Buying woodland

[Spirit fish]

Anybody thought of buying a patch of woodland on a syndicate basis ie chipping in with friends and dividing the land accordingly? Seems like this makes buying land easier for people who work average jobs , it's something I'm thinking of looking into in the future

 

[Laurentius]

Not being able to afford the cost of buying a woodland in my latter days, I decided to plant one (well very small) I thought I would just take a piece of land off the council and call it mine, it is doing alright at the moment. Try approaching your Council, see if they have a piece of wasteland that would do better by having some sort of communal management for conservation. Luckily I was donated some funds to help me in this and have had the general support of councillors, so you never know.

 

[Spirit fish]

Not being able to afford the cost of buying a woodland in my latter days, I decided to plant one (well very small) I thought I would just take a piece of land off the council and call it mine, it is doing alright at the moment. Try approaching your Council, see if they have a piece of wasteland that would do better by having some sort of communal management for conservation. Luckily I was donated some funds to help me in this and have had the general support of councillors, so you never know.

How is your woodland,copse doing is it well established?

 

[Dmo5]

Anybody thought of buying a patch of woodland on a syndicate basis ie chipping in with friends and dividing the land accordingly? Seems like this makes buying land easier for people who work average jobs , it's something I'm thinking of looking into in the future

I was debating the same thing! Interested to hear other people's thoughts too! There isn't anything available in Hertfordshire at the moment.

 

[Broch]

I know it sounds like a great idea, but I would urge caution. All partnerships have highs and lows and the legalities and responsibilities will need defining very clearly. Woodland prices are going up quickly, so it will still be a considerable amount of money for a small group, and the larger the group the more likely there will be problems

The proper and responsible management of woodland requires hard work and ongoing expense - will everyone continue to contribute? Will everyone agree the same usage and care policies?

I'm not saying 'don't do it' - I'm just urging you to think of the big picture and what could go wrong in such situations.

 

[TeeDee]

I know it sounds like a great idea, but I would urge caution. All partnerships have highs and lows and the legalities and responsibilities will need defining very clearly. Woodland prices are going up quickly, so it will still be a considerable amount of money for a small group, and the larger the group the more likely there will be problems

The proper and responsible management of woodland requires hard work and ongoing expense - will everyone continue to contribute? Will everyone agree the same usage and care policies?

I'm not saying 'don't do it' - I'm just urging you to think of the big picture and what could go wrong in such situations.

THIS.

Things that may start out as rose tinted romantic collaborations can soon change into other things from each of our own unique and diverse desires. If one was to purchase a large section of woodland and then legally split it you have all the associated legal costs to enable to make that happen and then what held merit at the start as a large piece of woodland has become far less than your initial financial input because not many people will want to purchase a postage sized stamp of woodland potentially landlocked away within other woodland with poor access by road or poor access to other resources.


The road to hell is paved with good intentions etc.

 

[Erbswurst]

One could found some kind of wild camping club with obvious structure and a few well thought through rules.

I don't know the prices in Britain but a little piece of woodland is really affordable in Germany. Here it's no problem for the average man to buy such a little ground even alone. And usually it's a good long term investment.

One also could buy it alone and rent it out for the use of others, if that's legal, or simply call it a bushcraft school, a boy scout camping site or whatever.

 

[Laurentius]

How is your woodland,copse doing is it well established?

It is doing very well considering the conditions, it was hardly a greenfield site and every seedling I have planted has had to battle with the quick growing invasive species that were already there, but a great many trees are now taller than me and bit by bit they will establish a canopy and the leaf litter will accumulate. There is plenty of work to keep me occupied anyway.

 

[Laurentius]

THIS.

Things that may start out as rose tinted romantic collaborations can soon change into other things from each of our own unique and diverse desires. If one was to purchase a large section of woodland and then legally split it you have all the associated legal costs to enable to make that happen and then what held merit at the start as a large piece of woodland has become far less than your initial financial input because not many people will want to purchase a postage sized stamp of woodland potentially landlocked away within other woodland with poor access by road or poor access to other resources.


The road to hell is paved with good intentions etc.

Yes many years ago I was looking at various commercial woodlands which would have been a family endeavour, you had to be aware of the snags, such as access, often over someone elses land, not to mention legal obligations to maintain fences. Even on my little plot of land I have had to keep the neighbouring farmers cows out.

 

[slowworm]

I think share ownership of woodland is doable as long as you are sensible and work through the pros and cons. Plenty of people share ownership of housing in one form or another.

Many of the problems apply to single ownership as well, your neighbours might not be the easiest people to get one with and you can't do much to stop them. I could see a group of people in a shared ownership model actually holding more sway over what neighbours get up to for example.

