Working neglected woodland

[Two Acres]

The problem with articles like that is that they're not read by the birds involved. I put up over 30 nest boxes last year. many different size boxes and holes including woodpecker boxes. Yes I've got a lot of blue and great tits nesting. But many of the holes sized for blue tits have been adapted. One has even been plastered over with mud by house martins who nest there. So if you don't have an ancient wood with veteran trees rich with rotting wood and holes then I'd make some nest boxes. The variety of bird attracted is well worth it.

 

Diversity in bird box size/holes looks like the key to success then?

[Two Acres]

My plans for the wood have been coming together this week and I have some developments I need advice on. We've had a family get together and everyone is happy for me to go ahead with managing the wood as I see fit What we're considering is the best ownership structure? We want to avoid the splitting endlessly into smaller and smaller fractions among descendants so are thinking of a family trust:confused1:

 

I'm now ready to start working on a management plan. I think I will need a felling licence (plan is to fell the leylandi as a next task). I'm also wondering if there are any grants worth applying for? I've come across the Biffa grants scheme (I believe I could qualify as I am within ten miles of a landfill site). Does anyone have any experience of applying for these type of grants? Are they a good move or do they cause problems?

 

Any advice apprectiated

[woodyguy]

You almost certainly don't need a felling license. You can fell 5 cu metre per calendar quarter. That is a huge amount as its only the useable wood. Thinnings don't count. If you sell it then its only 2cu metre. Each quarter it resets. So you could cut 5 cube end of March and 5 cube beginning of April.

No idea about grants as I avoid them but others will chime in I'm sure.

[Two Acres]

You almost certainly don't need a felling license. You can fell 5 cu metre per calendar quarter. That is a huge amount as its only the useable wood. Thinnings don't count. If you sell it then its only 2cu metre. Each quarter it resets. So you could cut 5 cube end of March and 5 cube beginning of April.

No idea about grants as I avoid them but others will chime in I'm sure.

 

Ah, right, I hadn't realised the quota was per calendar quarter. I also thought it was all the wood in the tree, not just the useable firewood.

 

Why avoid grants? Is that to keep, control yourself and prevent interfering?

[the village idiot]

You almost certainly don't need a felling license. You can fell 5 cu metre per calendar quarter. That is a huge amount as its only the useable wood. Thinnings don't count. If you sell it then its only 2cu metre. Each quarter it resets. So you could cut 5 cube end of March and 5 cube beginning of April.

No idea about grants as I avoid them but others will chime in I'm sure.

 

I think thinnings need to be less than 10cm diameter to be felling licence exempt.

[Two Acres]

I think thinnings need to be less than 10cm diameter to be felling licence exempt.

 

Ok, well, I have roughly 55 Leylandi that are about 10 inches diameter and thirty years old. Maybe 25 feet tall as a guess. How many cubes is that would you say?

[the village idiot]

Ok, well, I have roughly 55 Leylandi that are about 10 inches diameter and thirty years old. Maybe 25 feet tall as a guess. How many cubes is that would you say?

 

By my reckoning, and please note who you are dealing with here!, each tree would have an approximate volume of between 0.25 and 0.5 cubic mtrs. This means you could legally fell 10 or so per quarter, so long as you weren't felling any other +15cm diameter stuff in the same time period.

 

Please feel free to ridicule me senseless if this turns out to be total codswallop:thumbup:

[Two Acres]

Cheers TVI,

 

Reckon I will need a felling licence then. I'm thinking of having all those Leylandi out, plus coppicing the very overgrown hazel. Don't really want to spread that over a year.

[Two Acres]

Oh, by the way TVI,

 

You may want to keep in mind who you're dealing with here - Two Acres by name Five Acres by Google Earth measurement My estimations may be garbage

[the village idiot]

Oh, by the way TVI,

 

You may want to keep in mind who you're dealing with here - Two Acres by name Five Acres by Google Earth measurement My estimations may be garbage

 

:lol:

 

Well it beats many weeks of planting to more than double the size of your woodland!

 

You won't need to worry about the hazel in terms of felling licences. It would certainly be worth asking your local Forestry Commission officer about the Leylandii. There may be some loophole allowing you to fell them not under licence, not being a typical woodland specimen?