Woodland Sculpture damaged by natural rotting
Sadly, rot spreading in our fallen Turkey Oak in Moore Meadow has now caused sections of the woodland sculptures to collapse.
The flying owl had to be removed for safety reasons.
The damage was caused by rot and wood boring insects. These included large white caterpillars approximately 30-40 mm long. Woodpeckers like to feed on these, so the decaying wood will provide nourishment for local wildlife!
The owls and animals were carved by Steve Andrews in November 2015, so they have barely lasted 5 years, but that is the nature of woodland sculpture. Oils can slow the drying out process locally, but a dead tree is bound to rot more. The Turkey Oak fell in 2014 and must have been, invisibly, in a very sorry state long before then.
When the inside of the remaining tree trunk base collapsed, one owl was damaged beyond repair. The flying owl was intact, but its attachment to the main stem was rotting, so it was taken down for safety reasons.
The badger, hare, fairy steps and two owls are unaffected. Longer term safety measures are being planned.