Our plans

Instead of being sold for firewood or paper production, the majority of the timber we produce can be used to make craft products from a small workshop on site. As well as giving added value to the timber, this creates much needed local jobs and training facilities for local schools and community groups.

Using wood in this way also means that there is very little waste, as the wood does not need to be processed into the usual uniform mass-produced planks. By providing training we equip more people with the skills to start their own craft business, ultimately boosting the rural economy.

Most local people would prefer to buy locally-made products if possible and there is a very receptive market for these products.

Managing the woodland in a sustainable way requires more human input than when using machinery. This creates additional training and volunteering opportunities and allows more people to experience the health and spiritual benefits of working on the land.

Demonstrating viable alternatives to clear felling
If we had not bought the woodland it would have been on schedule for the mature conifers to be clear felled over the next year or two. As you can see from the picture above, large scale clear felling leaves huge desolate areas and has a devastating effect on both wildlife and the environment.


An example of a close-packed conifer plantation, too dense and dark to support wildlife

Our long term plans include organic forest gardening, coppicing and permaculture - these are all entirely sustainable and they benefit both wildlife and the environment.

There is now a real need for alternative woodland crops and for information on their management, aside from the growing environmental concerns. Coppiced wood can be used for a variety of purposes including craft industries and charcoal production, first established in this area centuries ago and now actively encouraged once more.

Forest gardens and permaculture areas produce a variety of food, herbs and edible fungi, all of which can be sold, for example to local hotels, restaurants and vegetable box schemes.

Woodlands can provide so much more than just timber! Wild crafter herbs, berries, leaves and flowers for wine making, edible fungi, garden products, educational resources, green burial grounds, wines from tree sap and countless others.