Hi I am thinking of writing a letter to local landowners to get permission to do bushcraft in my local area, can anyone give me some tips on how to write a good letter to persuade the landowner to give me permission? Thanks.
How to write good letter to land owner
- Thread starter Al88b
- Start date
I have written loads of letters to landowners to get access in my different job roles over the years. You need to play to their interests, I.e. In having access to your land, I am will to do x and y which will benefit the holding, including assistance to undertake z on the holding which is required / undertaken.
Be respectful, listen to any possible concerns, and be prepared to move to another holding without fuss if access is refused.
The worst they can say is no, but I would follow up any letter with a call, it makes the difference between a no and a yes.
Be respectful, listen to any possible concerns, and be prepared to move to another holding without fuss if access is refused.
The worst they can say is no, but I would follow up any letter with a call, it makes the difference between a no and a yes.
I sincerely wish you the best of luck. However, as a woodland owner I would not give anyone permission to use my wood unless I knew them well no matter how well a letter was crafted.
You need to get to know landowners for other reasons first IMO. What are you offering them?
Charlie Portlock has written a number of articles about finding permissions to hunt with an air rifle - it's a similar problem and may be worth a bit of research to see what he advises.
You need to get to know landowners for other reasons first IMO. What are you offering them?
Charlie Portlock has written a number of articles about finding permissions to hunt with an air rifle - it's a similar problem and may be worth a bit of research to see what he advises.
Aww, I had a good laugh at that.
I have a similar issue with tentative letters about Heritage (As I call them)
I try to find common ground, explain what I am doing, and offer them something in return.
I don't get many replies back. (You think a company which has been a big employer in the community for a century would appreciate the heritage angle, wouldn't you?)
I have a similar issue with tentative letters about Heritage (As I call them)
I try to find common ground, explain what I am doing, and offer them something in return.
I don't get many replies back. (You think a company which has been a big employer in the community for a century would appreciate the heritage angle, wouldn't you?)
That's a good point - you can't do it the 'right' way at the moment because you can't socialise or turn up on someone's doorstep uninvited. I suppose the reality is we are living through a period where a difficult task (finding a permission) has been made almost impossible because you can't build a relationship with a landowner.
Maybe, for the moment, you could concentrate on those bushcraft skills that don't require a permission - just access to nature. I'm thinking about learning plant and tree ID, wildlife observation and tracking, cordage from plant fibres etc. - there's loads of stuff you can get to grips with, without camping out and lighting a fire, that doesn't require you to have a permission.
Maybe, for the moment, you could concentrate on those bushcraft skills that don't require a permission - just access to nature. I'm thinking about learning plant and tree ID, wildlife observation and tracking, cordage from plant fibres etc. - there's loads of stuff you can get to grips with, without camping out and lighting a fire, that doesn't require you to have a permission.
Along similar lines, how do you find out who owns the woodland? My current thinking is to ask the closest farm if they own the woodland.
Sometimes very difficult. You can go to the land registry, click on the maps there, and get the 'owner' which often turns out to be an estate - sometimes miles from the wood. However, that doesn't tell you who has the management and exploitation rights. For example a great deal of woodland around us is "Crown Estate" which is managed by Natural Resources Wales - it's NRW you would have to approach to gain access. Other 'forestry' companies have the exploitation rights of woodland owned by 'Crown Estate' around here and, sometimes, a farm will have a tenancy.
If the woodland is privately owned and has recently been sold (since '86 I think but not sure) you will be able to find the owner through the Land Registry.
I have asked farmers around here who owns pieces of woodland (I would like to find a way of coordinating management strategies but that's almost impossible) and in many cases they have no idea even for woodland bordering their fields where their sheep graze! But, still worth a try
