A volunteer charity helping to manage local wildlife has received a major boost in the form of a new machine to help them in their work on local trees and hedges, courtesy of a kind donation from Total Lindsey Oil Refinery.
Members of Humber Conservation Volunteers specially trained to use the chipper now have their own machine for their woodland management and hedgelaying operations, reducing processing time and volumes to a fraction of what they were and making their conservation work quicker and easier, as well as solving long-standing problems with ongoing projects.
‘Such as here in Burkinshaw’s Covert, the piles of brash were everywhere and jobs like removing the non native poplar regrowth were sometimes unrealistic, but now the cut material can be chipped so that times and volumes can be massively reduced,’ says Dave Parkin of HCV.
‘Wood over 70mm will usually be recovered and taken home by the volunteers as firewood, but the lighter brash is a nightmare and there can be huge piles of it from all woodland management and hedgelaying activities. Now it can be quickly converted to chip and put back into the woodland ecosystem cycle or used on the paths and rides of the woodland. In particular, it will enable us to control the non-native poplar which is threatening newly panted native trees such as oak, birch and hazel.
We’ll also be able to use it in such as our traditional hedgelaying operations instead of having to burn the brash,’ says Dave.
The British made machine was purchased with a grant from Total LOR, with support for training from HCV’s work with Associated British Ports, both members of Humber Nature Partnership.
If you wish to help with nature conservation locally, helping to manage local woodlands, restore hedgerows, ponds and watercourses, please get in touch with Humber Nature Partnership on 01652 631 523, email alan.jones@humbernature.co.uk or look for Humber Conservation Volunteers on Facebook.
Image: HCV taking delivery of a new Timberwolf TW160ph chipper. Left to right are Timberwolf Dealer Manager Pete Warner, Guy Ward of Chandlers Farm Equipment, Chris Harper, Martin Bell and Jason Bell of Humber Conservation Volunteers, Rebecca Brimble, Communication Co-Ordinator at Total Lindsey Oil Refinery, Dave Parkin, Chair Humber Conservation Volunteers and Alan Jones of Humber Nature Partnership.
