For the fifth year in a row Premier Paper, their customers and the Woodland Trust returned to Pullabrook Wood on Dartmoor; to plant and maintain native woodland in the area.
Thursday 27th February 2020, despite the cold start and the threat of bad weather, around 40 people met at 9am in Pullabrook Woods for some hot drinks and freshly made breakfast sandwiches before heading out into the trees.

The group was split into two teams for the day, to cover more ground and more of the days’ jobs. The first team took to a recently cleared 20 x 20 metre plot; a wall of conifers had recently been removed to allow for new native plants and trees to strive. The first task was to clear the area of brush and debris before planting around 100 saplings; an understory of hazel, hawthorn, cherry and rowan. Once the last tree had been planted the team set about installing chestnut stakes around the perimeter, providing fencing to keep out deer whilst the saplings grow.

Elsewhere the second team had revisited a previous planting site at the location to remove stakes and tubes from five years ago, the saplings now successful, healthy trees. The stakes were sent to be dried out so that they could be used again whilst the tubes were stored ready to be reused for further planting.

After a brief lunch break the group removed stakes and tubes from previously planted hedgerows and planted some extra saplings to help fill gaps where the previous ones had either failed or been damaged. Some volunteers joined together to help rake and plant seeds to create a wild flower meadow.

Hussein Ismail, Premier Paper’s Marketing Manager commented, “It was great to return to Pullabrook Woods, revisit and work on some of the areas that we’ve planted in the past. We were incredibly lucky with the weather and everyone worked really hard to ensure all of the tasks were complete – it was a rewarding day.”

Pullabrook Woods is located in the Bovey Valley, not far from the village of Manaton. Once home to a number of medieval farmsteads; the woods are now home to dormice, kingfishers, bats and buzzards, as well as countless species of insects, plants, trees and fungi. Whilst in river Bovey, that runs through the woods, you’ll see salmon, trout, dragonfly and various other wildlife native to the area; a great spot for a walk out with the family and dogs or even a cross country run. To learn more about Pullabrook Woods visit www.woodlandtrust.org.uk