into deadwood fencing that will protect the areas of new saplings until they are fully established. The day was rounded off with warm mince pies in the orchard. Thanks again to everyone who braved the winter weather to lend a hand.

On Saturday 23rd October a large group of volunteers met in Cherry Tree Wood to work on a number of conservation and biodiversity projects. The event was organised by the Friends of Cherry Tree Wood and CSV-GO London, and was one of a number of Make a Difference Day events taking place across the Capital, and Charles Parkes of the Friends had spent several weeks planning for the day.

The main project was planting a new community orchard in the picnic area. This was made up of eight trees including Apple, Pear, Cherry, Quince and Medlar, sponsored by a number of local businesses and organisations (including the Archer) and the Friends of Cherry Tree Wood.

The Friends also provided 700 Daffodil and Crocus bulbs which were planted along the main path. Additionally, 200 wildflower plants were added to the meadow area adjacent to the playing field, litter was cleared from around the Wood and the dead hedge next to the play area was spruced up.

Despite the showers, everyone worked enthusiastically and the results of all this activity should be apparent in the park next spring and for years to come. Thanks to everyone who helped out on the day.

Apple Pies

To coincide with the planting of the new apple orchard, Sally-Anne Wigfield held an apple themed day at the Lazy Sally Café on the same day.  Particularly popular were the mini apple pies from the Sugar Plum Bakery which is based in Creighton Avenue and which supplies cakes and muffins to the café.  The proceeds from the sale of the apple pies (£60) have been donated to our orchard project. Thank you to the Sugar Plum Bakery and to Sally-Anne for their generosity and support.

You can find out more about the Sugar Plum Bakery at: sugarplumbakery.co.uk

After a glorious autumn, when the wood was ablaze with colour and a temperature of 19 degrees was recorded in early November, we were suddenly greeted with an icy blast from the North bringing snow and plummeting mercury. There was a brief respite from the Arctic conditions in December and this window of opportunity was just sufficient to enable a few native saplings to be planted in the wood.

A handful of winter-visiting redwing have been seen foraging in the wood in recent weeks but in nowhere near the numbers seen in recent years, possibly because of a lack of berries and/or shelter. In fact, both resident and winter visitors, particularly ground-feeders, suffered badly when the ground was frozen but many of the resident species that survived are now pairing up again and claiming their territories by singing in the early morning.

Early harbingers of spring can also be found in the catkin-bearing hazel trees which can be seen alongside the embankment and, in March before the emergence of the hornbeam leaf cover, we can look forward to the flowering of the wood anemones in patches towards the station end of the wood and the emergence of cuckoo pint in the same area.

Sadly many of the signs which were erected designating sites of interest in the wood did not survive the winter, and have been removed or vandalized. However we hope to re-instate at least some of them during the year, providing visitors to the wood with some information and context for the woodland area.