Thorny problem tackled to help Bordeaux trees survive
MEMBERS of the Guernsey Conservation Volunteers have continued with their efforts to save trees through another project to remove brambles.
An 11-strong team took to the Bordeaux mound – the site of the former landfill site – on Saturday, after its project at Fort Road came to an end earlier this month.
‘It’s a "brambly" time for us,’ said GCV operations director Angela Salmon.
The team had started last Wednesday and ended on Saturday, spending around five hours removing brambles that grow to chest height.
Miss Salmon described the danger they pose to the trees.
‘The brambles compete with the trees for light and soil,’ she said.
‘They also wrap themselves around the trees which leads them to get distorted.’
The team, which had returned to Bordeaux for the second time, helped around 50 trees, which were all native and included a number of oaks.
They were planted when the site was topped off more than 30 years ago.
Miss Salmon said that due to the terrain and location, the trees were not as strong as others.
‘They grow smaller than they naturally would because of what’s under the soil and it’s also a very exposed site.’
She added that without the team’s efforts, the trees would be unlikely to live.
‘The area would get completely overgrown with brambles and the trees may not survive. We want to extend the site and increase biodiversity for new plants to grow,’ she said.
The work parties are open to all islanders and information can be found on the GCV Facebook page.
Miss Salmon said it does not only does it help the local environment, but has a plethora of personal benefits.
‘You connect with nature, get active, it’s very sociable, you learn new skills and it gives back to the community. It ticks all the boxes.’
. The GCV Facebook page is at facebook.com/GsyConservation.
