Low Barns Volunteer Task Force: Recently Added Galleries and Collections

Low Barns: Log Stacking & Other Works (Wed 16th May 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:07:52 GMT

]]>Sunshine all day! We spent the day shifting and stacking logs and also managed to install a new interpretation panel and clean the driveway. Thanks everyone. Welcome to new volunteers Josh and Dave.

Low Barns: Log Stacking (Tue 15th May 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:36:09 GMT

]]>Weather stayed fine after a wet start. The task involved loading up the logs near the North Hide and unloading and stacking them in the kiln site. Thanks to everyone who came out and worked so hard.

Hedleyhope Fell: Footpath Maintenance (Sat 12th May 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Sat, 12 May 2012 15:16:57 GMT

]]>The Saturday team spent the day clearing encroaching vegetation from the edges of the top path on the fell. This access work is important as it encourages visitors to stick to the paths and limits damage to the heathland. Thanks to everyone who came out on this lovely sunny day.

Black Plantation: Plug Planting (Fri 11th May 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:16:46 GMT

]]>A very wet start but eventually the sun came out. The Heart of Durham team were at Black Plantation planting out 285 plugs of marsh violets a valuable plant in the life cycle of the Small pearl bordered fritillary butterfly. This planting will continue over the next few months and this site will be the first re-introduction site in years to come. Welcome to Craig our new volunteer.

Hedleyhope Fell: Access Works (Thu 10th May 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:40:17 GMT

]]>Change to the original task due to the weather: we spent the day fixing and installing way marker posts on Hedleyhope Fell. A small group braved the elements and spent a damp but enjoyable day on the fell. Thanks to all.

Stanley Moss: Water Level Survey & Plant ID (Wed 9th May 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:06:05 GMT

]]>Marked up where all the piezometers (tubes for measuring water levels) are on Stanley Moss: placed a fence post next to each meter and marked the meter with its number/letter. After lunch we had a plant identification session.

Low Barns: Spring Clean (Tue 8th May 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:12:04 GMT

]]>Spring clean of the barn, tool room and kiln site with the addition of a small group litter picking and shifting burnt tyres from the eastern end of the reserve. Thanks to everyone who came out.

Low Barns: Plug Plant Sorting Day (Fri 4th May 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:53:43 GMT

]]>A really useful day sorting the pug plants of marsh and dog violets. Seven experimental tubs were planted with dog violets into which a pregnant female small pearl bordered fritillary will be placed. Two racks were also made to hold the many violets that will be planted out in the next month. A carpentry team were also hard at work constructing and painting bird boxes.

Baal Hill Wood: Log Processing (Thu 3rd May 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:00:06 GMT

]]>Third of our plant ID days in Baal Hill Wood. We started the day processing logs ready for next years charcoal burn. Chris (with help from Lesley) then spent an hour walking through the woodland identifying some of the woodland. Some volunteers had never visited the site so we also took the opportunity to walk up to the Bishop's oak before returning to the task of cutting. Shifting logs and creating habitat piles.

Baal Hill Wood: Log Processing (Wed 2nd May 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:32:17 GMT

]]>Second of our plant ID days in Baal Hill Wood. We started the day processing logs ready for next years charcoal burn. Craig then spent an hour walking through the woodland identifying some of the common and some ancient woodland identifier plants. We then returned to the task of cutting and shifting logs. Welcome back Joanne.

Baal Hill Wood: Log Processing (Tue 1st May 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:51:54 GMT

]]>First of our plant ID days in Baal Hill Wood. We started the day processing logs ready for next years charcoal burn. We were then joined by Craig who spent a couple of hours walking through the woodland identifying some of the common and some ancient woodland identifier plants. A Great day in a beautiful woodland, definitely worth a visit. Finally welcome to our new volunteer Kevin

Rainton Meadows & Blackhall Rocks: Geology Training Day (Sat 28th Apr 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 16:36:50 GMT

]]>The first official Saturday training day. We had an exellent turnout and Dave Lawrence gave an informative and interesting presentation, Dave has a background in Geology spending many years producing geological survey maps. In the afternoon we had a trip to Blackhall Rocks to have a look at the rock formations and Dave did some ID and told us some of the history and where the rocks would have come from.

Low Barns: Charcoal Grading (Fri 27th Apr 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:12:40 GMT

]]>In a tribute to Alice Cooper and Kiss todays team finished the day with black faces, in reality we had another charcoal grading day with another 142 bags of charcoal ready for you to buy from the visitors centre. Everyone had a great time despite the mess and enjoyed a much needed summers day.

Burnhope Reservoir: Heather Guard Removal (Thurs 26th Apr 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:12:04 GMT

]]>Could it have got much wetter? A day certainly to remember, amongst the stunning scenery and mist of Weardale. The task was to remove heather guards and to clear the small field adjacent to Burnhope reservoir. In the summer this area will be cut and racked in order to encourage wild flowers. Two exciting discoveries, a nest of pheasant eggs and another with 3 oyster catcher eggs on the merest of nests.

Stanley Moss: Tree Removal (Wed 25th Apr 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:36:14 GMT

]]>We spent the day clearing trees from a new boundary fence line on Stanley Moss. This work will allow access for contractors to carry out the fence construction. All the brash was formed into habitat piles on the DWT side of the boundary. Thanks to everyone who came out and thanks to Graeme for organising the rain after we'd finished.

