Restoring Hardknott Forest 🌎

The Autumn newsletter is here. Latest news on montane woodland plans, site maintenance, new volunteer dates (including our first hedge laying days), update on the Nature Rich Miterdale project, heatwaves & trees cover research & more. Link below ⤵️ mailchi.mp/a50d8f16c746... @leedsleaf.bsky.social

With the reintroduction of the pine marten to Cumbria it's great to see them alongside red squirrels at Hardknott Forest again, as they are in Scotland where these came from. The species are able to co-exist & the reds are very rarely able to be caught by martens. The videos are on the same camera.

You can see the impressive agility of the red squirrel in the first video (above). It's different for the less agile greys. The subsequent changes in grey behaviour due to pine marten presence has been shown to benefit the numbers of reds. More info in our blog: bag.leeds.ac.uk/projects/res...

Hi! A place has just come up for our Autumn residential. Stay at comfortable accomodation in the middle of Hardknott Forest & join eleven others to plant trees, remove tree tubes & other good stuff. It costs £65 or £10 low waged for the weekend. Get in touch for more info. j.h.hodgson@leeds.ac.uk

23h

PS It's 20th -22nd Nov.

A few pics from Friday's conference at @cumbriauni.bsky.social Ambleside campus. Pine martens are back in Cumbria thanks to the efforts of all these people. Great talks & good craic too. @vincentwt.bsky.social @leedsleaf.bsky.social @naturalengland.bsky.social @naturescot.bsky.social

Absolutely no-one has been asking what's in the Autumn newsletter, which is due out tomorrow (once I've double checked all the links and font sizes). But nothing puts us off, so you can look forward to...(1/2) Sign up here ➡️https://mailchi.mp/fab56d180ac7/upper-duddon-landscape-recovery

☀️🌳➡️results of research into heatwaves & tree cover 🔨⛏️➡️follow the site team at work - walling, fencing & more 🪵🪓➡️team building day - we made a bench! 🦫🦨➡️pine marten/red squirrel video 🤸🤺➡️volunteer dates - including hedge laying Sign up link: mailchi.mp/fab56d180ac7... @envleeds.bsky.social

We don't do shout-outs, as the term makes me feel ill, so a cheery "well done everybody" to all these folks who have planted wildflowers for the project in past couple of weeks. Special thanks to local #YHA staff for their regular visits. (1/2)

Hundreds of wildflowers have been planted in hay meadows and along river banks, with more to go in. With months they'll be flowering and feeding pollinators. A big shout-out to Julia who has provided 1000s of top quality wildflowers in less than a year as manager of our new plant nursery.

It's been great working with #woodlandtrust staff Pete Leeson and Steve Hebblethwaite on this high level tree planting exclosure at the top of Wrynose Pass. Even a small(ish) site like this has a wide variety of conditions to deal with - soil type, exposure, deer...

...when to remove tubes and which species are doing well. The planting of oak amongst hawthorn has worked really well up there. Lower down the valley we had a look at some new wood pasture creation which is looking good so far. There was also quite a bit of evidence of gratutious pointing.

Join us on Sunday for a day of wildflower planting by the River Duddon. We'll be planting 600 of the first wildflowers grown in our own nursery. Two places left. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @forestryengland.bsky.social @nationaltrust.org.uk @nfudc.bsky.social www.trybooking.com/uk/GSZO

Sometimes a picture can paint a thousand words. But not this picture, it's just Paddy pointing at cowclap.

18 Sept

I thought I'd be getting home early the other day, but felt sorry for Paddy trying to sort this lot. I pulled over & tried to help with some arm waving & random noises. Him having named his sheepdog John (after me?) was confusing ("GET OUT OF IT JOHN you useless ******") but we got there in the end.

18 Sept

Hang on a minute...that wasn't the dog he named John...

15 Sept

Just before the school summer holidays we visited Broughton Primary School to work with a couple of classes and set up camera traps. This was a great follow up after they visited us at Hardknott Forest in the Spring.(lakedistrictfoundation.org/local-pupils...). See below for what turned up on cam.

