Dean Green Team

Wildlife Conservation Group in the

Forest of Dean

Gloucestershire

Sid is telling us about the squirrel traps and the problems now occurring with the boar trying to grab the maize that is used to entice the squirrels in.

Squirrels are the worst killers of trees in the forest as they strip the bark and many of our tasks are to remove squirrel damaged trees. The number of squrrels caught are minute compared with the population of about 160,000 but an effort has to be made!

14 July 2009

The wallows created by the boar can be clearly seen and the trees behind show where the boar rub themselves to rid them of insects. Boar hair can be found on the trees.

A large sounder of boar use his site.

This is the track walking down from the view point at New Fancy View. There is a large colony of adders here although we did not see one and they bask on the track so the dogs have to be kept on a lead.

We will be clearing an area of scrub on the south facing side of the track in the autumn to encourage the adders away from the path.

Beechenhurst barbecue and nature trail

Today was our annual get together for a barbecue at Beechenhurst Lodge and a really good nature trail around the forest led by the wildlife ranger, Sid (who is a lady!). We went up to New Fancy View first, mainly to see the adders, although this site is a famous lookout for the Goshawks. Then we went deep into the forest to see a site where the wild boar wallow in the mud.

After the barbecue, we went to see the squirrel traps hidden in the forest.