A Lancashire-based logs specialist has celebrated the third anniversary of assisting the woodland volunteer group, The Friends of Barley Cop Lane Woods, which is this year celebrating its tenth anniversary.
Logs Direct, based in Halton near Lancaster, first stepped in to assist the group in 2015, after learning of their need to have wood removed from a site that was first created in November 1992, when the first 500 of what would become 12,000 trees were planted. The site had formerly been known by locals as The Paddies and was wet meadow owned by Lancaster City Council.
When they formed in 2008, the Friends of Barley Cop Wood were focused on woodland management that would create woodland paths and more wildlife habitats, as well as managing the amount of timber on the site. The aim was to keep the wood tidily managed, whilst still retaining its wild and natural state.
Since then, many local people have enjoyed quiet contemplation and relaxation in Barley Cop Lane Woods, where flora, fauna and habitats have all flourished and where a true community resource has been established and maintained.
Thinning the woodland has always been important, to enable light to access the woodland floor, to encourage the undergrowth and promote the health of the remaining trees. The group has worked hard on coppicing, hedging and maintaining access points, with a view to always enabling access for local people.
The woodland has been identified as one of the 21 sites in the Lancaster and Morecambe area for ‘Local Green Space’, protecting it from future development of green areas.
Logs Direct’s role has been to step in at the end of winter and remove all timber from fallen trees and branches, whilst also helping to thin, prune and clear pathways. The wood has then been removed from the site by the Logs Direct team and has been kiln-dried, to provide a sustainable supply of wood for those customers wishing to burn only locally sourced timber.
The wood specialist’s sales director, Stephen Talbot, says: “We have been delighted to have been assisting the Friends of Barley Cop Lane Woods since 2015 and playing our part in maintaining sustainably managed woodland. The group is passionate about its volunteering work and ensures that the local community can benefit from a wonderful resource all year round, enjoying natural wildlife, birdlife and fauna and the exercise that a stroll along the woodland paths can provide.”
