Planting my own wood.

[smallholder]

I have been looking for patch of woodland near to me in Cornwall and i am having no luck.

I am considering buying a field next to a wood and planting it to be used by myself, wife and 3 kids. It has a stream on one boundry and in total about 3 acres, not big but a good get away.

One of the main uses will be a bolt hole for us to stay at, i work from home and have people coming to me day and night.

I have an idea for a few plants / trees like some fruit trees and some Willow for fuel. The idea is to in time have a place where we can go away from everyone and relax.

Any ideas about the best things to plant, things that may be usefull later on when they are grown up a bit.

 

[durulz]

Your problem is going to be time.
You see, the trees that grow quickly are more like big bushes. And the trees that look good and give the appearance of being in a wood won't be big enough until you're dead and buried.
But if you're thinking of the future and your children and your children's children and your children's children's children (and so on), then good old beech, ash and oak are what I'd go for. But you won't reap the benefits from them in your lifetime.

 

[Dangerous Dan]

Ash and Beech are certainly worth it in the long run but for the short-term something like silver birch and small clusters of coniferous will get you started that bit sooner

 

[sxmolloy]

Silver Birch to drink the sap in spring, and paper birch so you can use the bark for fire lighting

 

[Silverhill]

I've been thinking about this for sometime, and will be very interested to see what ideas surface here. There are the obvious benefits of buying woodland that is already established, but I'm sure you'd gain a great sense of pride in returning a patch of land back to woodland for future generations to enjoy.

 

[locum76]

Get yourself a copy of 'The Woodland Way' by Ben Law. He covers the lot.

 

[Ph34r]

Echo silver birch. A man after my own heart.

 

[smallholder]

Get yourself a copy of 'The Woodland Way' by Ben Law. He covers the lot.

Best price i can find for this book £43.00 on Amazon. Seems a bit pricey, anyone got one they don't want for proper money, or to borrow for a week or 2 so i can at least read some of it before i buy.

 

[rik_uk3]

How much is the land to buy? Perhaps you could use the money to fund many trips to more remote parts of Britain. Planting a wood is a lovely thought but it will take a long time for you to really enjoy it, years in fact.

 

[bearbait]

Hi there smallholder,

Have a look at the Woodland Trust web site. I know they have been providing grants of up to 100% for new plantings and the Ts & Cs of the agreement aren't too onerous. You could also see if England has a similar oganisation to Better Woodlands For Wales who also provide grants. You could also talk to your local wildlife trust.

If I was planting a new a new woodland (I just did!) I'd go for local provenance broadleaf as this will eventually provide a habitat for the species (flora and fauna) that are local to your area. Get advice on the mix of trees: you want "proper" trees, oak and ash, as well as the shrub trees such as hawthorn, wild cherry and so on. Plan in rides and clearings - you'll want to camp and have a fire somewhere. This way you and your family have a woodland to enjoy and you're helping biodiversity. And its your legacy to our environment.

Good luck...

 

[smallholder]

How much is the land to buy? Perhaps you could use the money to fund many trips to more remote parts of Britain. Planting a wood is a lovely thought but it will take a long time for you to really enjoy it, years in fact.

I understand this will take years to get it right, but with my job in the tourist industry it is imposible for me to have time off at school holidays. So the idea of a wood close by means i can still get there to meet my family in the evenings and head back to work early morning.

We do holiday during in this country during October and go abroad at Easter usally long haul (my wife likes it hot) but with 3 children in school we can only holiday during the school holidays but not in the summer.

 

[smallholder]

Hi there smallholder,

Have a look at the Woodland Trust web site. I know they have been providing grants of up to 100% for new plantings and the Ts & Cs of the agreement aren't too onerous. You could also see if England has a similar oganisation to Better Woodlands For Wales who also provide grants. You could also talk to your local wildlife trust.

