The period between now and mid-December will see lots of activity in St Giles Hill Park -- both by Park Friends volunteers and City Council contractors, as we work to complete clearance, tidying and planting tasks before the end of the year. Some key dates to note:
4 November, 10.00am - the last Friends Saturday Working Party of 2023. All welcome, no need to book. Meet at the Park end of Northbrook Avenue. Fingers crossed the weather cooperates (it's forecast to be dry but a yellow weather warning starts later in the day at 3pm).
6-17 November - Contractors for Winchester City Council undertake tree and ground works in the Park. More on this, below.
2 December 10.00am - the last Friends Litter Pick of 2023 (with home made pumpkin soup as long as supplies last!). All welcome, no need to book.
9 December, 10.30am - Winchester City Council/Park Friends replacement tree planting and epicormic growth removal. More below and fuller details to follow in due course. Contractors for the City Council are due to arrive on Monday and will be working mainly in Areas 10, 11 and 12C of the Park Plan -- in other words, more or less the area to the left of the Viewpoint as you look towards town, as well as down to the lower path on the Western edge of the Park and around to where the aged beech stands on its platform. Areas will no doubt need to be closed off as the works take place. Ivan Gurdler, the City Council’s Principal Tree Officer and lifelong user of the Park, informs us that the plan is to first to double-check on the planting to be retained, especially of the planting of dozens different species of trees and shrubs (including hawthorn, dogwood, spindle, crab apple, wild cherry, blackthorn, sweetbriar, wayfarer tree and Guelder roses) planted by Working Party volunteers in 2013. In addition a final further check of trees will be considered for retention as may have found their way by bird or wind dispersal. For example there are walnuts, Cornus mas and beech in these sectors. The old, huge beech on the platform is ailing and can’t have many more years in it but it would be good to retain any of its offspring that are in a suitable position. After these assessments, then ground clearance of the likes of brambles, clematis and unwanted saplings like the many sycamore will be undertaken. Around 2m wide strips are planned to be strimmed down alongside pathways to make these areas more manageable and pathways more passable in the future. Tree removals will be diseased ash and other tree work such as the removal of dead limbs will follow. The plan is to leave one ash to the left of the viewpoint as a trunk pillar in a veteranised state with cuts as appropriate to encourage natural decay and the use by invertebrates, birds and bats. Some of the larger, immovable logs will be left on site as part of the natural cycle; other material will be moved off site, though some trim and chip clippings will be piled up from use in the 9 December tree planting. The question of which trees to choose to plant to replace those lost will be decided next week based on what retention is possible. This will likely mean up to 100 whips (60-90cm) of around five different species will be planted. Species choice will be based on the usual factors such as height, site benefit and tolerances such as for chalk, wind and drought. Where the trees will be planted will be with regard to reopened view points and eventual heights and forms. 100 trees may sound a lot but not all will survive and sometimes it can be appropriate to plant two together in the hope that one will survive.
The plan is for Friends to undertake the planting, which will involve spade work, the movement of mulch chippings and fitting of tree guards aiming to reduce the losses from mice and squirrels. The Friends will play a key role in maintaining this area and nurturing the trees to establish especially in the critical first two years of life. More details of the tree planting and epicormic growth removal day on December 9 will be shared once confirmed.
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