We are pleased to report that treework will take place next week at Mersey Vale Nature Park on the embankment path that runs from the entrance steps at the bottom of Craig Road to the railway bridge by the River Mersey.
This is the first step of our ‘Woodland Walk’ project, developed in partnership with the Greenspace team at SMBC and Cheshire Wildlife Trust, and awarded money from the Tesco’s ‘Bags of Help’ fund, supported by the Woodland Trust.
During the week, along the path and at the entrance, a work team from TreeStation will cut back dense bramble growth, crown lift trees, thin understorey and shrubby species, selectively thin densely grouped young trees and small trees in localised areas. And, if they make good progress in the week, they will also scrape and sweep the muddy path.
The impact of all this work will be: a more welcoming park entrance (that will be supported by a new welcome/information sign and bulb planting), increased light levels along the path and woodland floor, improved sightlines and vistas all of which will add to the visitor experience, help increase biodiversity and enable a rich ground flora to form along the route of the path.
Another positive outcome of this work will be the removal of all the dog poo bags that ‘decorate’ the trees on a long stretch of the path. The problem of dog mess and litter was something that a lot of people complained about in our survey last May and it was felt that the lack of bins didn’t help.
So, with the help of the Greenspace Officer, we have managed to get two waste bins located at the Craig Rd entrances and hope to see an improvement. The Greenspace Officer has also said that he will keep a look out and has powers to issue on the spot fines even for leaving dog poo bags as this counts as littering.