Author: PeterBET

Jubilee Stone Field Path

We are sorry that the gate into the field by the Jubilee Stone has been removed and the path closed. The Parish Council has collected statements from witnesses who regulalrly used the path, in support of an application to have it designated as a public right of way.

We are very sorry that the gate into the field by the Jubilee Stone has been removed by the field’s owner and the path closed. 

This path across the field has been used and enjoyed for decades but has never actually been a designated public right of way.  The landowner is therefore within their rights to close and block off the path. 

In view of the length of time the path has been used, the Parish Council has supported an application to North Somerset Council to have it designated as a public right of way (PRoW) – as well as the well-used unofficial paths around the edge of the field.  The application was supported by more than 80 witness statements from people who have used these paths over the years.  Additional witness statements will be welcome.  Any period of time is relevant, but over 20 years is of particular interest, as well as photographic evidence. If you can help, please refer to this Parish Council website post for further details about how to provide supporting evidence. 

Note that there are two public footpaths into the field, as shown on the Ordnance Survey map.  One can be accessed via the stile next to the field gate at the top of the bridleway. The other is over the stile into the corner of the field, lower down the bridleway.  The PRoW application process will take some time.  In the meantime, please use the official public footpaths and do not tamper with the boundary fence.  

Ash Dieback Update – March 2022

This winter we have done what we could to tackle diseased ash trees at most risk of falling onto the road and our footpaths. As spring approaches we hope we will soon see signs of regeneration.

As we have reported in previous BET Bulletins and project updates, the majority of the ash trees on BET’s reserves are showing signs of ash dieback disease. There is no treatment for the disease and in the coming years these trees will, almost certainly, die and collapse. In our Spring bulletin we will provide a full update on the work we have been carrying out to tackle the effects of the disease. In the meantime here is a short summary.

In July 2021 we commissioned an independent survey of our trees to assess the risk that diseased trees posed to road and path users. The highest priority was to make the road and neighbouring houses safe. In September we employed a contractor to take down the trees which would fail onto the road. As the trees were unsafe to climb, heavy equipment had to be brought in and Cheston Combe road closed for a fortnight.

The work on the roadside trees was not fully completed and in February another contractor finished the upper section of Cheston Combe in a couple of days. Again a cherry picker was used to gain access to the overhanging branches and remove them carefully from around the overhead cables. The work was done with only a few minutes delay to passing traffic – saving us the cost of another complete road closure.

During the winter our volunteers have also made a start on removing smaller diseased trees close to the main bridleway through Jubilee Stone Wood. We will need to use contractors for the larger trees close to paths, but only urgent felling can be carried out now that the bird nesting season is upon us. In the summer we will assess the state of trees identified in the survey to determine which should be felled next winter. We hope that some trees may survive, but this programme of checking and removing unsafe trees will continue for several years.

A variety of colours have been used to mark diseased trees. The majority are orange which means they are not currently deemed to be the highest risk but need to be monitored. Note, some trees on the road side of our boundary are the council’s responsibility, but were marked with orange by a contractor in error.

In the meantime, we will continue planting new trees.  We have previously planted over 150 trees and expect to plant a further 200+ this spring, which is more than have been felled. The tree whips include a native mix of oak, silver birch, rowan, hazel and spindle which will increase the diversity in our woods. We also expect to see the understorey and wildflowers thrive in the increased light on the woodland floor.

BET Trustees

Ash Dieback Update – September

The disease is killing hundreds of trees on the BET reserves and, very reluctantly, we have to take action to keep the roads and our visitors safe.  Work will be starting on September 20th,

As we have reported in previous BET Bulletins and project updates, the majority of the ash trees on BET’s reserves are showing signs of ash dieback disease. There is no treatment for the disease and in the coming years these trees will, almost certainly, die and collapse.

At the end of last year we obtained quotes for felling diseased trees which could fall and strike a road or public footpath. At this time, the consensus was that approximately 300 trees would have to be felled. Our chosen contractor successfully felled an initial number of trees in March with the majority to be felled this autumn. 

Unfortunately in the meantime there have been a number of serious injuries and fatalities involving the manual felling of diseased ash trees. This has lead to a change in the recommendations for felling affected trees and so now, whenever possible, specialist mechanised equipment should be used to fell diseased trees safely. Our chosen contractor has therefore had to bring in one of the few local companies with the appropriate equipment and experience to fell the most dangerous trees adjacent to roads and houses.

In July 2021, with numbers of ash trees affected by the disease increasing rapidly, we commissioned an independent safety assessment on all trees bordering roads, houses and footpaths. This survey recommended that we would now have to fell approximately 800 trees to ensure the future safety of visitors to our nature reserves.

Badgers Wood footpath 14-9-21

The felling of the roadside trees and a proportion of the path-side trees is now planned to start on September 20th. Heavy equipment will be used on the road to fell, extract and cut up the trees. Sections of Cheston Combe and Lower Church Town will need to be closed between 9:00 and 15:30, approximately, on weekdays for two weeks. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by closing the road and some paths.

