Please find below an update on the progress of Gair Wood:
Dear Councillor,
University of Leeds woodland, now called Gair Wood
I am writing to update you on progress since the initial planting ceremony last December and keep you abreast of what we’re doing now.
The planting was completed at the end of February and the trees are doing quite well. We were fortunate to have a wet spring. Our immediate priority is to ensure they get established in the coming years. The site is proving to be a valuable resource for research and teaching already, with various monitoring projects underway. There are some interesting videos describing the work at: https://leaf.leeds.ac.uk/gairwood/research/.
The site has been secured with new gates and signage. We will be adding more informative signage shortly providing additional information about the site. There have been some repairs to the stone walls by the gates on Black Hill Lane. We are in discussion with Leeds City Council about the first permissive path which runs along King Lane. This will open in 2024. There will be an impact assessment prior to opening the second path in a few years’ time when the trees are established.
We have dug test pits in the north east of the site to see whether they hold water. So far they do, and that means we should be able to construct the ponds next year.
To provide an opportunity for wider participation in the development of the woodland and help look after the site, we are setting up the Friends of Gair Wood. The first meeting will be a “taster” session on Sunday 26th November. We are limiting numbers to 20 for this first session to ensure it is manageable. After this, there will be a programme of meetings starting in January 2024.
More information is given in the Eventbrite link below. People can use the link to indicate their wish to attend the meeting on 26th November or to register their interest in future meetings.
