Lately there has been a spate of heath and woodland fires, some deliberately set, others through lightning etc, what I meant by being discreet is , make sure its safe to start a fire, preferably on a stone base make sure it is enclosed in some way, so it wont be spread by the wind, don,t start a fire on loose earth or peat, make sure you can put it out quickly and safely, and try not to be seen by members of the public, who may think its a wild fire and inform the authorities.
Reference carrying knives and tools, well basically if you have good reason to carry a LEGAL knife then you are entitled to carry one, again be discreet keep knives and axes etc, stashed away in you bag rucksack until you need to use them, (and read up on the relative laws about carrying knives),
Using dead wood on the woodland floor should not be a problem as long as you are discreet, don't go around chopping trees down, and always keep in mind you don't know who owns the dead wood, and you could theoretically be charged with theft or criminal damage on public or private land., Get in touch with local groups, they will tell you where you can go and be safe, there is plenty of moorland and woodland in your area to explore,and I am sure there are regular meetings of local groups to go to.
Don,t go buying loads of equipment, eventually you will discover what you need, go out with the basics it will then be obvious what essentials you require, there is plenty of info on this site regarding what basics you need, but obviously they will not cover everything, but make sure you have food water, shelter, and one good knife, you can make so much with a knife, shelters, tent poles and pegs, preparing food etc etc, a basic £10 Mora will be as good as any knife and if you unfortunately lose it it is cheaply replaced.
Get yourself a good book, I recommend John "Lofty" Wiseman,s SAS Survival Handbook ISBN 0-00-715899-8, either buy one or borrow it from your local Library. Go out and enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the outdoors.