If I was planting a new a new woodland (I just did!) I'd go for local provenance broadleaf as this will eventually provide a habitat for the species (flora and fauna) that are local to your area. Get advice on the mix of trees: you want "proper" trees, oak and ash, as well as the shrub trees such as hawthorn, wild cherry and so on. Plan in rides and clearings - you'll want to camp and have a fire somewhere. This way you and your family have a woodland to enjoy and you're helping biodiversity. And its your legacy to our environment.

Good luck...

Thank you for this info.

I have an idea of where i want what, picnic area, fire pit ect. I am sure it will take a good deal of planning

 

[British Red]

Good on yah smallholder. Don't listen to the nay sayers. Theres plenty around who want to use the land managed by others, but invest no effort in return. Any woodland left in this country is because someone, somewhere worked hard on it. The fact that you are prepared to work at adding something to the land, improving, maintaining it with your sweat, effort and money makes you an honourable man and a custodian rather than just a taker.

I'm impressed

If you want some ash, wilow etc. when time comes, I'll grow you some for nowt

Red

 

[locum76]

Good on yah smallholder. Don't listen to the nay sayers. Theres plenty around who want to use the land managed by others, but invest no effort in return. Any woodland left in this country is because someone, somewhere worked hard on it. The fact that you are prepared to work at adding something to the land, improving, maintaining it with your sweat, effort and money makes you an honourable man and a custodian rather than just a taker.

I'm impressed

If you want some ash, wilow etc. when time comes, I'll grow you some for nowt

Red

I agree with you this time Red.

 

[locum76]

How much is the land to buy? Perhaps you could use the money to fund many trips to more remote parts of Britain. Planting a wood is a lovely thought but it will take a long time for you to really enjoy it, years in fact.

In my experience you start to enjoy trees as soon as you plant them.

 

[R.Lewis]

I'll get flamed for this....


Not native, but grows well fast. Eucalyptus. Got one in garden less then three years old from seed, over sixteen feet tall! And that was in a very small pot for ages, root escaped out of bottom. Planted out early would have been over twenty foot for sure. As for uses, well Eucalyptus gunii makes a good cider from the sap.

 

[Laurentius]

Your problem is going to be time.
You see, the trees that grow quickly are more like big bushes. And the trees that look good and give the appearance of being in a wood won't be big enough until you're dead and buried.
But if you're thinking of the future and your children and your children's children and your children's children's children (and so on), then good old beech, ash and oak are what I'd go for. But you won't reap the benefits from them in your lifetime.

Don't be so sure of that.

I planted a tree in my back garden once, which was a mere sapling in a bucket when I put it in, now it is taller than the house where I have not lived for more than 12 years now, but I still see it whenever I pass by and think of how it has grown. It's a Rowan as I recall.

 

[Bush_Man]

Don't let the time be the excuse to go out and try to make your dream come true. The best thing you could do is make a food forest the permaculture way...But that involves some planning and many trys until you get it right as far as I know.

But if you want a simple thing just start by placing some pine, willow, sweet chestnut, and if you clymate allows, Eucalyptus (I don't say birch because in Portugal it's rarely seen under 600m so I really don't know it's growing habits). At the same time place in the midle of that fast growing trees others that grow more slowly like Oak and other long living trees that can handle your climate.

In 10 to 20 years you will have a good forest provided by the fast growing trees while the other trees grow slowly and almost unnoticed. That way you'll have a good forest for you and in the future for the sons, grandchildren and so on because when the long living trees grow up and reach the size that can mess with the others the fast growing trees are starting to die (and if they don't, you can cut them and they'll provide firewood ).

 

[R.Lewis]

My grandad planted English Oaks in the mid eightys. Now are very impressive trees, so as stated above variety is your key. Fast growers mixed with the odd oak and beech which grow almost unnotticed is the key. Was gonna do exactly the same on a plot of land my mum inherited of grandad but she always on about selling it. Plus me and mum don't get on that great! At the moment this plot as nothing but Hawthorn, Blackthorn and Elder on. Started to get a forest feel with management. They were all bushes in the eightys, Hawthorn is very underrated in my opinion, excellent firewood.