Work is progressing well in Jenna Morra Wood, just south of the village of Kirkcowan, which is owned by the Kirkcowan Community Development Trust. The wood, also known as Crosherie Plantation, was bought by KCDT to secure its use for the community for many years to come. A team of volunteers regularly work in the wood and have most recently been cutting back rhododendron, Scotland’s most threatening invasive non-native plant, which forms dense thickets and shades out native plants.
A felling licence has been approved by Scottish Forestry, with the aim of thinning out parts of the wood to reduce the number of trees, to give those that are left more space to grow and to create open spaces to let in more light and air. This will be good for biodiversity and will improve the experience of those walking through the woodland. It will be necessary to employ suitably qualified tree cutters to undertake the work due to the size of the trees involved and the need to use power tools. Felled trees will be cut up and left to rot in piles, which provides valuable wildlife habitat. Others, which are closer to the road, could be removed for firewood.
This year, it is hoped that improvements can be made to the surface of the footpath and it should be possible to make a small off-road parking area at Johnston’s Bridge within the wood once some of the trees are removed.
If you have a few hours to spare and would like to join our team of volunteers to help improve Jenna Morra Wood, please contact Nicki Chadwick on kcdtcontact@gmail.com