Bushcraft field survey?

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shaggystu

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 10, 2003
4,345
33
Derbyshire
For a little while now I've been thinking about really getting to know a "bushcraft" location. I like the idea of surveying an area fairly formally to record things like different species of flora and fauna, soil type, weather, etc. to start to learn how those things effect one another. I think that carrying out a survey like this over an extended period of time will really help me to improve my plant/animal ID skills and my nature awareness in general.

Having recently been granted access to a local area of private woodland I'm in an ideal position to get started on this project so I thought I'd ask for thoughts on the subject from other bushcrafters.

So, does anyone have any input?
Do you think it's a good or a bad idea? Why?
What things would you survey or would you like to see me surveying? Why?
What surveying methods do you think would be suitable or otherwise? Why?
What recording methods should I use? Why?
Any obviously pertinent questions that I've not though of? Why? :rolleyes:

Any thoughts at all are welcome on this, I have a vague idea in my head of what I'll be looking at, how I'll be looking at it, and what I'll be doing with the information I've gathered but nothing's set in stone at all, plans are made to be altered.

Also, would anyone like to be involved in this project? Either getting involved in my survey or maybe doing one of their own in a different location?

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I look forward to hearing people's thoughts :)

Cheers,

Stuart.
 

Teepee

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 15, 2010
4,115
5
Northamptonshire
Great idea Stu :) I'm not a great record keeper but appreciate those that enjoy it.

I think it would be interesting to record the impact that bushcrafting has on the environment. Maybe cordoning off a small recordable area and comparing it to an area that gets used and trampled ie. number and type of plant species in that area.

Recording the change that felling a tree has and seeing how the extra sunlight affects the forest floor over time. Maybe photos in addition to recorded data would be good and a time lapse photography sequence would be enlightening from a number of fixed spots.
 

knifefan

Full Member
Nov 11, 2008
1,048
3
61
Lincolnshire
Sounds like a great idea Stu. If you are looking long term, It would be worth doing a general survey with a sub section listing all the things that would be a benefit to you i.e. food sources, water sources etc maybe even create your own hidden "gypsy well" if there is a suitable area. Keep us posted :)
 

Goatboy

Full Member
Jan 31, 2005
14,956
17
Scotland
Hi Shaggystu,

I've done this most areas I've lived, had an O.S. map up with some of the following marked onto it.

  • Food plants
  • Resource plants
  • Shelter
  • Fauna spotted/territories
  • Minerals
  • Ancient sites (may be in place near to resources for a reason and how did our forebears use the land)

This involved just being on the ground and wandering about mainly, though pouring over maps old and new, history books, historical websites and societies, talking to residents / old folks all help. Also tools like gmap and Geograph are good, especially the latter as it allows you to see pics of a place before you go. National Library of Scotland has a great online old map resource here though can't remember who holds it for south of the border.

I also had Memory Map on the last 'puter which allowed me to store and overlay all this stuff digitally and produce my own maps. But unfortunatly that 'puter is dead and resisting attempts to get info off of it.

It's great understanding your patch from both a historical and whats there right now and seasonally. It's all linked in the end, and though I like maps you need to get out on the ground and see for yourself too.
 
Mar 15, 2011
1,118
7
on the heather
Hi Shaggystu.
This book may be worth a read, it’s got some chapters covering journaling, eco-mapping, finding a sit spot and observation.
There’s a full review of the book on the tracking page under Have you any handy tracking tips or kit.



Anyhoo good luck with your new project and if you want a loan just give me a PM.
 
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shaggystu

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 10, 2003
4,345
33
Derbyshire
Some great comments so far chaps, all good getting the old grey matter rattling along a bit.

Pete - Loving the idea of recording the impact of bushcraft activity on a site by marking an area "out of bounds", that's definitely a goer in one form or another.

I like the "bushcraft perspective" suggested by Graham and Goatboy too, recording resources as resources rather than as species might be an idea, so Clematis becomes "tinder", as does Birch, Sycamore and the Willows become "friction fire lighting", a hole in the ground or a stream become "water" etc. I like that idea a lot.

Thanks for all the other comments and thoughts chaps, some good ideas/info/links/interest so far. Cheers :)

Stuart.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
Contact (or find them online) the herpetological recording group, the British Mycological Society or the local county version, the moths and butterflies recording folks, etc.,
They have some brilliant reference guides and loads of information freely available.

atb,
M
 

Elen Sentier

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I think it's a grand idea - hope to be able to work somewhere close by myself later this year. I'm a lousy recorder so goodness what will happen there but one thing i do like doing is taking photos so I'll probably get a serious of particular locations and photograph them each month to see how they change. I also like Teepee's idea of watching how bushcraft changes the area, the differences in the areas you regularly walk and work ... watching how the plants move away from it - something I notice in my 1/4 acre garden which has several wildy bits. opening up the top story in a wood makes massive differences very quickly, all the seeds, seedlings and plants that have been waiting for some more light grab their chance and go for it. The animals change too, those that like more cover will retreat away from the opened up areas. In permaculture (not that I know too much about it!) I gather this is one of the things used a lot, allowing the forest to move itself around. it certainly happens in the woods a friend uses - he keeps pigs in the woods (been on telly!).

All places are, mor try to be, complete systems including animals, insects and plants that all live and work together. Overall, if humans don't interfere very much but try to work along with the system, it all balances out and works very well. Droughts, floods, gluts and famines are part of the system are all ways of remedying some imbalance although they often look frightening to us. I'm hoping to watch this if I get the permission I'm looking for in some local woodland.

I'll be very interested to hear and see (pix pse !!!) how yours goes and to learn from your findings and ways of doing things :), have subscribed to this thread in hopes ... :D
 

shaggystu

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 10, 2003
4,345
33
Derbyshire
Contact (or find them online) the herpetological recording group, the British Mycological Society or the local county version, the moths and butterflies recording folks, etc.,
They have some brilliant reference guides and loads of information freely available....

That sounds like superb advice to me Mary, I shall look into it :)
 

shaggystu

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 10, 2003
4,345
33
Derbyshire
Thanks for all the input folks, it's all good stuff and muchly appreciated :)

I think I'm starting to get a fairly good idea of what I'll be looking at, and how I'll be looking - still a little vague on the recording/representing of the info that I gather though, maybe a blog would work.

I'll try and keep you all up to date with this project as it (hopefully) progresses.

All the best,

Stuart.
 

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