There is a second opportunity to join a clean-up at Tarzy Wood on Saturday so that it can be opened up a bit for wildlife and visitors. It takes place between 10am and 1pm, and tea, biscuits and tools will be provided.
Tarzy Wood is the piece of woodland which starts at the corner of New Wanstead and the High Street. In the 19th Century it was saved from development by enraged Wanstead citizenry who tore down fencing put around it by its owner, who planned to build on it. The people – perhaps the very kind of people who read Wansteadium? – were determined to save it for public use.
Every time the shrubs and trees are ‘cleaned-up’ (ie cut down) and the ivy and other creepers ripped down, ‘Tarzy Wood’ becomes less and less wildlife-friendly. Birds need close cover to roost and make nests,and old, decaying trees provide habitat for insects and grubs. As for the visitors… Christchurch Green is two minutes walk away.
Hear, hear, well said Ann Williams! This type of clearing is actually the opposite of wildlife-friendly; exactly.
The same denigration of habitat happens in the “improvement” efforts in Wanstead Park, denuding the environment of the kind of cover and plant life that’s in fact important for many species. In my view it’s complete mismanagement with a view to human aesthetics rather than what would actually be best for the wildlife.
I spoke to the people from Epping Forest about this. All the work is approved by their conservation team apparently. They said ivy is important (and they are stopping for nesting season) but needs clearing from older native tress as it increases risk of falls, makes sense. In fact, the clearing is also to give more light etc to the important species allowing them to thrive.
They had previously had lots of comments that it was a bit spooky in there. Lots of drug paraphernalia and a dead body had been found!!! – so a general safety issue. Seems to me in a totally unscientific view that more people are using it now.
All a balance I guess, but good luck if the locals are doing something I say. I’m going to pop down tomorrow and see what they are doing. You coming?
City of London Corporation’s Epping Forest “conservation team” is not infallible. Just because they have that title doesn’t mean there aren’t some total clods among them making the wrong decisions in the belief that they are the right ones. CoL have regularly made some terrible decisions that ruin rather than help — go take a look at Wanstead Flats at the moment, and stop to talk to a few birding people, who have more expert knowledge of what that habitat means than CoL ANY day of the week.
It’s not smart to just have the mindset of thinking any “team” with a title really does know what it’s doing. Observe and question. Your eyes may open. They are already mismanaging the park and its water levels, just for one matter, to an absurd degree and I have no faith they know what they’re up to in this wood either.
I speak from a point of view of wildlife habitat rather than “lets make the woods less ‘spooky’ for humans”…
See this David Lawrence Diane Opie
Bit OTT, can see right through the woods now