21 Nov Falls of Bruar Volunteer Task

Fantastic Volunteer Day at the Falls of Bruar

This weekend a group of hardy volunteers braved the freezing temperatures to undertake some general maintenance of the Falls of Bruar circular route. This popular path needed this important work completing before the winter weather really sets in and we were happy to help.

Volunteers had travelled from as far as Sheffield and Aberdeen to join us on Saturday for the last volunteer task in the Cairngorms National Park this year. They were rewarded with wonderful views of the Falls as we worked our way around the route, as well as plenty of biscuits of course.

The main task of the day was to clear all the path drainage features which had become very clogged even though they had been cleared fairly recently. At this time of year with the extra rain water and falling leaves they get filled up very quickly. If this work isn’t done the path risks becoming washed out and water logged, so it is very important to do this task before the winter really sets in.

The other task we had been asked to help with was Rhododendron control. Rhododendron is a non-indigenous evergreen shrub. It was originally introduced by Conrad Loddiges as seed in 1763 to be used as a cultivated flowering plant in gardens, parks, and estates as a horticultural exhibit, but was also extensively planted in western Victorian hunting Estates under woodland canopies and on heathland areas to provide shelter for game species. It grows particularly well in the climate and soils of Scotland and easily out competes other plant species. Although it possesses attractive flowers, it has few attributes that offset the negative impact it can have on an invaded site.  It has been shown to reduce the numbers of earthworms, birds and plants and regenerative capacity of a site, leading to a reduction in the biodiversity of the area.

This site has large patches of Rhododendron, which is helpful in places to discourage people from going too far off the path and down the steep slopes. But in other areas it needs removing as it is starting to take over. We did this by cutting back the branches and digging up the roots.

Before and after photo of one patch of Rhododendron that we cleared. We found 5 small birch trees that were struggling to grow in the middle of it. Hopefully now they will have more space to grow.

It was a great day at a lovely site and luckily we were too busy to feel the cold temperatures. Thank you to the wonderful volunteers who came along to help.

This volunteer task was part of our regular volunteer opportunities which take place each month. To find out how to get involved with future activities, check out our volunteering page. www.themountainsandthepeople.org.uk/volunteering/