Devastation in Greno Woods

[taxman 12]

Hopefully in 50 years there will be an even better thriving mixed broadleaf wood complete with the increased wildlife and biodiversity that brings.

 

In the meantime those areas that have been felled or thinned will now be opened up for the first time in ages and new growth will happen. Which in turn will lead to more wildlife. Next year you'll start seeing foxgloves re-emerge and other plants that have been choked of sunlight before now. Bees will return. New shoots will provide food for deer and and other animals. Some of the people in the video seem to think deer eat 50 year old conifer trees....nothing could be further from the truth. Getting rid of these unwanted giant weeds is great, it just looks bloomin' awful whilst its being done.

 

As for biketracks. I'm in favour but they should be as far away from other users of the woods as is humanly possible.

 

Putting right the mess that was made by the rush to plant conifers, and the tax breaks that could be received for doing so, will take a long time and will be unfortunately disruptive and ugly.

[Doom 10]

Greno Woods (I actually think it's called something else) is one of the walks I do with the better half on a Sunday Morning. The last time we went we noticed there was a big open area with loads of trees chopped down and wondered why it had been done....Question answered!

 

It's a lovely walk in there, you can just lose yourself.

 

Regards

 

Doom

[scoobz 10]

Greno Woods (I actually think it's called something else) is one of the walks I do with the better half on a Sunday Morning. The last time we went we noticed there was a big open area with loads of trees chopped down and wondered why it had been done....Question answered!

 

It's a lovely walk in there, you can just lose yourself.

 

Regards

 

Doom

 

Someone might correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Greno Woods are to the right of Woodhead Road, and Prior Royd Woods, Wheata Woods and Wharncliffe Woods to the left.

[SportsTrophy 10]

I used to run at orienteering events through large wooded areas so the scene looks to me like it is very lucky to be still there. The breaks and thinning should have been done one or two decades back. Fire or disease could have wiped the place out.

 

Concerned locals could ask to be involved to keep a look out and be aware of the crop rotation so people don't wonder into newly planted areas or felling areas.

[Doom 10]

Someone might correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Greno Woods are to the right of Woodhead Road, and Prior Royd Woods, Wheata Woods and Wharncliffe Woods to the left.

 

I always thought Greno Woods was on the right hand side as you drove out of Grenoside along Woodhead Road, with the woods you describe being on the left hand side. I think there's also a Hague's Wood somewhere up there as well.

 

Having said that, we used to call them all Greno Woods when we were kids living in Grenoside.

 

Regards

 

Doom

[dialled 10]

There were nice trails, picnic benches and signage before they moved in.

 

And please don't compare it to the places where people fly-tip. Most 'proper' woods aren't like that. The ones where people dump stuff aren't in beauty spots like Greno and Wharncliffe Woods.

 

as someone that enjoys greno woods as well as many other woods/forests im a bit confused by your meaning of "proper woods" and "beauty spots".

i would like to think that in sheffield and the surrounding areas we are blessed to have alot of woodland linking townships etc which are all stunning to a simple person like myself . id be interested to know which woods you think its ok to fly tip at and then please tell the people who are doing it to make sure they stick to the appropriate fly tipping woods in "non proper" and "non beauty spot" areas !!

 

for whatever reason you think that greno/wharnecliffe woods dont get fly tipped i must have imagined all the old car tyre piles/old fridges etc i have seen up their and probably never saw a truck load of asbestos waste in the main carpark the other year either ??

[scoobz 10]

I always thought Greno Woods was on the right hand side as you drove out of Grenoside along Woodhead Road, with the woods you describe being on the left hand side. I think there's also a Hague's Wood somewhere up there as well.

 

Having said that, we used to call them all Greno Woods when we were kids living in Grenoside.

 

Regards

 

Doom

 

That's what I said! Greno Woods to the right, the others to the left, including Hague's Wood. I still refer to all of it as Greno Woods because most people know where you mean when you say that.

 

---------- Post added 08-02-2014 at 16:54 ----------

 

as someone that enjoys greno woods as well as many other woods/forests im a bit confused by your meaning of "proper woods" and "beauty spots".

i would like to think that in sheffield and the surrounding areas we are blessed to have alot of woodland linking townships etc which are all stunning to a simple person like myself . id be interested to know which woods you think its ok to fly tip at and then please tell the people who are doing it to make sure they stick to the appropriate fly tipping woods in "non proper" and "non beauty spot" areas !!

 

for whatever reason you think that greno/wharnecliffe woods dont get fly tipped i must have imagined all the old car tyre piles/old fridges etc i have seen up their and probably never saw a truck load of asbestos waste in the main carpark the other year either ??

