Tuesday 24 February 2015

Junior Rangers love juniper trees

The Junior rangers met up again on February 14th. This time the weather was a lot better and we decided to trek up into Tweedhope valley to remove some tree guards from the juniper trees as well as other maintenance tasks.

Thanks to a Action Earth Grant from CSV (Community Service Volunteers)  and support from SNH we were able to provide the group with Junior Ranger jumpers and the essential work gloves! We now really feel like a team and have lots more Junior Ranger days planned for the year ahead.

Thanks Action Earth!

So all kitted out we headed up the hill. A really beautiful walk with time for some winter tree identification, we even found a wooly bear caterpillar!

The team worked well and in no time we had removed the tree guards and restaked the juniper trees on the hill.
Explaining the task!


Juniper are a shrubby species and if you leave the tree guards on too long they will turn 'lollypop' shaped. Not a good look for a juniper and not good for its growth so this was really essential work.

Careful does it 

We also weeded some tree guards to give the trees a better chance of growing well come spring. Its incredible how plants such as heath bedstraw grow up the tree tubes taking advantage of the sheltered conditions.

Check out the heath bedstraw!



The next task was to get those tree guards off the hill.


Sometimes the most fun way to do this is to do it fast!  

Who needs a quad bike!?


Really looking forward to the next junior rangers which is on Saturday the 14th March

We still have a few spaces left. Contact Corehead@bordersforesttrust.org for more information

Ali Murfitt
Community and Educaton Officer







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