Benjamin Murphy

This evening I had the pleasure of accepting an invitation from the Chairman of Epping Forest District Council, Cllr. Darshan Sunger, alongside the Deputy Chairman of the Epping Forest and Commons Committee, to attend the Civic Awards Ceremony in Waltham…

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Visitors to Epping Forest are being asked to stay out of cordoned off areas and keep dogs under control to help protect some of the UK’s rarest and most fascinating birds.  Temporary rope cordons and information signs have been installed…

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Treemendous work to commemorate Kenley’s CanadiansSharp-eyed visitors to Kenley Common may have noticed a new addition to the Hayes Lane entrance near the Tribute. At the very start of March, the wonderful volunteers from the Kenley Revival project and Kenley…

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February conservation highlightsDuring February, contractors felled a small area of chestnut coppice at Spring Park, which will bring the trees into the sixteen-year coppice cycle. Coppicing revives the chestnuts making them more resilient to pests and diseases, and less likely…

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All revved up: Rangers top up their chainsaw skillsIn a bid to sharpen their skills, rangers from Ashtead Common joined colleagues from the Coulsdon Commons at the end of February for a three-day chainsaw refresher course. Practicing within the picturesque…

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Essex County Council, Minerals Planning Consultation, County Hall, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 1QH Date: 08/03/2024 Dear Sir / Madam, Replacement Essex Minerals Local Plan review 2025 to 2040 – Consultation Response I refer to the above draft plan. Epping Forest is…

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Report confirms the value of the Beeches and Stoke Common A new report has revealed that, over a fifty year period, Burnham Beeches and Stoke Common delivers £130million of benefits to the public through recreation, health and wellbeing, air and water quality…

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What a lot of hedge! The beauty and biodiversity benefits of hedges are capturing media attention, thanks to a ground-breaking study—the most comprehensive map of hedgerows across England. This new map is crafted from aerial laser scanning of England’s entire landscape using…

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Volunteers back in action, thinning holly and enhancing woodland diversity Kickstarting the first conservation work party of 2024, the volunteers gathered on West Wickham Common to assist the Ranger in thinning the woodland understory and addressing a dense pocket of…

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Reviving tradition, from woodland to hedge On a fresh, sunny Saturday morning in January, the Surrey Hedgelaying Group paid a visit to Ashtead Common. Their mission: to harvest hazel stakes and binders destined for laying a hedge at Horsley Meadows. This particular coupe, set to be…

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