 

How ridiculous! I've not said anywhere that I think that "it's ok to fly tip". I detest any type of litter with a vengeance and would never condone it. I've not seen any flytipping in Greno or Wharncliffe Woods but you might spend more time up there than me.

 

There's nothing "stunning" about Roe Woods, Scraith Woods and Parkwood Springs. Go and have a look some time!

[Speckled Hen 10]

I'm sure they know what they're doing and it'll be worth it in the long run

 

Yes. It is a pity folk planted pines in the first place.

[Spurtle 10]

The film on Youtube is excellent. Congratulations to those who’ve spoken out against this. As for those who’ve complained it’s one-sided they should experience some of the phony consultations run by Sheffield Wildlife Trust in their RAG meetings. If you raise serious reservations against what they are doing you will find your concerns don’t get minuted and you might get banned from meetings. This has happened at Blacka Moor. Be very careful indeed.

A lot of this is very familiar to those who’ve tried to engage with the wildlife trust. They’ve decided what they want to do and they pretend you can have a say. Well you may be able to say something but seeing as they’ve already made an agreement with some agency for the grant money and they can’t go back on it. As for the idea it’s good for wildlife don’t bet on it. What comes first is the grant for management. They’re a kind of utility outfit that specialises in getting grants for land management projects. And they carry the work out with complete insensitivity.

[frenchfrie 10]

Spurtle, your post is spot on and chimes with my similar experience and views as at post #12 in this thread. Any public consultation with local residents / regular visitors is done under sufferance and not considered because as you say grants are the driver for the trust. Again I would wholeheartedly recommend a read of this blog to see what's happened on Blackamoor under SWT stewardship. http://theblackamoorsite.blogspot.co.uk/ The latest post on the blog actually features Greno Woods.

[scoobz 10]

I don't know enough about conservation or the actual mechanics of what people like the Wildlife Trust do; all I know is what I see with my eyes, and what I've seen in Greno Woods to put it bluntly, is bloody awful.

Today I went for a walk at Bradfield, and close to Dale Dyke reservoir there's a lot of forestry work taken place, but there they've left a few trees standing, and it doesn't look half as bad. If they could have done this at Grenoside perhaps the locals wouldn't have been quite so upset.

[cosywolf 10]

The Wildlife Trust for Sheffield and Rotherham responded to the video on YouTube as follows:

 

The Wildlife Trust for Sheffield and Rotherham works to protect wildlife for the future. The work we are doing in Greno Woods, while it looks untidy in the short term, will have direct benefits for the woodland in the medium to long-term. Sustainable woodland management is a long-term process and involves balancing the needs of the environment (including wildlife), the community and economic interests. We are managing the woods sustainably and are audited by the UK Woodland Assurance Scheme, while our felling, thinning and planting plans are approved by the Forestry Commission.

 

The purpose of this year’s felling/thinning is fivefold:

 

1. Increase the amount of native broadleaf by clear felling non-native conifer and planting with native trees – the latter will be done by the end of March. This will ultimately provide a better wood for wildlife and will be more attractive for most woodland users.

 

2. In areas of mixed woodland we have selectively felled some of the conifers to favour the native broadleaves – ultimately this will result in the same as 1. but will take less time as the native broadleaves are more mature.

 

3. The existing native broadleaves in this area were also very lightly thinned; this allows more light to the shrub layer and ground flora, benefitting all the wildlife that depend on these.

 

4. A couple of areas of sweet chestnut were coppiced; this is the way this area would have been managed historically. A small area of about 0.5 ha will be coppiced each year on a 15 year rotation – this will create a range of habitats (from open ground through young trees to dense stands) each supporting different wildlife.

 

5. One area of mature conifer was clear felled with the intention to replant with conifer; this will provide the long-term revenue stream needed to manage a wood of this size.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be tidying up the site by repairing ruts and path crossings and scraping mud and other debris from the stacking areas. Our experience of felling in previous years is that within one growing season ground vegetation recovers and along with the newly planted trees ‘softens’ the effect of the felling.

 

Later this year we will be preparing a five year management plan. Workshops will be announced soon and will be advertised both locally and city-wide; this will give everyone the chance to have a say in the planning process.

To find out more about our work in Sheffield and Rotherham, visit http://www.wildsheffield.com. You can also e-mail us at [email protected]

 

As for Blacka Moor, the Blacka Blogger has different ideas about land management to the Trust, and, I believe, would like to see woodland take over the entire reserve; however, the Trust has a responsibility to protect the moorland as well as the woodland, and to manage the site appropriately to the marvellous mosaic of habitats and wildlife that grace it.