80-90 Acres to thin South Wales.

[andrewmiskin]

20 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

Coed Cymru is a good shout for advice, my mate over in Maesteg is long retired now, but his son, Mark Filer,  who was a young tearaway when I last saw him, seems to run his contracting business from the old farm.

Thanks will keep him in mind as just a few miles from the woods.

[topchippyles]

1 hour ago, openspaceman said:

Coed Cymru is a good shout for advice, my mate over in Maesteg is long retired now, but his son, Mark Filer,  who was a young tearaway when I last saw him, seems to run his contracting business from the old farm.

Maesteg is where i grew up there is forestry all around there great place as a youngster to play. 

[Mr. Ed]

12 hours ago, Squaredy said:

Why does someone with no forestry experience purchase 80-90 acres of woodland???  That sounds a bit like me buying a jumbo jet!

that’s like asking why a dog licks its elbows - because it can. We did it because it came with a house we could buy and it’s proving a rich unexpected new dimension to life. As to the original question, is the friend a real absentee owner? In which case surely he needs a professional who knows what he’s doing working for him and hiring contractors and getting felling licences and so on. In our case we sort of had to because there was still some grant income. 
If he has an environmental goal as well, have a talk with the local ProSilva people - Continuous Cover is the way to go. (Duck and cover!)

[topchippyles]

Great replies to a good honest question andrew i hope you find the help you are after 

[andrewmiskin]

Thanks for all the advice and guidance. It is much appreciated. I got involved purely by chance as I live nearby. I have limited experience as my main occupation is a mechanical plant engineer. I have worked with chainsaws for over 30yrs and have my chainsaw qualifications. I enjoy working in the woods and helping owners with general maintenance. The owner is hoping to move to the area in the next few months so just trying to get the ball rolling in readiness.

 

[gdh]

20 hours ago, andrewmiskin said:

Thanks for the advice. I will try contacting them. This woodland has been neglected for a number of years. He lives a few hours away at present I'm trying to help him get started as I live near the woods. He's got some ideas what he would like to do with it. Only time will tell if they come to fruition.

 

Also considered someone like HW Forestry. Has anyone had any experience with them? 

Dai at hw is good to deal with and knows what he's doing. If you have access track and just want to thin it will be easy to get a felling licence and find a decent contractor.

 

If you want to put new tracks in, replant or make a long term management plan you should probably talk to an advisor like Dai.

 

It's a decent sized wood to fell and prices are good at the moment so unless it's a first thinning of smaller trees it should be a nice job for someone.

[timberonabike]

Coed Cymru or one of the many forestry management companies like Pryor and Rickett could help with some ideas. Depending on crop age Continous Cover would be worth a look, Pro Silva/Phil Morgan as mentioned above - smaller physical and financial inputs/outputs for a gradually increasing crop/land value.

 

Depending on location, your friends wood may be in the Phytophthora pluvalis area which impacts on W.hemlock, just another form and NRW visit to get movement licence.