Having seen examples of previous work by the contractors, we are confident that they will do what they can to minimise the impact of this extensive felling on the reserves. We have also taken steps to obtain the necessary Forestry Commission licence and to mitigate the risk to protected species.

It is with deep regret that we have to carry out this extensive felling, but BET has a legal responsibility to ensure, as best we can, the safety of our neighbours, visitors and road users from the serious effects of rapidly decaying trees on our nature reserves. If we ignore professional advice and there was an accident, BET could be deemed negligent.

We are very grateful to all members who donated to our fund raising appeal, to the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund and for an extremely generous donation from Ken Edis and Backwell Logs, whose sales in the Bristol area support the Backwell Woods Restoration Project.

BET Trustees

Clarification of tree markings

The felling is being phased over a number of years and the initial phase is to make the road safe and fell those marked with blue spots. Those with just an orange spot have been identified as likely to need to be felled in the next three years. We will monitor the progress of the disease and tackle them if and when the crown has declined by more than 50%. Trees close to paths which have reached this stage are being marked with green spots. Diseased trees away from public footpaths will be left to decay without felling. 

When we had a detailed survey of the trees conducted by the independent arboriculturist earlier in the year, a small number of trees other than ash were identified with significant disease or decay and needing to be felled. These included six sycamore and two small-leaved lime, which have been marked with blue spots. As these are at risk of falling onto the road we are having them felled whilst the road is closed.

There are a number of ash trees on the road side of BET’s boundary which are the responsibility of North Somerset Council, although some were marked with orange spots in error during a survey last year.  We contacted NSC to suggest they tackle these trees during this road closure that we have to pay them for, without success.

Ash Dieback

Thank you to everyone who has contributed so generously to our fund raising appeal. We are now in a position to plan for the tree felling we have to carry out for safety reasons.

In the latest BET Bulletin, we describe the situation we are now facing with the ash trees on our nature reserves. Many are succumbing to the ravages of ash dieback disease (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus fungus) and all those infected will die.  Over the past few years, we have been monitoring the situation closely and have now reached the stage when, with great reluctance on our part, trees need to be felled for health and safety reasons, before the decay makes them unacceptably dangerous to visitors.

We will have to fell all the diseased trees at risk of falling into Cheston Combe Road or in striking distance of our bridleway and footpaths.

We have received quotes from several professional tree surgeons, all of which will greatly exceed our reserve funds. The cost to BET will be in the region of £20,000.

Since BET bought the two reserves in 2006 and 2009, our main source of income has been the annual subscriptions paid by our members, which have remained at just £5 per person and £10 per family. Many members have kindly supplemented this with donations. Our annual income has been around £1,500 and our financial reserves currently stand at around £10,000.

Our financial position means that, reluctantly, we needed to appeal to our members and friends to help us meet the cost of making our nature reserves safe again for visitors. We know how much people from the village and further afield enjoy walking in the BET woodlands with their wealth of wildlife. During the lockdowns, we received many kind words of thanks showing how much people have appreciated the beauty and tranquillity of the reserves during these difficult times.

Our Members have responded incredibly generously to our appeal. The money contributed has enabled us to secure a grant for the rest of the costs of the work.

We plan to start some felling in late February and to complete the work in the autumn. We are also investigating the use of logging horses to extract the timber from the woods, which would be traditional and exciting!

We will publish more details about the project once confirmed.

Thank you for your time and support.

The BET Trustees

Further donations are welcome. Our membership form gives details of how to make a donation. (Click here to download a copy). Gift Aid is also a very important source of income for us so, if at all possible, please tick the Gift Aid box on the form.

For those of you who buy on Amazon, did you know that they will give 0.5% to the charity of your choice, on most purchases? Just use their alternative site Smile.Amazon.co.uk. You can nominate Backwell Environment Trust in Your AmazonSmile account profile. Every little helps!

The Adventures of Nova!

Nova the Golden Retriever records her visit to BET!

Nova and her owner Dean have visited many beautiful locations in our area and recorded their walks and adventures. They have produced some wonderful guides to local walks, from the perspective of dog walkers, and shared them on Facebook and in four downloadable volumes.  www.facebook.com/novalovesadventures/   

We were thrilled to see their description of the BET woods and the accompanying delightful photos of our sights and features.

“This place is amazing and definitely our favourite local spot, no matter what path you take there’s always something interesting to see.”

Have a look at Dean’s amazing illustration of BETland!! Click on the picture to see a large version and explore all the wonderful details.

They have also produced a useful guide to the reserves for those who haven’t been here before.

Their Facebook page has over 3,000 followers and has similar great guides to other walks including Towerhouse Woods, the Strawberry Line and Brean Down.

Thank you to Nova and Dean for promoting BET!