In November 2022, Chiltern Rangers presented the first Chilterns Champion awards where businesses and schools joined us at Sands Bank for two days of scrub-bashing and bonfires. It was a real pleasure to present the awards to those who have worked with us over the past two years and put in a tremendous amount of effort to preserve and enhance our local environment.
The day was part of Chilterns Conservation Board (Chilterns AONB) Chalk, Cherries & Chairs project – a National Lottery Heritage Funded Landscape Partnership project.
7 businesses took home awards – Origin Global, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Hypnos Beds, Janssen UK, Oxford Health Charity, Buckinghamshire Council and Julius Baer. Thank you so much for your ongoing support.
We have also worked with the following 15 schools over the past two years and were delighted to recognise the achievements and hard work that both pupils and staff have contributed to: Stony Dean School, Chiltern Wood School, Juniper Hill School, The Highcrest Academy, Bledlow Ridge School, Loudwater Combined School, King’s Wood School & Nursery, Naphill & Walters Ash School, Weston Turville Church of England School, Booker Hill Primary & Nursery School, Alfriston School, Butlers Court School, Ridge View Homes, Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School and Beaconsfield High School.
Why Scrub Bash?
Although a scrub-bash can look destructive, it is an essential conservation task to provide a welcoming habitat to different species.
The larger trees we cut are normally turned into log piles. These are perfect sanctuary for small mammals like hedgehogs & voles, reptiles including slow worms & common lizard and invertebrates such as beetles.
We coppice smaller species such as Field Maple, Dogwood, Privet, Buckthorn, Hawthorn and the occasion Spindle and Way-faring tree. Coppicing is to cut the tree at the base – as they grow back over the next c10 years, they absorb C02 from the atmosphere as part of the carbon cycle – so it’s a carbon neutral process. The best bit is, as it grows back, it forms thicker and denser scrub which is perfect for nesting birds too. If the scrub is left it becomes leggy and no use for nesting birds, it creates shade which means there’s no wildflowers and so we lose the iconic species that the habitat is so important for.
If your school or business would like to work with us and help us look after the habitats of the Chilterns, then please get in touch.
We would love to hear from you. Call us on 01494 474486 or email info@chilternrangers.co.uk.