Tree Thinning in Hagg Wood – August 2022

Forestry England contractors have now started tree thinning work in Hagg Wood. They will be thinning out selected areas over the next few weeks to encourage the regeneration of native trees. This may involve closing some existing paths, so please look out for warning signs and avoid any working forest machinery.

News Update – September 2022

September can be a lovely time of year to visit Hagg Wood and can offer more shade to walkers in some of the hot days we have been experiencing earlier in August. However, dry spells of weather also pose more risk of fire, so following the Country Code guidelines of no camp fires, barbeques or discarded matches or glass remains essential. Forest England also expect to be starting tree thinning work in Hagg Wood soon, so please look out too for advisory signs. Once this is completed we hope to be able to resume our conservation working parties.

We have been busy organising our forthcoming programme of events that includes a visit on Sunday 2^nd October, leaving the Reading Room car park at 9.30am, to Potteric Carr, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s nature reserve and wetland near Doncaster that has a rich mosaic of habitats to explore. On Thursday 27^th October in the Reading Room at 2.30pm we will have an illustrated presentation on the eastern section of the great Northern Forest project that runs from the east coast of Yorkshire to nearby Stamford Bridge.  The Northern Forest is an ambitious project that joins up community woodlands from Hull to Liverpool.  The plan is to plant 50 million trees that will provide habitat for wildlife, carbon capture and valuable green spaces for the public.

Within the western arm of the Northern Forest project is the White Rose forest  that will link up with the new York Community Woodland. Forestry England have been appointed by York City Council to manage this new 78 hectare community woodland near Knapton to the west of York. The Council’s high-level vision for the new woodland is as follows: “The new woodland will be a well-designed, bio-diverse, green space providing a place for peaceful contemplation and leisure for the people of York. This will create a new stray for the city, support the climate change ambition, enhance the setting of the city and make York an even greater place to live, work and visit.” The plan is to plant 50,000 trees within the next year and we may be involved as volunteers assisting with the tree planting.