The Farmland team would like to thank the members of the public, students from Newton Rigg and RSPB staff who braved the weather to remove tree tubes from Bruthwaite Forest.
There is now a visible improvement to the view and those tubes still in good condition will be utilised in community woodland projects organised by Living Landscapes.
RSPB Geltsdale planted at total of 110 000 trees 11 years ago to form the Bruthwaite woodland; a 240ha broadleaved plantation designed to provide Black Grouse habitat.
We are now ready to introduce cattle grazing in one compartment of the woodland; about a third of the Bruthwaite. Approximately 20,000 tree tubes have had to be removed before the breeding season.