This week we have had the local firm Gill & Punter cutting birch scrub on the commons and bundling it up to be used in the construction of steeple chase jumps at racecourses around the country, particularly race courses in the south of England. This is a very traditional use of young birch and an example of the wide range of uses for this oft maligned and beautiful tree (you will hear more of this before long).
The young stems are cut by hand with bill hooks and bundled using birch wands as ties. It's good to be able to re-introduce as many traditional management methods where we can on the commons. I think it 's the most obvious way of conserving the landscape and it helps people to understand how the unique lowland heath landscape was created by being used over many centuries.
It's very easy to assume that these traditional uses are no longer effective or even worse - economic. I am sure that its quite the reverse - in the future we will need to look more to these sustainable approaches.The commons are managed without chemicals and the regrowth of the scrub here will provide diverse habitats for wildlife before we cut it again in a few years time. You never know, our birch might be on a racecourse near you, or even on the telly!
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