What’s So Good About Dead Wood?

So, this is the time of year to eat, drink and be merry. Mince pies, mulled wine and warming company were calling, but first, the ‘Friends of Fingle’ volunteers had work to do. Introducing the final task of the year, Dave Rickwood the Woodland Manager, explained the importance of one, so far, overlooked feature of a healthy woodland ecosystem; dead wood. He described how, “In Fingle, there is not enough dead wood, either standing or lying on the ground. It makes up an essential part of the woodland life cycle, it’s where the invertebrates and decay fungi sustain the bottom of the food chain. Historically, this woodland has been managed as a timber resource and much of the old dead wood has been ‘tidied up’ but our focus now is to support the woodland species. So, today, we are going to look at how we can survey the woods and describe and record the dead wood.”

As the daylight disappeared, the volunteers found their way to the Fingle Bridge Inn. Mince pies at last! Fred, Ellie and Dave all gave presentations to show their appreciation of the volunteers and their contributions of time and energy. Ellie described an “amazing” 5000 hours of surveying wildlife, managing habitats, building bridges, archaeological excavations and assisting the smooth running of events. Well done to the volunteers of Fingle Woods!by Matt Parkins