The “Compartments” referred to below can be seen on this map (Click).

General

• Linear edge on Kellie Road. Plant shrubs to soften the edge.
• Clean floor of wood within 10 yards of paths.
• Ensure public provided with information to keep them on side.
• Look into the Forest Education Initiative.
• Publish Management Plan in local papers.
• Replant with native species and remove exotics.
• Replanting exercise to involve public.
• Put up signs showing that the woodland is being managed by DCWG.

Compartment 2a

• Take out majority of sycamore and poor pine.
• Create pine stand to allow crowns to develop.
• Thin out on edge to allow people to see further into wood from road and path.
• Keep felled pine – make into benches etc.

Compartment 2b

• Root plate lifting.
• Leave dead wood on forest floor.
• Remove spruce – replant with oak, ash, lime (small leafed).
• Plant in groups – overstock using 3ft trees (15-20p per tree).
• Avoid using shelters as magnet for vandals.
• Idea – ‘Plant a Tree for Mothers Day’. Fell in summer, plant in spring.
• Prepare site – haul out felled trees, have felled wood chipped.

Compartment 2c

• Remove a couple of the larches.
• Very light thinning.
• Remove very young sycamore.
• Good European larch, straight, good price. Durable, good for benches, signs etc.
• Demonstration of making benches, chain saw sculptures on site?

Compartment 2d

• Replant sycamore with ash.
• Thin out smaller trees.
• Yew – trim off branches. Take out couple of pines behind the yew.
• Coppicing of existing ash.
• Light edge.

Compartment 3a

• Minimal intervention.
• Paths to be kept away from the area to allow wildlife a safe haven.
• Longer term – remove sycamore.
• Good opportunity for a nature conservation area.
• Create some more pools by scraping ground. Remove vegetation.
• Allow water to develop naturally.
• This area was the site of the loch at Lochend.
• High water table – usually a lot higher.
• Develop a linked series of pools?
• Longer term – develop board walks.
• Rhodedendrons – monitor and review in a couple of years time. Remove while still manageable.
• Possibility of a number of events with which to involve the public.
• Set up some bat boxes – good hunting ground, open flying and insects.
• Also, bird boxes.

Compartment 3b

• Path follows drain line.
• Realign path and develop wet area by creating a more formal pond.
• Remove some sycamore. Pine are naturally going, take out the weakest, and the ones that have problems with the root plates lifting.
• Wall is listed. Long term – look into Heritage grant.
• Remove dangerous trees. Inform Scottish Power as trees are near the power lines on the other side of the wall.
• Drain – needs a cover. Overflow from Hallhill septic tanks.
• General tidy up.
• Evidence of squirrels.

Compartment 3c

• Thinning.
• Odd pine, remove Norway Spruce.
• Remove chicken wire fence.

Compartment 3d

• Group of yews – selective trimming.
• Release yews by removing consticting trees.
• Leave ash.
• Tidy up drinking den.

Compartment 4a

• Selective thinning.
• Wait and see what happens to the area once light hits the wood floor.
• Could plant shade tolerant understory.
• Cut up come logs and pile up for wildlife habitat.
• Rhododendrons – more than in other areas. Need to remove.

Compartment 4b

• Play area – old garden of Lochend House.
• Foot pace survey – create a landscape design.
• A number of specimen trees – walnut and cedar.
• Remove stumps and fill up hole.
• Clear trees right up to the Kellie Road.
• Allow access to road for machinery.
• High prune fir.
• Approx. 2 days work.
• Remove old stumps from corner of Kellie Road and Middlemas Road.

Compartment 4c

• Drain cover required.
• Fence off ‘well’.
• Light low thinning.
• Remove fallen trees.
• Beech and sycamore are to be removed.

Compartment 4d

• Keep but thin out weaker spruce.
• Create an opening in the woodland.

Compartment 4e

• Heavy thinning required.
• Eventually clear and replant longer term.
• Heavy undercover of elderberry. Tangly, but leave.
• Tidy up remining undercover.
• Heavy on dead trees.

Compartment 4f

• Thinning – remove sycamore and beech amongst the edges.

Compartment 5a

• Rhododendrons are a serious problem.
• Remove beech as weak specimens.
• Thinning but save ash.
• Keep beech further through the area.

Compartment 5a/6b

• Requires gate.

Compartment 5b

• Tidy up of felled trees.
• Take out beeches.

Compartment 6b

• Burn – excavate areas to make some pools?
• Probably not worth the effort to make pools. However, clear out and remove fallen trees.
• Thinning to let remaining trees develop their crowns.
• Drain needs attention.

Compartment 7

• Query re. Miller boundary.
• Moorhens nesting on lily pond.
• Board walk on southern edge next to Millers. Edge requires stabilization.
• Pipe on southern edge. Build up edge of pipe with stones to naturalise.
• Massive effort is required.
• Large rhododendron on east of clearing.
• Pond requires to be unsilted.
• In short the whole area is a special project within its own right.
• Survey area once boundary with the Miller site is defined.
• Survey must be detailed and include levels.
• Needs separate, well defined, landscaped plan. Detailed specification required.
• Will need a large amount of funding.
• Important through route from John Muir Gardens to ‘The Ferns’.

Compartment 8

• Mainly sycamore, with a little ash and occasional beech.
• In denser areas of ash – fell sycamore to allow more light for them to develop,
• Fell the ash with the damaged bark (main cross path, laundry to Wimpey).
• Fell ash with ash canker.
• Remove sycamore with damaged bark.
• Thinning to favour removal of sycamore, keep occasional beech.
• There is one oak in this area.
• Leaning elm tree to be removed.
• Open area needs replanting – junction with Wimpey/Persimmon. Oaks?
• Vegetation dense and aggressive.
• Weed control.
• Develop crab apples and fruit on roadside verge.
• Lots of young ash in roadside area.

Compartment 9

• Six Austrian pine. Yew trees and multi stemmed lime.
• More mixed area of woodland.
• Remove pine with poorest tops.
• Remove spruce next to long path.
• Retain big beech.
• Remove oak.
• Clear out rubbish – i.e. newspaper dumped next to log.

Compartment 10

• Composting points? Convert the dumping of garden water into an opportunity.
  Money from council to set up scheme?
  Clear nettles from Ashfield entrance.
  Mixed woodland – poor quality.
  Remove larches and other poor quality trees.
  Dead elm at east end to be removed.
  Prune off lower branches of leaning cedar to relieve weight.
  West of ruin – thinning, remove some sycamore to favour ash and beech.
  Extra path to be surfaced as it is regularly used.
  Take out some of the smaller beech.