The weekend of Nov 30th - Dec 1st was a very busy one on the Lichfield Canal with a dozen visiting Volunteers from the Waterway Recovery Group Forestry Team arriving Friday night to carry out essential Tree management along Gallows Reach on Tamworth Road.
After a great deal of pre-planning work with Lichfield City Council to agree the necessary work to be undertaken, selection and sourcing of the right specialist equipment to carry out the work and then making sure all came together on the day certainly has been a challenge for all concerned.
A crisp frost on Saturday was perfect weather for working the trees along the line of the canal, but some of the equipment clearly did not like working in the cold, but the WRG Foresters are a resourceful bunch and had brought back up chainsaws to ensure the work move forward. The hired in Mobile Elevated Working Platform ”MEWP” or Cherry Picker was put to use to gain safe access to the higher branches of the trees to allow the Foresters to trim some of the trees down to sustainable height, and to remove branches overhanging adjacent properties which might have broken off in storms.
The self propelled Woodchipper which can process branches up to 150 mm diameter can be moved to the working area on its own tracks and can then reduce the cut branches to Wood chips which are retained on site.
November 26th.
The intrepid Queen's Croft students were out in the mist and drizzle, and wading
through mud this morning. They sorted hedge and tree cuttings into piles; thin -
to be chopped by the flail mower and thick - neatly stacked into habitat piles.
They also planted a massive number of daffodil bulbs, along the new bund at
Gallows Reach. Thank you all.
November 25th.
Twelve brave volunteers joined us from Veolia UK yesterday, in the pouring rain. They prepared the line of the offside footpath at Gallows Reach, installed wooden path edging, laid a weed suppressant membrane and spread hardcore and compacted it all. Thanks guys.
November 24th. The chaps were busy yesterday putting blocks in place at the gateway to Fosseway Heath. These will keep the earth in place, as we work on building up the canal to the correct level along Falkland Road. The gateway will eventually be filled in and become the side of the canal. Photo by Steve.
November 23rd.
Not a bad turn out on Saturday, given the poor forecast with a strong team of 10 Trust Volunteers turned out at Gallows Reach to create more of the environmental mound along the new offside Nature Trail.
The branches and logs which are recovered from the towpath hedge trimming operation are stacked to form the base of the environmental mound and this will become a very inviting Bug Hotel along this length of the restored canal.
Our thanks also to Steve who has regularly brought his hedging equipment to this section to mulch the remaining small branches and twigs which will be retained on site.
November 21st. The lads started extending the grass slope on south side of Falkland Road up to the level of the offside canal towpath trail. It is amazing the range of tasks the volunteers tackle, even turfing the side slopes to get early grass regeneration! The ‘oss watches over the activity with interest!
November 18th. Heavy rain gives an indication of the canal will look. We are often asked about lining the canal. Linings vary in different locations. We've used layers of liners, concrete and clay in some locations, but we're looking at a new method here - to be revealed nearer the time.
November 11th.
Our plant team get all the glamorous jobs! They've been making a portable toilet more portable, so it can be taken to any site we need.
November 11th.
To find the towpath, we've tempoarily created a rather large pile of spoil which we'll use elsewhere along the canal route.
Sadly, although we found the top of the towpath, the canal wall has long since gone. It was all filled in before the houses were built, so they raised the levels at some point before the houses were built. Photo: To Uluru.
Compare old and new maps of this area side by side at the National Library of Scotland.
