Simon English
England Revisited

On a birch tree by side of A513 east of Milford on Cannock Chase. S.E. of Stafford.

On possibly the same Birch Tree on the north side of the main road through Cannock Chase near Shugbrough Hall.

In 1971 the heath was much more open but now oak, birch, and pine have grown up to the extent that locally the hillsides and apparently now wooded. Less conspicuously but more seriously the bracken has completely dominated the ground cover and at point 42 I could not find any heather that was growing plentifully here 40 years ago. The bracken is now subject to teams of people spraying to try and reduce it; although the ‘Plant Disease Control Area’, urging walkers to keep to the paths, is another matter.

The main road is still as narrow as it was but carries a great deal more and faster traffic which is at odds with the herds of deer on The Chase. To try to reduce the damage done to cars by deer and more fatally vice versa, signs urge cars to slow down. Deer are discouraged from walking into the traffic by posts every 10 yards along the road with red reflectors that shine the headlights into the trees. To stop the deer getting complacent the wardens periodically cover up the reflectors for some time then later uncover them to re-startle roadside deer. Another feature of deer control is to allow bracken to stand right up to the edge of the road. If it was cut a grass verge would attract grazing right next to the speeding traffic.
Points 42 & 43