Tree Survey in Copley Wood

Climate and Community were asked by the community council to carry out a tree survey in Copley Wood, Mansel Green Bishopston. This is being done as a precursor to drafting a plan for the wood which the community council and Bishopston residents will be consulted on. We are planning to put a version on the Bishopston Vocal Eyes group page, so people can vote and give comments. As well as talk to local groups in person.

On July 2nd we joined Jenna Higgins a qualified arboriculturist at Copley Woods as we had arranged for her to do the survey work. Jenna has much experience in woodland management and has also completed a coppice management apprentice scheme. So she has the academic and the hands on practical experience. We began by setting up a shelter inside the wood for shade and tea making. Jenna packed her kit and was soon off making notes. Bob and Jules made tea and arranged a visit with Susan Rodaway, the Vocal Eyes coordinator and Pennard Community Councillor. She joined us at lunch time at the camp and told us about Vocal Eyes, its history and success so far. We concluded that the crucial part of the Vocal Eyes process is getting people to register and vote. Susan mentioned the lack of Wifi points in Bishopston, which is needed at venues to help people register.

Later in the afternoon we walked around the site with Jenna, making comments and identifying more plants and trees. The drainage is interesting as it is very variable over the site and creates varied habitats.  Willow, Oak and Hazel dominate the older wooded areas, while bracken and bramble dominate the more open areas which have more recently become vegetated. Even in this area we found an Orchid indicating a bio diverse site.

Picking Up Plastic on Llangethin Beach

Climate and Community decided to join the Marine Conservation Society at their event on Llangethin beach. The stunning beach at the other end of Rhossili. We saw the face book post from Plastic free Swansea promoting the event, in hindsight the mistake we made was not registering on the Marine Conservation website which informs the organiser you are going. Consequently we turned up in Broughton farm car park at 10.30am on July 15th. Only to find nobody else had turned up!

We decided to pick the beach any way as we had brought litter picking equipment, armed with bags and gloves we walked for 20 minutes through the dunes to find a beautiful stretch of beach. However the rocky area at high tide mark alongside the dunes was full of plastic fragments. We concentrated on the rocky area immediately right from the path where we emerged from the dunes. The more you looked the more you found. Bottle caps, pen casings, broken combs, plastic toys and the list goes on. Fragments of plastic were the most worrying as they had been on the beach and in the sea for a while, beginning to turn into ‘beads’. We picked up everything plastic and made our way along the pebbly rocks.

It reminded me of the Pippi Long Stocking stories where she describes herself as a ‘pickupstuffer’. She is determined to find something useful in the trash. I ask the beach to give me something back for my troubles; it never ceases to answer my call. We collected a baby with a dodgy dictator’s salute, a weird looking diver, a mini sandcastle mould and some tyres. There is a dastardly plot in that picture where the baby has decided to take over the world. Well plastic certainly has and after two and a half hours we had had enough of the heat and sorting plastic.

Llangethin beach needs more cleaning up and could easily justify a multiple day camp, to really give the beach a deep clean. Something to consider for the future. Anyone interested please get in contact