In 2011 Rhododendron ponticum was spreading inwards from the edges of the wood. Without intervention it would, within a few years, have covered the entire area. Control of rhododendron requires complete removal of the whole plant including the stump. Because the shrub is relatively shallow-rooted it has been possible to do this manually.  The leaves and branches do not make good compost; instead I have turned the waste material into dead hedging that provides habitat and transit corridors for wildlife.  Removal of rhododendron has required persistent interventions over several winters.

This patch, at the northern end of Marjorie’s Footpath, was the first to be cleared, over the period Dec 2014 to Jan 2015.  Dead hedging was created from the waste material and new native hedging species were planted alongside. With the rhododendron removed , the beech tree grew strongly the following summer.