Making a profit from woodland?

[Stereo]

Yeah, it's not about the money. Today I fought my way through 20 yards of nettles to confirm what I thought I saw. A ragged old hazel stump I had coppiced back to nothing in January. Now there is a stem which stands taller than me and plenty others following it.

 

Plus some of the Alder sun shoots I had cut from the fallen tree, left in the river for 3 weeks and then roughly stuck in the soft ground are now trees.

 

Makes your heart sing, or mine anyway.

[Nature]

Yeah, it's not about the money. Today I fought my way through 20 yards of nettles to confirm what I thought I saw. A ragged old hazel stump I had coppiced back to nothing in January. Now there is a stem which stands taller than me and plenty others following it.

 

Plus some of the Alder sun shoots I had cut from the fallen tree, left in the river for 3 weeks and then roughly stuck in the soft ground are now trees.

 

Makes your heart sing, or mine anyway.

 

Awesome. This is one of the reasons why I asked for advice on this forum.

 

There is a real enthusiasm for forestry and trees. It's why I am considering investing in Woodland rather than a more conventional business (more fool me!)

[Nature]

Yeah, it's not about the money. Today I fought my way through 20 yards of nettles to confirm what I thought I saw. A ragged old hazel stump I had coppiced back to nothing in January. Now there is a stem which stands taller than me and plenty others following it.

 

Plus some of the Alder sun shoots I had cut from the fallen tree, left in the river for 3 weeks and then roughly stuck in the soft ground are now trees.

 

Makes your heart sing, or mine anyway.

 

Awesome. This is one of the reasons why I asked for advice on this forum.

 

There is a real enthusiasm for forestry and trees. It's why I am considering investing in Woodland rather than a more conventional business (more fool me!)

[renewablejohn]

 

 

 

Good point, particularly with the IHT and income tax advantages, however I wonder if agricultural land would be a better investment, though I do like that woodland for what it is, and what it could become with management.

 

Dont assume you will automatically get the IHT and income tax advantages. HMRC are clamping down on tax avoidance and this includes legitimate use of woodland.

[renewablejohn]

 

 

 

Good point, particularly with the IHT and income tax advantages, however I wonder if agricultural land would be a better investment, though I do like that woodland for what it is, and what it could become with management.

 

Dont assume you will automatically get the IHT and income tax advantages. HMRC are clamping down on tax avoidance and this includes legitimate use of woodland.

[northumbriaforestry]

Never going to make a commercial woodland out of it, too small. Make a nice self managed contin cover area & take advantage of the tax dodge, as for making money out of it, employing people etc, nah. On the up side, wish more people would buy woodlands & manage them with heart, it's what we need. If you can afford to sit on it, go for it!

[Nature]

Thanks for your comments, Natalie. I take you point about the woodland being too small for a commercial enterprise.

 

Sadly, I prevaricated for too long as the woodland has now been sold to someone else.

 

I'm on the lookout for another one though.

[twmarriott]

woodland of that size isn't commercially viable as a stand alone business, certainly you'd be eligable for grants but not much else, we've some neighbours trying to do similar on 20 acres which theyre living and building in now bought it on bad advise 20 acres for over 100k on the basis they could live in it without planning provided they worked it.

[Nature]

woodland of that size isn't commercially viable as a stand alone business, certainly you'd be eligable for grants but not much else, we've some neighbours trying to do similar on 20 acres which theyre living and building in now bought it on bad advise 20 acres for over 100k on the basis they could live in it without planning provided they worked it.

 

Thanks for your comments.

 

In your opinion what is the minimum size of mixed woodland needed to be a commercially viable stand alone business?

 

At around £5k per acre it seems expensive compared to other businesses, but I guess the tax sheltering and land price bubble is accounting for that.

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

Sadly, I prevaricated for too long as the woodland has now been sold to someone else.

 

Procrastinated?!