Buying a woodland for old style reasons

queen_of_string

It's not in the northwest and for sale cheap by any chance hedgewytch13? :-D

champys

I am reading all this with interest. Where we live (Ardennes, Northern France), quite a few people in our village and around have a patch of woodland, mostly for fuel. Also the council gives out sort of 'logging rights' each year, which is not really for cutting down trees, but more for clearing out patches of council-owned forest, so fallen branches, small trees that are in the way etc. as I understand it. Still it's free firewood, most people here burn wood and so do we. Buying a piece of woodland is not unaffordable here.
In practice though, we have not yet even taken up some of these logging concessions, let alone taken steps to buy some forest - maintaining woodland is quite a lot of work, and so is getting your own wood out, and unless I can retire very shortly, I don't see it getting done any time soon. OH is currently struggling with re-fencing our perimeter so we can get some sheep, needs to build accommodation for planned poultry, there is a greenhouse in a kit that still hasn't been put up and meanwhile we are spending loads of time growing veg and digging new veg plot area.
In winter, OH spends a lot of time cutting the firewood into bite-sized chunks to feed our stoves – it gets delivered in 1-metre lengths and our (american) woodburner takes half a yard max. All I am trying to say is, that it sounds super to have a piece of your own woodland, but don’t underestimate the time and energy to run it and to get the wood out – after which you still have the usual work to cut it to size. You will almost certainly have to use a chainsaw. Which takes either petrol or electricity, so still not quite eco-perfect!
Plus, if you are into (partial) self-sufficiency, you already have a lot of other work to do…….

ceridwen

Having a bit of woodland of one's own is definitely a dream many of us have (including me) - but there are many practical problems to that this is true. Champys has enlightened us to some of them. It is a quandary.

I know I still repeat to myself a phrase Charis came out with the other day (cant recall if it was on the Board or a P.M. to me) about "We cant all take off and get 5 acres of land" or words to that effect and that fact represents a problem...as it is very true. It is a very primeval urge - to have a reasonable size bit of land that is one's own...a haven/retreat/bit of self-sufficiency. I dont know the answer to this myself....with this tiny overcrowded country that we live in where even a teensy/scrappy bit of land costs a lot on the one hand and/or could be needed by people generally for recreational purposes on the other hand. It is one of the problems that has been created by overpopulation.

There arent easy answers to this quandary and the second I start trying to think round "how?" I tend to get very hot under the collar about overpopulation, so its by and large a subject I "close the blinds on" as I find it so difficult. I can say this as my personal dream would be to have a country estate and large woodland nearby just for me....but it takes me 5 seconds flat before I remind myself that thats thoroughly unrealistic for me to even hope for that in 21st century Britain....hence I do spend time thinking round just how a 21st century British person CAN achieve as much access as possible to "Nature" (ie some of the themes I throw into the "mix" on my blog).

This does concern me a lot....as I feel free access to "Nature" is essential to the human spirit - it has such a rejuvenating effect.

I think it is useful for us to have a debate as to just how to achieve this in the - overpopulated - circumstances we find ourselves in.

Penelope_Penguin

Fascinating thread :beer: We'd love to own some woodland, as it'll be the best place to rear some pigs :j

ceridwen wrote: »

I know I still repeat to myself a phrase Charis came out with the other day (cant recall if it was on the Board or a P.M. to me) about "We cant all take off and get 5 acres of land"

AFAIK, the area of the UK is about 60 million acres. With a population of about 60 million, this is an acre per person :T So my family of 4 can have 4 acres. Can this be in North Yorks, please

Penny. x

mary43

Much as I'd love my own woodland like the one at the bottom of my grans garden for me and where I live I know I cant.But trees I have several. Nothing really enormous but big enough for me to look out the kitchen window and see a mass of greenery, all different shades.
Unfortunate topic on the radio at lunchtime though..........suggestion was made that householders with trees should have them inspected every three years by a 'qualified' person to make sure they're safe and in between the householders should inspect them themselves ! This supposed idea may never come into being - I hope not as I dread the thought of what it would cost - and I'm sure most of the tree owners in the country have the common sense to look after what they've got..........least I hope so.

ceridwen

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Fascinating thread :beer: We'd love to own some woodland, as it'll be the best place to rear some pigs :j



AFAIK, the area of the UK is about 60 million acres. With a population of about 60 million, this is an acre per person :T So my family of 4 can have 4 acres. Can this be in North Yorks, please

Penny. x

With you on that one Penny:D - but there is just one teensy snag (go on - you knew I'd find one:cool: ). That 60 million is the "official" population total - okay, your starter for 5 - anyone care to hazard a guess what the "real" population of Britain is if one counts in all the "unofficial" element as well?

2cats1kid

Easy! Anyone unofficial is not entitled to their acre. Or is that not PC?

ceridwen

PC or not PC - that is the question..Whether 'tis nobler...etc.

Possibly not...but it sounds like the other "P" word...ie pragmatic. Okay...I'll join the queue for my 1 acre.:D Now if the guy who gave us the Square Foot Gardening concept reckons 1 person can provide pretty much their veggie needs in 4 square feet - think how much one could do with 1 acre (even allowing for taking out enough space for a house).?

mrs_pepperpot_3

i just found 6 acres of woodland near humber bridge with full acess rights and a river for 4k........... i think mr peperpots going to max out his card today lol

queen_of_string

Wow mrs p that sounds like a proper bargain, nothing like that round here and a river is just the icing on the cake. I'll just keep looking.