Working neglected woodland

[woodyguy]

Except he has no vehicle access to get it out.

[agg221]

Except he has no vehicle access to get it out.

 

I was thinking along the lines of fell and stack cord by the stump Oct-Jan, then move the cord to a processing area in ~April-June when the ground is firm and it has dried a bit and cut/split/stack, ready to drive up to the pile with a trailer and extract in August when the crop is cut. It would mean slightly less handling as you are only double-handling cord, rather than logs.

 

Alec

[Gardiners Tree Surgery]

Hi two acres

I'm a woodland owner, one of the great books I read is Ben laws woodland book. He says it pays to go to the wood and just sit and look around. You will feel what needs to be removed and what needs to stay. Dead wood is great for habitat and wood peckers, have a look at what wildlife you have. Are there a lot of squirrels? If so check the condition of the hardwood trees. What may look good from the ground maybe nakared in the crown from squirel damage. These trees if small will hardly develop, trust me I see this over a lot of acres.

Always keep in the back of your mind you can fell the trees but won't be able to stick them back together.

If you want a chat on the phone pm me your details as typing is hard when you have fingers like pig tits

All the best and above all have fun. And get loads of ppe it's always worth being safe

[Paul in the woods]

This seems like an appropriate thread for a long term woodland owning lurker to make the first post on.

 

I've got just under 10 acres of very mixed woodland that's been rather neglected before I purchased it a few years ago.

 

I've just completed my management plan myself, just waiting for approval from the forestry commission before I get paid for doing it. I used the free myForest service which may be of interest ( myForest • serving Britain's Wood Community ). It was a bit of a learning curve but worth doing. The forestry commission also has a template for a small wood that may be useful.

 

What I have learnt is it's a balancing act, not just between producing something useful and looking after wildlife but also between different wildlife critters - i.e. what might be good for dormice might not be best for bats.

 

I did get help from my local wild life trust and an associated woodland consultant (both free advice and your local trust might be able to help). But they do have their own goals that might not match up with yours, so be careful.

 

As for tree recognition I picked up a field studies council tree trail for free several years ago and found it good for helping to identify unknown trees. It's a bit pricey now but might be useful: Tree name trail - FSC

 

One final thing, if you have deer about take care coppicing as the new growth will be nibbled down before you can say "venison sausage", often the day after you've admired the new growth.

[Two Acres]

Hi two acres

I'm a woodland owner, one of the great books I read is Ben laws woodland book. He says it pays to go to the wood and just sit and look around. You will feel what needs to be removed and what needs to stay. Dead wood is great for habitat and wood peckers, have a look at what wildlife you have. Are there a lot of squirrels? If so check the condition of the hardwood trees. What may look good from the ground maybe nakared in the crown from squirel damage. These trees if small will hardly develop, trust me I see this over a lot of acres.

Always keep in the back of your mind you can fell the trees but won't be able to stick them back together.

If you want a chat on the phone pm me your details as typing is hard when you have fingers like pig tits

All the best and above all have fun. And get loads of ppe it's always worth being safe

Hi Gardiners Tree Surgery,

 

Many thanks for the advice Am I right to think that Ben Laws was the fellow who bulit the house in the woods on Grand Designs? I like the philosophy of sitting and looking and feeling what needs doing and what needs leaving. So far I've just removed a couple of lodged trees that I felt could be a danger. Other than that I've touched nothing. I'm in no hurry so at the moment its research and thinking time. On the subject of books I'm going to recommend one myself - The woodfire handbook by Vincent Thirkettle. His way of thinking about woodland sounds similar to Ben Laws from what you've said.

[Two Acres]

This seems like an appropriate thread for a long term woodland owning lurker to make the first post on.

 

I've got just under 10 acres of very mixed woodland that's been rather neglected before I purchased it a few years ago.

 

I've just completed my management plan myself, just waiting for approval from the forestry commission before I get paid for doing it. I used the free myForest service which may be of interest ( myForest • serving Britain's Wood Community ). It was a bit of a learning curve but worth doing. The forestry commission also has a template for a small wood that may be useful.

 

What I have learnt is it's a balancing act, not just between producing something useful and looking after wildlife but also between different wildlife critters - i.e. what might be good for dormice might not be best for bats.

 

I did get help from my local wild life trust and an associated woodland consultant (both free advice and your local trust might be able to help). But they do have their own goals that might not match up with yours, so be careful.

 

As for tree recognition I picked up a field studies council tree trail for free several years ago and found it good for helping to identify unknown trees. It's a bit pricey now but might be useful: Tree name trail - FSC

 

One final thing, if you have deer about take care coppicing as the new growth will be nibbled down before you can say "venison sausage", often the day after you've admired the new growth.

 

Thanks for your post Paul in the woods, all useful stuff and much appreciated. I have been into a woodland that had some fencing around one area to keep out the deer and allow the saplings to grow. I was staggered to compare the inside of the fenced area, dense with growth, with the rest of the woodland, no undergrowth much at all.

[timbernut]

You're in the right region (East for woodland/nature writers as I believe

[Two Acres]

Not sure I follow you Timbernut

[timbernut]

Oops .... As I believe Vincent Thirkettle is Suffolk based, Ray Tabor ( traditional woodland crafts and the green wood encyclopaedia ) works/worked for Essex wildlife trust, the late, great Roger Deakin (Wildwood etc ): Suffolk. Oliver Rackham is south norfolk born and bred, I think Richard Maybe (Food for Free, Beechcombings ) lives somewhere on the Norfolk Suffolk border, Mark Cocker (Crow Country, Birds Brittanica, wit R Maybe), there are others I think!

 

I find it slightly ironic that it s one of the least wooded areas of the country, has vast areas of, relatively, sterile arable land but is a highly attractive habitat for nature/woody writers!😀

[timbernut]

Sorry slow at typin an bumbling fat didgits ( or as gardiners put it 'pig tits' 😂👍)