The warmth of a sunny weekend offers a glimmer of hope that the long, dreary winter is finally making its exit. Spring is on the horizon. It never ceases to amaze me how green shoots begin to emerge from the bare earth as we approach warmer, sunnier months. Nature is remarkable in its resilience: never faltering, always powering forwards.

The winter work of clearing scrub and trees must finish now spring is looming and birds will soon be nesting. There is still a mountain of work to be completed in this, the last work party of winter. But word is out: permission is granted to cut as much as possible, leaving the clear-up for another week. The delight is palpable. With crazed looks in their eyes and saws in their hands, the woodland workers charge towards a block of silver birch eager to topple these tall, straight and elegant trees. With a creak, a crack, and a thud, down they come one by one.

In the 1960s, this section of the wood was converted into a conifer plantation by the Forestry Commission, significantly changing the character of the wood. Fourteen years ago, tens of thousands of these trees were clear-felled by BBOWT, leaving a vast expanse of land which became known as “the Somme”. With a rich seed bank in the soil, the process of secondary succession quickly took hold, and the miraculous resurgence of the ancient woodland by natural regeneration has been astounding.

Birch trees dominate: fast-growing and producing a mass of seeds, they quickly colonise open areas. And now it is time to clear sections of this birch, allowing sunlight to hit the ground and kick-start new growth. Space is created for small, slow-growing oak trees, once hidden amongst the birch, to flourish, and a mosaic of vegetation in various stages of development will form, enriching biodiversity.

The day draws to an end. The ground is littered with trees. The volunteers have had a thrilling day. The next gathering will be a clearing-up session. The question is, how many of them will join me for the game of giant pick-up sticks?

More than 1,700 volunteers help us towards our vision of more nature everywhere, on our nature reserves, at our visitor and education centres, in our offices and more.

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