Clearance at Putney Lower Common

We are currently carrying out some clearance work at Putney Lower Common. Our Maintenance staff are removing some sycamores that have been affected by Sooty Bark Disease, a fungal infection. They are also clearing some of the bramble undergrowth in some areas to open up some pathways and improve visibility which will help to keep the area safe for regular Commons users.

Controlled Burning

On Monday afternoon we had many concerned members of the public calling in to report a fire on the Common. Indeed, a very concerned member of the public called the fire brigade and two engines turned up to put out the blaze!

The fire was actually started deliberately by our staff and this is a comment from Dave Haldane, our Wildlife Liaison Officer, explaining why:

"In accordance with best practice for heath and acid grassland management, selected areas of Wimbledon and Putney Commons receive an annual controlled burn. This is carried out between November and early March. The fire is designed to burn off accumulated plant litter thereby reducing nutrient availability that would otherwise increase soil fertility, something that you don't want for acid grassland. Heather, when subjected to a light burn, will successfully regenerate from its stem base and a high percentage of viable seed will germinate. Heathland and Acid grasslands are found on nutrient poor soils with a pH of 4.5 to 5.3. Only small areas of heath and grassland are managed annually, using fire as a tool. This limits disturbance to soil fauna dependent on the presence of moisture and plant litter."

We had advised the Fire Brigade before we lit the fires but they are, of course, duty bound to attend should they be called out. Whilst we did not need them on this occasion, we would still rather that concerned members of the public call them should they see any fires on the Common, particularly in the summer months, as an out of control fire could cause tremendous damage. We do have the capability of dealing with small fires ourselves so a call to the Ranger's Office to let us know about a fire means we can deploy our staff immediately and that will often be enough to ensure that the fire is put out quickly and does not spread.

A sad day

Many of the regular Commons walkers will know Bisto, the German Shepherd owned by Bill, our Senior Keeper. Many of you will also know that just over a year ago, Bisto had an operation after the vet found cancer in his nose.

Unfortunately the vet was unable to remove all the cancer and Bisto's time would be limited, perhaps a year or so. It was a true diagnosis. A few months ago the cancer returned and Bisto has been going down hill since. He seemed happy enough and he was always pleased to see everyone but over the last few weeks his condition worsened and Bill had to make the decision to end his suffering.

Bisto will be sorely missed by all the staff and all who knew him. He was Bill's constant companion and wherever Bill was, Bisto was never far from his side.

Run free Bisto

Burning on the Common

We will be doing some burning on Wimbledon Common this afternoon in the area between the Green Ride and the Millenium Ride. The fire brigade are aware and it will all be contolled by our experienced staff.