On Saturday morning, the 17th January, seven local volunteers from Maryburgh were in the community woodland for the first Clean-Up day of 2026.

Volunteers removing Beech saplings – Image by Ian Fraser

The volunteers weren’t deterred by the cold, wet, freezing conditions in January and everyone started work on the next stage of the maintenance plan guidelines, removing the invasive non-native Beech saplings identified in the plan. Unlike last month, this time the red squirrels didn’t come out to play, preferring to remain in the warm and have the local community volunteers provide them with the entertainment. The volunteers, however, did find hair ice on the branches and twigs within the woodland.  Hair ice, also known as ice wool or frost beard, is a type of ice that forms on dead decomposing wood in broadleaf woodland, resembles fine, silky hair. It typically occurs at latitudes between 45 and 55° N in humid conditions when temperatures are slightly below freezing and is associated with the fungus Exidiopsis effusa, which helps shape and stabilize the ice.

Close up of Hair ice – Image by Siobhan Fraser

The Clean-Up

After deciding on the work needing done, the community volunteers made their way to compartment 10, just close to the old workings, known by various names such as the “porridge bowl”, an area previously excavated within the woodland. This had numerous Beech saplings that the volunteers soon cleared with saws and loppers. The saplings cut down were then stacked in neat piles to rot down and provide habitats for small mammals, invertebrates, fungi and other woodland species. The stack of saplings also provided nutrients for the soils in the woodland and acted as wind breaks to protect the plants in the understory.

Volunteers removing Beech saplings – Image by Ian Fraser

Morning refreshments

As normal with our monthly clean-ups, the volunteers met at the end of the morning to enjoy tea and rolls. One of our volunteers provide tea in his camper van. Due to the inclement weather, the tea and rolls were enjoyed in a volunteer’s garage this month to avoid the wet weather.

The Maryburgh Community Woodland Group would like to thank all the volunteers from the village who gave up a Saturday morning to help with the monthly clean-up.

More Help Needed 

More help is always needed to maintain and improve the woodland for the benefit of everyone in the community. If you cannot spare a couple of hours to join us for some fun in the woodland, why not help out in other ways. You can now make a donation using our PayPal online system. All donations will go to help with the future development of our community woodland.