Ashford - Volunteers Update

Though much of the past month has been feeling chilly and wet management works have been shifting from the spring to summer tasks. The Ashford gang have donned their scythes for the bracken season. After a quick refresher it was back to work cutting the highly competitive fern back across the open heath to encourage species like heath spotted orchid and heather. Although looking like great swathes of many plants it is likely just a single individual bracken plant comprising of a network of rhizomes running beneath Hothfield. To reduce the scything impact on heath spot orchids (a very rare plant in Kent with Hothfield being their main site)  some of the volunteers walked ahead of the scythers putting posts down to show the orchid areas.

Scything has also played a part at Conningbrook country park as we attempt to control vigorous species like goats rue from completely dominating the wildflower meadows. It will be very interesting to see how this technique affects the regrowth and spread of this species as we continue to try controlling it.

Scything has also played a part at Conningbrook country park as we attempt to control vigorous species like goats rue from completely dominating the wildflower meadows. It will be very interesting to see how this technique affects the regrowth and spread of this species as we continue to try controlling it.

Our bracken works will continue through the summer until the bracken begins to die off being supplemented with a range of fencing and path improvement works.