Nature recovery is a key part of our ongoing work to conserve and enhance the Dedham Vale National Landscape. Our Nature Network Officer, Alex Moore da Luz, provides a round-up from all of our nature recovery projects and volunteer work parties for November 2023.

1 Volunteer work parties

Two rhododendron & laurel clearance work parties were held at a woodland site in East Bergholt. Two teams of super energetic volunteers cleared vast amounts of non-native invasive rhododendron and laurel.

These shrubs have created a monoculture of dense understorey that is suffocating the woodland floor and highly detrimental for biodiversity. This work is part of an ongoing project to clear large areas of the
woodland of these plants.

Some of the cut rhododendron was placed around new hazel saplings sprouting through on the forest floor to help protect from deer grazing.

2 Project updates

8,885 hedge saplings have been purchased for planting out in both the Dedham Vale National Landscape, and the neighbouring Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape. Sites include Stratford St. Mary, Bawdsey, Ramsholt and Dunwich.

Rain and floodwater has prevented three scrape and footdrain creation projects from being completed this calendar year – hopefully weather conditions will improve enough early next year to get a digger on site.

3 Training event

A day was spent at the Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Arger Fen Nature Reserve where warden Cormac Adlard shared his wealth of knowledge and showed volunteers how to layer hazel.

Hazel layering is a technique used to create fantastic habitat for wildlife on the forest floor. The layering helps to create a messy structure which provides cover and wonderful feeding opportunities for hazel dormice and birds such as nightingale.

Layering was carried out alongside footpaths which has helped to create woodland rides which are fantastic for flora and butterflies.

You can find out more about our nature recovery work and read our Nature Recovery Plan on our website, or you can contact Nature Network Officer, Alex Moore da Luz, at alex.mooredaluz@suffolkandessex-NL.org.uk.