Tree expert to talk to Brighton wildlife volunteers

The Friends of Hollingbury and Burstead Woods will hear from a local tree expert at the group’s annual general meeting (AGM) next Saturday (18 May).

Arboriculturalist Alister Peters will speak about “Trees and woodland in the city and Sussex – Past, Present and Future”.

Mr Peters will also share his experiences of working with trees locally and throughout the south east.

The meeting starts at 2.30pm next Saturday at the Brian Foster Environment Centre at Dorothy Stringer School, in Stringer Way, off Surrenden Road, Brighton.

The people who belong to the Friends of Hollingbury and Burstead Woods look after two areas of woodland off Ditchling Road near Hollingbury Golf Course.

The aim of the group is for people to be able to enjoy the area and for wildlife to thrive.

The group meets once a month to carry out practical work in the woods, ranging from tree and hedge planting to path maintenance and litter clearance.

The work is carried out under the guidance of a Brighton and Hove park ranger and the group’s project officer.

The next work session is due to take place on Saturday 1 June from 10am to 1pm with volunteers meeting outside the old flint barn next to the western entrance to the Roedale allotments.

It will involve clearing the paths in Burstead Wood and weeding and checking trees along the hedge at the bottom of Hollingbury Rise West.