Cardiff Conservation Volunteers Presentation

Conservation in Cardiff

By Ian Giblett

Who are CCV?    

We are a diverse range of volunteers Started in 1978 Operate every Sunday Also run conservation weekends  We love Tea and Biscuits!

Brief List of what we do  Manage Woodlands  Dry-Stone Walling  Fencing  Make and Maintain Footpaths  Dig and Clear Ponds  Lay dead and living hedges

Coppicing and Scrub Removal

Coppicing  Chopping a tree down can be good for its health!!  Traditionally coppicing was done for a theoretically infinite supply of fuel  With this technique a tree could live for a very long time!  Many reasons why conservations clear trees

Reasons for Coppicing  Encourages Growth  Provides a different type of Habitat  Trees will grow in long straight poles

Flowers Common in This Butterfly is Coppiced Woodland When more light is let into a wood….

…lots of the called flowers begin Duke of to Burgundy grow…..

….which attracts butterflies…..

….Insects and Birds!

Birds in a Coppiced wood

This is a Chiff Chaff. He prefers recently coppiced woodland

This is a Willow Warbler. He looks for older coppiced woodland

Scrub Clearance Scrub is a collective term for Brambles  Butterflies Love Scrub and small trees.  Some prefer young growth, other species like old scrub and the rest like something in the middle.

…withoutDunes attention it Clearance on Sand This sand dune has would turn to become clogged  Sand Dunes are fairly rare ecosystems in the woodland. UK with grass….  Easily Choked with Grass, Sea Buckthorn and other invasive species

Rabbits don’t like long grass….

…so after we cut the grass, they will keep it short.

This is Velvet Deadwood for Mushrooms Shank. EasyBall to This is a Puff spot because it  Fungus comes thrive out aton dead wood and plants Winter have been and still are a  Mushrooms source of mystery to humans

 The biggest living organism on the planet is a fungus! This is a shaggy ink This is yellow Brain cap. It used to be Fungus! boiled down to make ink.

Habitat Piles  Are big piles of wood  Make a wonderful home to many plants and animals

Walls, Fences and Hedges

Dry Stone Walling  Outlasts any other type of boundary  Offers Shelter to live stock  Houses lichens, plants and small animals  Aesthetically pleasing  Prevents land erosion

Fencing  Cheaper and quicker to make than a wall  Keeps Things Out  Keeps Things In

First you get a line Hedge Laying

The finished of trees… product!  Can only be done before Spring  Involves laying trees down to create a thick hedge  A hedge has many benefits …and you weave them in to the …then you split the next part of the trunk…. hedge!

Why Lay a Hedge?  Offers protection to vast amounts of wildlife: Dormice, Rabbits, insects etc.  Immune to vandalism  Provide shelter for livestock and crops

Dormice  Can build nests up to 5 meters off the floor

 Will hibernate for up to 6 months of the year  Are extinct in many counties around Britain and are a protected species

Footpaths and Steps

Foot Paths  Allows safe passage  Minimises Erosion

Ponds and Aquatic Life

Ponds  Provide habitats for many plants and animals  Natural ponds are not stationary!  After a while the water will choke up with dead matter and the water will go somewhere else.  As it’s not practical for ponds to go some where else we clean them out by hand.

Areas on Conservation around Cardiff Worth seeing

Cefn mably

Where can you see all this Cwm Nofydd Cath Cobb The Garth around Cardiff? Wood Coryton Roundabout!

Coed Yr Felin Wood

Forest Farm

Howardian Nature Reserve

Grangemoor Park

Lavernock Point

Summary  The main aims of Conservation are: a) To Encourage Biodiversity. b) Preserve what habitats we already have. c) Minimise the impact of humans in areas of natural beauty. d) To work with nature, not against it.

Thanks for Listening!

Any Questions?