15 Sept

14 Sept

It looks like flapjack's back on the menu. Volunteering restarted yesterday after a summer break, and that meant a well-deserved tasty treat for our vols. Caution may contain nuts!* *And that's just the volunteer group. (See we can do jokes, but we usually choose not to). Vol dates in bio.

@countrysidejobs.bsky.social

8 Sept

It was interesting helping @universityofleeds.bsky.social researcher Ben collecting data last week. He's looking at the effect of tree canopy cover on temperature & soil moisture. More in our autumn newsletter. Sign up here: mailchi.mp/fab56d180ac7... @envleeds.bsky.social @leedsleaf.bsky.social

Restoring Hardknott Forest 🌎 reposted

Countryside Jobs Service

8 Sept

🌿 Could your love of the outdoors become your career? There are so many different ways to find your place in conservation and countryside management — and Ellie Watton’s story is a great example. buff.ly/WkAdGzX

trybooking.comUpper Duddon Landscape Recovery vol day: 13th Sept, 2026Join us on a volunteer day to help maintain & remove tree tubes, remove non-native conifers, plant trees and wildflowers and allow the natural...

6 Sept

Two spaces left if you fancy joining us to remove non-native tree and restore wild woodland on Sunday 13th Sept. Share if you can. @envleeds.bsky.social @leedsleaf.bsky.social @naturalengland.bsky.social @nationaltrust.org.uk @forestryengland.bsky.social www.trybooking.com/uk/GSZL

1 Sept

Our volunteering & events page has just been updated with two new dates at the nursery (8th & 17th September) and spaces on most other events, including the dry stone walling days. Take a look & share if you can. @naturalengland.bsky.social @cumbriacvs.bsky.social bag.leeds.ac.uk/projects/res...

28 Aug

We're all set up at @krankenhausfest.bsky.social. Call in and say hello. You could try our feelybox (optional), or just find out more about what we do. Also we're doing a guided walk tomorrow (Saturday) and a talk (with added pine martens) on Sunday. Please share.

26 Aug

Who doesn't like a bold water vole that loves the camera? 😍 We went along to the @forestryengland.bsky.social Wild Ennerdale site to see their release programme. Meanwhile we're planning our own before too long. Watch this water vole sized space. More water vole info ➡️ share.google/bF8fyK1dAXvj...

24 Aug

It's not all about me, but just pointing out I'm on the same bill as Stewart Lee! I've made it mum! I told you I'd do something with my life! Other entertainment is available at @krankenhausfest.bsky.social including a guided walk by Nature Rich Miterdale & our slightly interactive stall.

Increasing wildflowers (species & number) is already having an impact in the Upper Duddon valley, and now we have a plant nursery it'll only get better. Seen recently...painted lady, garden bumble bee, speckled wood, meadow brown, peacock, brimstone. Dragonfly & hummingbird hawk moth videos below ⤵️

View full thread

Southern hawker (we're 99% sure) egg laying. Showing how important it is to have at least some habitat that stays wet. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @ukbutterflies.bsky.social @buglife.bsky.social

Here's a bonus four spotted chaser, and last but not least some slugs doing their thing.

Hummingbird hawk moth, a summer migrant from southern Europe. Feeds on knapweed, honeysuckle which we're growing more of. Caterpillars need bedstraw species, common in our area. An example of convergent evolution?

17 Aug

If Jack of Nature Rich Miterdale says he knows a short cut, our advice is to politely decline. In fact there's probably no need to be polite.

kickstarter.comA Simple Act: Finishing a Film About Hardknott ForestFollow a year in the life of Hardknott Forest as volunteers, researchers and local people work to rebuild a forest.

6 Aug

The Kickstarter campaign to help finish "A Simple Act", the documentary about us, has 12 more days to run and is a few £100 short. Please check out and share the link below, and donate if you can. Many thanks. www.kickstarter.com/projects/ony...

cumbriacrack.comNew documentary shines light on mission to restore Lake District forest – cumbriacrack.comA new feature documentary shining a light on a forest restoration project in the Lake District is nearing completion.

5 Aug

A bit more coverage for the documentary about us. cumbriacrack.com/2026/08/04/n...

