Portmoak Community Woodland

Chocolate feast-time

Chocolate eggs, chocolate lollypops and chocolate bunny rabbits were all up for grabs at the Portmoak Community Woodland Easter event on Easter Saturday.

Children were invited to go on a chocolate hunt among the trees, in the community orchard in Kilmagadwood.  Then there was the all important decorated egg competition with woodland group member, Susan Forde taking on the near-impossible role of judge, as the kids tried to read her every expression and second-guess her decisions. She did really well to pick out the winners and explain why she found some designs more eye-catching than others. Her years as a school teacher certainly paid off!

Chris's Place, the terraced area in Kilmagad Wood, makes a perfect amphitheatre for events like this, with an excellent slope for the egg race. Everyone lined up their hardboiled eggs for this final competition of the afternoon and we nearly had a photo-finish. 

Eggs of a different kind will feature over the coming weeks, as we welcome wild birds, like blue tits and robins, to the nest boxes installed with help from Portmoak Primary School last year. If you're out for a walk, keep an eye on comings and goings from the 60 boxes dotted around the wood. Once the birds are feeding their young you should see feverish activity as they try to keep up the supply of food. 

Speaking of walks, we have a 7am guided birdsong event in Portmoak Moss on May 10th.  Bird expert, Scott Paterson is a great favourite and people have been quick to sign up. If you would like to come along, there's no charge but please let us know via 'contact us' on this website.

Christmas:greener than green

Once again the idea of saving a bog by getting a Christmas tree proved popular and on Sunday December 15th more than 100 people came to Portmoak Moss to choose a spruce.

We don't want thirsty trees on the central part of the Moss because they dry out the peat and prevent sphagnum moss from growing.  In time, the sphagnum will rot down and turn into more peat, putting this rare habitat on a sustainable footing. 

A big thank you to everyone who joined us.  The weather was good and there was plenty of home baking and mulled juice to keep peoples' spirits up as they agonised over which tree to take home. Children got free ones but we asked for donations for the bigger trees and were very to pleased raise over £1,000 - money which will go back into future events in the community woodlands, as well as to some of our equipment.

Top marks to the cyclist who strapped a big tree to his bike and pedalled it home. Greener than green!

Top marks, also, to the volunteers who helped Portmoak Community Woodland Group cut down more than 60 trees on the Saturday, to make it easier for our visitors to see what was what. In the past we have asked everyone to walk into the bog to find a tree but conditions really are getting too wet and difficult. 

The Christmas tree event marked the end to another successful year which has seen new members join our group and new volunteers help to pull out birch and pine saplings;  a spring in which the whole of Portmoak Primary School built and installed nest boxes in Kilmagad Wood and an autumn when we had a lovely apple day, combined with a guided fungal walk. There have been too many events to mention them all and there are lots more to come. We look forward to seeing you in 2025!