Mulch Mats

[Wayne]

I am involved in a community woodland project. we have just planted 8 - 900 tress with another 11500 to go in later in the autumn. This will be a riverine (sp) woodland of black poplar, adler etc.

i need to find a cheap suppiler of Mulch mats for the first 800. Our grant from the woodland trust should cover the new planting.

 

[Fallow Way]

Is this a community woodland project as in one of the 12 Community Forest projects? Watling Chase or Thames Chase?

 

[Wayne]

The project was set up by The Friends of Bersted Brooks based in Bognor to preserve an area of flood plain and wild meadows 19 hectares as public open space.

With the support of the local district council we have secured funding for 6 hectares to be planted with a mixture of native trees.

I am looking for mats for the 800 plus trees that the local community has already planted.

The area is home to quite a large number of different bird and insect speices. hopefully the tree planting will increase the bio diversity and dry out the more damp part of the site to emable more of the community to access the site.

We are working with local schools to help educate the kids. Some areas of Bognor Regis have the same level of deprivation as the inner cities.

I am quite excited by the project. Its great to put something back.

 

[redflex]

We used old carpet tiles which were would degraded.

Got them free, about 1000 from a building about to be pulled down.

They work really well, the greens blended well, the bright pink and orange stripped ones did fade after while

Are you sure you need the mulch mats, they do not always give the effect you want?

 

[Fluxus]

I'd make sure that any carpet used is 100% wool with a natural backing (jute) - otherwise you end up with lots of bits of non biodegradeable tat lying all over the place.
I've just used squares of cardboard with a keyhole cut in them, covered with part decomposed chippings / bark to hold them down.

If you want I can give you the number of a chap I know who has patented a mat and mulch system for new woodland plantings and has mats custom made for him in volume.
Good luck with the planting - I'll be at it all day tomorrow myself.

 

[Wayne]

Fluxus

Could you pm me the details.

I have just been asked to source the mats for the group. I shall contact the BTCV and Wildlife trust to see where they get theirs from too.