 

[Spirit fish]

I know it sounds like a great idea, but I would urge caution. All partnerships have highs and lows and the legalities and responsibilities will need defining very clearly. Woodland prices are going up quickly, so it will still be a considerable amount of money for a small group, and the larger the group the more likely there will be problems

The proper and responsible management of woodland requires hard work and ongoing expense - will everyone continue to contribute? Will everyone agree the same usage and care policies?

I'm not saying 'don't do it' - I'm just urging you to think of the big picture and what could go wrong in such situations.

I wouldn't do it with associate s they'd have be very close friends ,problems may arise though

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

If they're v good friends you can agree the intricacies on a bar mat... If they're associates, you'll need a serious delve into legal logistics...

Sounds like you're suggesting more of a "shared entire woodland" rather than splitting it up into "Johns corner, peters corner etc etc"... So that is sensible. The issues that will need to be addressed are permitted usage...For instance can part owners let friends use it without direct supervision? Does everyone agree chopping trees is ok, or is that a no for some, yes for others? Building shelters - yay or nay? Leaving "stuff" in the woodland under a tarp for the next trip.

Most things will be pretty agreeable all round, but it's probably the really small details that will get you guys grinding each others gears unless they're spelled out nice and legally...

As others have said, certainly doable, just be aware. Perhaps consider the difficulties of buying a house with a few others, or a shared car and think "what could go wrong" and see what's applicable to the woodland...

 

[TeeDee]

If they're v good friends you can agree the intricacies on a bar mat... If they're associates, you'll need a serious delve into legal logistics...

Or maybe one of the quickest ways to test and end a friendship.

Many a good willed endeavour has started on amicable grounds then spiralled into animosity.

Making things legal from the outset may seem harsh but can save a lot of grief if it all goes sideways and you then realise you never really 'knew' bob/sue as well as you thought you did.

 

[Broch]

If they're v good friends you can agree the intricacies on a bar mat... If they're associates, you'll need a serious delve into legal logistics...

You'd like to think, but that is where I've seen the very worst fall-outs and disagreements.

Working as a small-business adviser I came across a number of people that had gone into partnership with close friends or even family and, because there was no written agreements, things resulted in arguments, stress, and business failure in some circumstances.

What happens when one partner wants to leave/sell? what happens when one wants to hold a large gathering or is there with another bunch of 'mates' every weekend? what happens when one doesn't have the money to pay for needed maintenance work? .... the list goes on. If partnerships were always stable, even with best friends, we wouldn't have any divorce courts.

Just tread very carefully and always have a written agreement is my advice

 

[Erbswurst]

The most important point that I see is that people usually change thoughts and behaviour during their lifetime, some more, some less.

You often have some kind of leader and others follow him for a while but afterwards develop own ideas or follow something or somebody else.

I know quite a few people who made a 180° U-turn during just a decade.

Usually you just loose them out of the eyes. But if you share ownership it may end in a disaster.

If you are the leader yourself it's intelligent to construct the exit strategy in the beginning.

 

[billycoen]

Buy it with family members,if anyone gets a bit uppity,you will have loads of places to hide the bodies..

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

Whilst I appreciate what you guys write about friends - my dad and my uncle (through marriage not blood) bought a very large house together for us all to live in when in the UK. They did so with no formal agreements and I think even my dad signed the mortgage on both their behalfs...

Never had a fall out and as a family had we fantastic memories growing up....

Equally as a student me and a friend took on the tenancy to a place with a very informal agreement between ourselves.. he's still a great mate, no issues during the tenancy etc...

So yeh, whilst it can go wrong, it doesn't always go wrong.... My experiences are the latter rather than the former.. but I guess everyone is different..

 

[Kadushu]

Worth making absolutely sure that you're on the same page about your intended use and likely input. For example one might want to make full use of the permitted tree felling, create tracks, groves, erect a hut, etc, while the other wants to keep it as wild as possible. What I mean by input is their contribution to upkeep and development of the woodland. Develepment could be phasing out a monoculture of non native conifers and planting native broadleaf trees, for example. Other input might be fencing liabilities, track upkeep, etc. You can imagine that after 10 years down opposing management practices the woodland will be significantly different, hence the need to get this thought through from the outset.

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

I would add that despite my explanation above, that the legal side of things even amongst friends is probably realistically the best way to go... If your friendship is good enough then what? You just "wasted" a bit of cash on a solicitor... If it's not good enough, then you might have saved a small fortune...

I guess my dad's agreement was back in the 80's... Maybe life was simpler and more stable back then?

 

[Spirit fish]

I would add that despite my explanation above, that the legal side of things even amongst friends is probably realistically the best way to go... If your friendship is good enough then what? You just "wasted" a bit of cash on a solicitor... If it's not good enough, then you might have saved a small fortune...

I guess my dad's agreement was back in the 80's... Maybe life was simpler and more stable back then?

Tbh my friends can do whatever they want with there patch cut down all there trees if they want u don't care ,they won't touch my patch because they have own as long as my patch is left alone in quite happy