Purchasing 25 acre oak stand in France - Pics

[JonnoR]

Hi All,

I'm not sure of the rules of posting large numbers of pictures in a topic outside the picture forum, so I'll stick 'em here!  This is in relation to this thread

Today, I had the first chance to bimble about the wood that I just acquired in France.  I took a few pictures to show the type of ground and the species of trees present.  I also saw a nasty wind-blown oak(?) which will need sorting by a qualified tree surgeon at some point!

 

It seems I have examples of hazel, oak, chestnut (coppiced probably), alder, holly, rowan(?), wild cherryand maybe beech. The oaks are between 30-50cm in diameter.  There is a fair amount of dead standing and piles of branches from the previous owner's firewood gathering.  There is plenty of deer sign and red squirrels are everywhere, which is lovely to see.  I would welcome any help you can provide on ID'ing the trees, because I am not much good at using bark and buds to ID trees and I bet I have made some mistakes!  I hope they are of interest and you enjoy them.

 

Cheers. Jonno

[Big J]

I'm very envious of the lake frontage.

 

The woodland is presently a mess, but there is potential to tidy it up hugely and make something of it. Thinning the main crop would be my start point. It'll damage some of the regeneration and the hazel, but they can be tidied after. 

 

It'll look much better when brought back into management.

[JonnoR]

1 hour ago, Big J said:

I'm very envious of the lake frontage.

 

The woodland is presently a mess, but there is potential to tidy it up hugely and make something of it. Thinning the main crop would be my start point. It'll damage some of the regeneration and the hazel, but they can be tidied after. 

 

It'll look much better when brought back into management.

Thanks Big J!  That's actually a slow moving river believe it or not! It is dammed further downstream so this section is more like a lake than a river.

 

It seems to have lots of potential and some degree of taming will definitely make it more useable and productive.  I think the oak is typically left until a useable size for making wine barrels round here.  I'm not sure how long they left them before harvesting, but I'll get in touch with the French private forestry unit round here and get them to look at it for me I think (so long as they don't try to place too many restrictions, or impose a management plan that doesn't suit my needs).  My main priority is to ensure it has a diverse ecology and is a habitat for deer (which I'll harvest).

 

I've largely missed the boat this year, so I'll carry on taking a look around and check out the state of the rest of the place (the photos are one section of about 4 acres, so I need to get round the rest to see if it's all the same!

 

Cheers,

Jonno

[rapalaman]

A river that’s been dammed could well be a productive fishery giving you a potential income stream subject to local laws, fishing rights etc. Carp, catfish, zander are all well sought after and depending on the quality of the fishing, anglers would be willing to pay to fish from well managed swims. (If that’s your bag of course?) 

[JonnoR]

10 minutes ago, rapalaman said:

A river that’s been dammed could well be a productive fishery giving you a potential income stream subject to local laws, fishing rights etc. Carp, catfish, zander are all well sought after and depending on the quality of the fishing, anglers would be willing to pay to fish from well managed swims. (If that’s your bag of course?) 

Thanks rapalaman, that's not a bad shout.  I'm told there are some monster catfish in there somewhere and I have a couple of mates threatening to visit me to have a crack at them!  I think it'll take me a year or two to settle in properly, after which I should be ready to explore options for the property to pay for itself.

 

I'll share any pictures of my mates' catch!

 

Cheers,

Jonno

[the village idiot]

47 minutes ago, rapalaman said:

A river that’s been dammed could well be a productive fishery giving you a potential income stream

? Genius!

 

What an exciting project Jonno, please keep us posted.

 

Is it expensive to buy Woodland out there?

[JonnoR]

17 minutes ago, the village idiot said:

? Genius!

 

What an exciting project Jonno, please keep us posted.

 

Is it expensive to buy Woodland out there?

I will do my best to update pictures throughout the year.  I'll let you know I get on with the forestry authorities too (but I hear pretty good things about them and they don't seem to intrusive).

 

I got the woodland essentially for free, as it came with a well-priced house.  Looking at international sites, the prices seem high for forestry alone, because they are aimed at leisure users.  I think once you start looking around locally you can find pockets of forestry for sale for very little in comparison to UK prices. So much of France has privately owned forestry, that it might be a buyers market.  I'm still settling in, but I'm hoping that networking a little with French farmers etc in the will let me look in to getting a little more land in the future.  

[Macpherson]

Very nice...good luck

[Rough Hewn]

It looks perfect.
In my eyes, I wouldn't touch it. Nature is thriving.
Wood land with masses of windblown and dead trees is great for biodiversity.
Inaccessible woodland means dog walkers and ramblers won't disturb it.
A proper sanctuary.
Be gentle with your plans.
[emoji106][emoji106][emoji106]

[JonnoR]

8 minutes ago, Rough Hewn said:

It looks perfect.
In my eyes, I wouldn't touch it. Nature is thriving.
Wood land with masses of windblown and dead trees is great for biodiversity.
Inaccessible woodland means dog walkers and ramblers won't disturb it.
A proper sanctuary.
Be gentle with your plans.

That's the plan.  I will make it safe for others by ensuring the rides don't have any dangerous boughs along it and then leave it for a year.  I'll see what happens then put together a plan.  I would like to ensure that I can get amongst the deer a bit (I noticed a fair bit of damage today) so I'll stick a couple of high seats up and take a survey.