3 Aug

A lot of people are saying we don't have enough short films about juniper on our socials. Here's one which features 1695 of them. All carefully nurtured by staff & volunteers & gradually getting ready to be released into the wild. @leedsleaf.bsky.social @forestryjournal.bsky.social

3 Aug

PS. We'll make this the last "a lot of people" post for a while. Maybe. Three is a good number.

youtu.beBranching Out: Healthy Trees Need Healthy PeopleYouTube video by Royal Forestry Society

3 Aug

Felling trees can be an emotional topic. The Royal Forestry Society have made a short video to promote understanding of the forestry sector. @leedsleaf.bsky.social @forestryengland.bsky.social youtu.be/SMUyqSZG6Xw?...

31 July

A lot of people are saying we don't have enough coverage of electrofishing on our socials. Luckily for those people we were out with Hannah (South Cumbria Rivers Trust) this week. One 25m gill had 14 trout in it. More on e-fishing here: scrt.co.uk/what-we-do/m...

30 July

A lot of people are saying we don't have enough footage of helicopters on our socials. So here's a clip from our recent heli-lift of (local, larch) fence posts. These will keep Harter Fell sheep free & allow montane scrub and wildflowers to thrive. @forestryengland.bsky.social @leedsleaf.bsky.social

30 July

And no, it's probably not as environmentally friendly as getting horses or young/disposable staff members to shift them.

23 July

Here's the car park at Hardknott Forest. The day before this we'd had a group from Millom School, there was a large DofE group & a large group from the local outdoor centre. Not a scrap of litter to be seen! Nice to share good news! (There were 2 dog poo bags though, from forgetful owners I expect).

23 July

@dofe.org

22 July

Summer newsletter out now: news on our first year of Landscape Recovery, lichens & temperate rainforests, update on our documentary, grassland monitoring and events & volunteering dates. @forestryengland.bsky.social @envleeds.bsky.social mailchi.mp/leeds.ac.uk/...

youtu.beI'm Asking for Your Help to Finish My First Feature DocumentaryYouTube video by Lake District Films

18 July

Did you know we're the subject of a feature-length documentary which after two years work is nearly finished? Neil Emery, the filmmaker, tells us all about it in the video below. @envleeds.bsky.social @leedsleaf.bsky.social @forestryengland.bsky.social youtu.be/CgoDqF6t2Nw?...

17 July

It's that time again. A lot of people/a few of you/no-one at all* have been asking when the next newsletter is out! Chill! It's on the way & includes our fave lichen, citizen science, meadow monitoring & a look at Year 1 of landscape recovery. *delete as applicable 📰➡️ mailchi.mp/1dd189bd3314...

13 July

Upper Duddon Landscape Recovery staff have been celebrating the first year as a project by showing groups the work done so far. Lots of river restoration, wildlife news, leaky dams, work on farms & the odd chat about larch. Follow us to keep up to date. @envleeds.bsky.social @leedsleaf.bsky.social

11 July

Climate researcher, global cycling legend, Hardknott volunteer and all-round good guy Ben Silver has an ongoing research project with us into "THE COOLING EFFECTS OF TREE COVER". Very topical this week, and his research is ongoing, with some earlier results here ⤵️ bag.leeds.ac.uk/projects/res...

8 July

2 July

Our monitoring officer Ishbel has been making the most of the weather to record the flowering plants we have in our grasslands. More about these in our next newsletter, for now just enjoy some of her photos alongside various invertebrates. Newsletter sign up here: bag.leeds.ac.uk/projects/res...

trybooking.comNursery day: Tuesday, 14th JulyOur nursery days run from Dale Head, which is slightly further up the Duddon Valley from the Hardknott Forest car park. Tasks will include building...

30 June

Come and help at our new community plant nursery and produce trees and wildflowers for the farms & fells of the beautiful Duddon valley. No experience needed. All welcome. @cumbriacvs.bsky.social @leedsleaf.bsky.social @envleeds.bsky.social @lakedistrictnpa.bsky.social www.trybooking.com/uk/GNSZ