UK: Woodland management is the new hobby / craze these days

At the age of 70, where did the idea of owning a wood come from? Was
it from a childhood with huge walnut trees and an orchard in the
garden, or a lifetime of fiddling with wood and woodturning for
charity? Or just a love of trees? Or years of hunting for timber to
feed our hungry woodburner? All of that, plus a desire to help save
the planet and to have a safe investment to leave for the children.
The Woodlands.co.uk website did the rest and we soon found ourselves
owning ten acres of mature mixed woodland in an area of outstanding
beauty.

We were pleased to discover we can park the caravan for 28
nights a year and spend endless days just going to the woods, yet we
can still leave them for weeks on end if need be, since they have
already survived 50 years without our help! Any of the above reasons
for owning a wood could justify taking the plunge, but the first few
weeks have shown that we have fulfilled all of those aims and more.
Like seeing deer at close quarters, hearing buzzards, seeing tiny
birds flitting from branch to branch and glimpsing the occasional
rabbit, hare or squirrel and wondering how many badgers inhabit the
many setts. Wonderful to see new forms of wildlife like the larch
wasp – not quite so wonderful, but intriguing, to know which other
insect made that irritating lump! Since our wood consists of 50-year
old Douglas fir and Norway spruce, with small stands of older sweet
chestnut and oak, plus a few large beech, the early weeks have meant
much exploring and giving thought to which trees can be thinned to
allow the best ones to flourish, especially the oaks in the middle of
the wood. How we bless the Forestry Commission planters who left some
deciduous trees, rather than just regarding the cash crop as all that
mattered. Most work so far has consisted of clearing winding paths and
removing the stumps left from previous thinning so that older visitors
can walk through safely and our tiny tractor can make its way through
to clear rubbish and haul timber. Much of the earlier trimmings
(brashings) and some fallen trees may be left to encourage the
abundant wildlife which is part of the constant delight of discovery
– as is seeing shafts of sunlight giving trees ever changing
appearance and turning the mosses and lichens into almost magical
colours. http://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/woodland-activities/owning-a-wood-the-first-few-weeks/

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