Following quickly in the footsteps of storm Ciara which blew over several trees on the reserve, we now have a forecast of more high winds as storm Dennis menaces us over this weekend too. The reserve and shop will close at 1pm Saturday 15 Feb and stay closed until the end of Sunday.
The Lodge has a lot of woodland, and deadwood and veteran trees support a host of wildlife, so wherever it is safe to do so we keep them. We keep a close eye on the trees, carrying out tree safety checks on a regular basis and doing safety works whenever needed. However, gales and heavy snow can make parts of the reserve more liable to trees tops snapping, uprooting, and branches falling. The recent uprooting of two very large, completely healthy scots pines near the hide is a good example of what can happen, and why we close to maintain visitors' safety. As fallen deadwood, these two grand trees will slowly rot, and provide a home for a special group of species that depend on this kind of habitat - solitary bees, wood boring beetles, fungi and much more. We hope to keep you informed about what uses them as the trees gradually return back to the soil from which they came!