Low Barns: Charcoal Training Day (Tue 24th Apr 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:14:55 GMT

]]>Third charcoal event of 2012 and to make it special we had the company of Northumberland Wildlife Trust. Our usual day had the bonus of a walk and talk around Low Barns as well as the usual history and making of charcoal. Two of the now famous Durham Wildlife Trust BBQ's saw everyone fed and entertained.

Low Barns: Kiln Preparation (Fri 20th Apr 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:42:48 GMT

]]>A fine day spent preparing two of the kilns for next Tuesdays charcoal burn.

Hedleyhope Fell: Footpath Maintenance (Thu 19th Apr 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:36:46 GMT

]]>A joint task with the Rainton team today continuing the footpath maintenance on Hedleyhope Fell. We managed to dodge all the big showers and edged the path from the top car park to half way to the top loop path. Both teams worked very well: thanks everyone.

Hedleyhope Fell: Footpath Maintenance (Wed 18th Apr 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:58:20 GMT

]]>It was a Chris special day today as you will see from the photo's, we carried on with the footpath maintenance on Headleyhope Fell and finished off the large loop amd made a start on the top Footpath.

Hedleyhope Fell: Footpath Maintenance (Tue 17th Apr 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:21:31 GMT

]]>A cold windy day on the fell with the promise of glorious sunshine in the afternoon, for once the weather men got it right and we had alovely afternoon. We continued with the circular section of the path and have left just a short straight section to complete tomorrow, welcome to our new volunteer Trevor.

Low Barns: Charcoal Grading (Sat 14th Apr 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 15:35:52 GMT

]]>What a fabulous day, there is nothing more fun than getting black, and you can see by today’s pictures there was lots of fun to go around. The team excelled themselves today emptying and grading three kilns and producing a record of 165 bags of charcoal. Welcome to our new volunteer Jim, hopefully the dirtiest task of the year hasn’t put him off.

Hedleyhope Fell: Footpath Maintenance (Fri 13th Apr 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:37:51 GMT

]]>3rd Day on the fell repairing footpaths, and we are finally making some headway, the circle is now almost complete, we managed to keep the rain off and in fact enjoyed a sunny afternoon. Chris enjoyed his day back and forth on the Quad leaving the rest of us with the hard graft.

Woodburn Farm: Fence Construction (Thu 12th Apr 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:21:00 GMT

]]>A Heart Of Durham task with Anne & Sarah today: Capping off four sections of shelter belt (mix of hedgerow plants) to stop access by livestock. The belts have been planted to benefit the pearl bordered fritillary butterfly. We also constructed a new section of post and rail fence on a slope down to the burn. Sunny start but with a rainy finish: thanks to everyone for an an excellent job and braving the elements.

Hedleyhope Fell: Footpath Maintenance (Wed 11th Apr 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:21:46 GMT

]]>Footpath maintenance: cleared grass that had encroached on and narrowed the path to only 1m. We managed to prepare about 1/4 of the loop on top of the fell. A good team out today enjoying the rain, sunshine, rain, sunshine and more rain. Thanks everyone.

Hedleyhope Fell: Footpath Maintenance (Tue 10th Apr 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:52:24 GMT

]]>Spring officially started on 21st March, some say spring starts when you can stand on 6 daisies, but Spring started today for the task force and we started the season with some footpath maintenance. Up on Hedleyhope fell, we have weeded and repaired the main car park giving it a nice new coating to make it look all nice and new again. We also had time to make a start on the footpaths.

Hedleyhope Fell: Juniper Planting (Thu 5th Apr 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:38:12 GMT

]]>We finally found some time to plant all those Juniper trees we have been removing over the last couple of weeks, a good team got stuck in and even managed to complete the job early and had a good walk around the woodlands on top.

Low Barns: Charcoal training Day (Wed 4rd Apr 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:07:07 GMT

]]>Charcoal training day take 2, except today we should have called smokey Wednesday, with three kilns going instead of our usual two meant more smoke than usual, fortunately we were able to find some clear spots. Weather.... fine then wind, rain, snow, hail and sunshine, thankfully it was mostly sunshine. We accomplished a load of work today, restacked the log pile ready for next years, cut and split more logs for the next charcoal burn, watered the tree’s ready for tomorrows planting and ate too many burgers and sausages. Big thanks to everyone who came out, and finally welcome to our new volunteer Gill.

Low Barns: Kiln Preperation (Tue 3rd Apr 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:48:49 GMT

]]>Kiln preparation and log splitting
One of the wettest days for Martin as a relatively new VRO. Logs were split and packed into the kiln which will be lit tomorrow. After 10-14 hours hopefully there will be charcoal which will be bagged and then sold from the Low Barns shop.

Low Barns: Log Piling (Fri 30th Mar 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:29:19 GMT

]]>Another super hot day at Low Barns and as Lisa finished off the charcoal yesterday it left us to tidy up after Chris in the woodland. While Chris cut down Birch, willow and Alder Dave cut and piled the brash while the rest of us dragged the logs back to the kiln site and stacked it for drying. To end the day it seemed appropriate for ice cream, so we were all treated to our favourites.

Low Barns: Charcoal Grading (Thu 29th Mar 2012)

lowbarnsvolunteers@durhamwt.co.uk (Low Barns Volunteer Task Force) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:18:25 GMT

]]>A small band of volunteers tackled the messy job of grading the charcoal from the kilns that were lit on Saturday. Once graded they were bagged up and weighed and are now available in the shop - great for a BBQ. Further tree felling work within the bird ringing area was carried out by a VRO and one volunteer. Thanks to everyone who came out.