Country diary: The race is on between bracken and saplings | Ed Douglas

Eyam Moor, Derbyshire: With blade in hand, I'm doing my bit to help beat back the bracken on a steep-sided clough, and help return it to mature woodlandEntering the jungle, drizzle turns to rain. It's muggy too, and within minutes I can feel my forehead prickling with sweat. Soon I'm soaked inside and out, and bothered by flies. Also, because of the dense foliage, I can barely see where I'm going. The ground's uneven and every few paces I stumble a little. Stopping for breath, I hunker down and, through the stems, finally see my quarry: a spiral of white plastic wrapped around what I hope will prove to be a living tree, confirmed when I spot vibrant leaves bursting out of the tube's crown.Now I can get to work. Gripping the hilt of my long, narrow blade, I start slashing furiously around the sapling until my enemy lies on the ground in a wide circle of devastation. Then I plunge back into the bracken to look for the next one. Continue reading...