Get in touch with nature at Cwmtalwg Nature Reserve
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A popular area of woodland in Barry that is looked after by a residents’ group is inviting people to get in touch with nature at a ‘coppicing’ day on Sunday, 13th February.
Over the last 33 years, the Cwmtalwg Nature Reserve has been managed by the Cwmtalwg Woodlands Residents Group, with the support of the Vale Council Parks Department. During that period, small sections of the woods at Cwmtalwg have been coppiced regularly.
This year the senior development officer from Llais y Goedwig, the community woodland network for Wales, is coming to run a hands-on course on coppicing, so that more people can understand the benefits, learn the skills safely and enjoy working together for the good of the environment.
Coppicing means cutting down trees and shrubs in winter and harvesting the new growth over the next few years. It is an ancient way of managing woods. When a tree has been felled and trimmed to the ground it may look like destruction but it’s not the end of the story, the tree will grow vigorously from the base in the Spring.
In the past, the new growth would be harvested every few years and used for bean sticks, tool handles etc. Hazel and willow branches split easily and were woven into fences or baskets and logs were burnt as fuel or converted into charcoal.
Goldilocks buttercup will not grow in dense shade. Photo: Patrick Roper.
Modern life is quite different but coppicing is still valuable today as clearing sections of a wood is good for biodiversity. Woodland flowers like the uncommon Goldilocks buttercup, which is found at Cwmtalwg, will not grow in dense shade, and butterflies also need sunny glades and grassy areas where the food plants for their caterpillars grow.
The cut branches are also valuable for biodiversity, piled into heaps they provide a habitat for insects and fungi. Insects and their larvae aren’t cuddly or cute but are vital food for birds and animals such as voles and frogs.
This year, an area beside one of the paths through the wood opposite the Cwmtalwg pub will be coppiced. As well as promoting biodiversity this also has the benefit of opening up the path to sunlight. A narrow path hedged in by dense trees can feel daunting, a wide and sunny path invites people to enjoy walking through this small green oasis in the middle of the suburbs.
The course on Sunday 13th February is open to anyone but numbers will be limited for safety reasons. Anyone interested should contact Anne Bryan at for more details.
Anne Bryan
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