The woodland workers arrive buzzing with excitement. After many months of HS2 distribution, the Shipton Lee Road, which runs past Finemere Wood, had finally reopened. For many of them this meant they no longer faced an 11-mile detour. Driving along the now smooth freshly resurfaced road and over the brand-new bridge was a high point of the morning.

The wood is lush and green. Spring flowers have gone to seed, while the leaves of the next succession of blooms are beginning to emerge. The trees are alive with birdsong. The warblers are here: blackcaps, garden warblers, and willow warblers.

Long Close Meadow in the heart of the wood is an ancient meadow which has been grazed for centuries. But for a few years now there have been no grazing animals here to assist with maintaining this unique habitat. 

Conservation grazing helps control the growth of dominant plants, stopping scrub taking over. A mosaic of habitats is created, resulting in an increase in biodiversity. Trampling hooves will open up bare soil, making room for seeds to take root. The plan is for cows to return to the meadow this year.

The surrounding fence is in a state of disrepair. Fallen trees weigh down on the wire and a number of posts are rotten. The pasture’s boundary is expansive, the post and wire fencing weaving through trees and scrub.

The volunteers love a project like this, swiftly choosing jobs that play to their strengths. A couple bravely tunnel into the thorny undergrowth, loppers and saws in hand, climbing over fallen deadwood to test the strength of hidden posts and flagging those that need replacing. Others, muscles straining, drivall in hand, hammer posts into the ground without tiring, while a small group ponder the puzzle of how to repair a fence with a host of curious quirks.

The woodland workers scramble through the foliage, knocking in new posts and re-tensioning slack wire. Meanwhile, another worker moves from gate to gate, fixing latches with close attention to detail. It is imperative that the boundary is secured; once loose in the wood, a cow would be a challenge to find.

The day ended with a lot of ground covered, but the vast perimeter still needs more care before it is completely cow-proof. The tools are down for now, but we will be back soon to tackle the remaining sections.

More than 1,700 volunteers help us towards our vision of more nature everywhere, on our nature reserves, at our visitor and education centres, in our offices and more.

Find a volunteer opportunity near you