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Welcome
Welcome to this Website, which dedicated to the Friends of Shrubhill Common.
This voluntary group was set up by Dacorum Borough Council in order to promote the maintenance and enhancement of the Shrubhill Common Local Nature Reserve, which is situated on the western side of Hemel Hempstead.
The Website is intended to display the group's work to a wider audience. We hope to get more people interested and give us their views and suggestions either via this site or by attending our meetings, which are held each three months, normally at the Adventure Playground off Long Chaulden.
The site is under construction, but in the meantime please leave messages under the "Welcome" topic on the Message Board (for which you need to register first) or the Guestbook. |  |
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Minutes of latest meeting
 | FRIENDS OF SHRUBHILL COMMON
LANDSCAPE AND RECREATION
The next meeting will be on Wednesday 29th April 2009. Please meet at Chaulden Adventure Playground at 7.30pm.
Newcomers would be particularly welcome
Present :
Friends of Shrubhill Common
Martin Hicks, Herts Biological Records Centre
Martin O’Connor, Countryside Management Service
Colin Chambers, Dacorum Borough Council
Claire Covington, Dacorum Borough Council
Grassland
Hemel Hempstead Conservation Volunteers visited Shrubhill on January 18th, cutting back the scrub along the top edge of the fields adjacent to Valleyside and Varney Road. The cuttings will be collected when the weather improves, with the remaining grasscuttings from the autumn. Roger thinks that it is two years since the scrub between the two fields was cut and five years since the top section was cut back.
Woodland
Roger reported that there is no further damage in the woodland as a result of strong winds. The stinking hellebore will be coming into flower during February/March.
Green Lane
Colin Chambers, the new Woodlands Officer at Dacorum Borough Council, attended the meeting. Colin has surveyed the trees along the Green Lane, and circulated a paper outlining the management options, which the group discussed. Colin recommends a cautious approach to works to the trees from Long Chaulden down to the previous coppiced section. This length has more large and significant trees and he is concerned that these will fail if coppiced. He has recommended works to each individual tree, which could be pruning, coppicing, no action, or in the case of the significant trees, crown reduction. Crown reduction will minimise wound size and resulting decay. The Lane does need a management programme to ensure the feature survives in the future. The Group supported the approach Colin recommended. Colin intends to start this spring with phase 3, (by the previous coppiced section), and work towards Long Chaulden, depending on the budget available. There is also a single ash near to Long Chaulden, which will have work in the initial phase. The works will aid wildlife and bio-diversity, as the additional light will improve the herb layer, and provide a better habitat for bats.
Management Plan
Martin O’Connor from the Countryside Management Service has prepared a draft Greenspace Action Plan for Shrubhill Common. The Friends discussed their priorities for Shrubhill, they felt that protecting the Common as undeveloped greenspace and managing it for bio-diversity were particularly important. The management plan will form the basis of the next meeting.
Website
Gruff will update the Friends of Shrubhill Common website with the latest minutes, www.communicate.co.uk/herts/fosc/
Litter Pick
8th March was agreed as the date for the annual litter pick.
The next meeting will be on Wednesday 29th April 2009. Please meet at Chaulden Adventure Playground at 7.30pm. |
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