Woodlands.co.uk has always been keen to encourage training for new owners of woodlands.  For those who have never owned woodland before, some good training can help them get to grips with their purchase more quickly, and for those who are old hands, it can broaden interest and enjoyment.  We have regular blogs with a selection of courses on woodland management and other related subjects to encourage you, but now we have introduced a scheme to “put our money where our mouth is” and pay owners to go on courses. From June 2009 anyone buying a woodland from us will be entitled to a payment of up to £300 towards the cost of  a woodland management course.  This will be available for any course which relates in some way to managing or enjoying a woodland.  Buyers can choose their own course - which could, for example, be on butterfly identification, chainsaw training or coppice management.   For most one-day courses this will pay the full cost and for longer courses we hope that it will cover a large part of the cost. We hope owners who go on these training courses will help each other by commenting on how useful the course was and whether they would recommend it to others. You can see some courses that are available this summer at https://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/conservation/woodland-courses-2009-pt-2/ or you might like to suggest a course you feel would be most useful to new woodland owners. nb. Update : a list of training / course providers can be found here :- https://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/events-places/training-and-course-providers/ 

A request to all woodland owners for assistance with the Claro Tree Sparrow Project from David Watkins, project manager: Read more...

In Part 2 David Rosney assesses the woodland, which trees to fell and why. He explains how he will cut the tree to make it fall where he wants it. Read more...

In June, Heather reflected on how they decided to deal  with an acre or two of unwanted and non-native conifers – without devastation. How should they choose which ones should go? And what could they usefully do with the resulting timber? Here she reveals how they solved the first of these problems... Read more...

A new series of WoodlandsTV.co.uk video guides on felling trees.  Explore equipment and safety with expert David Rosney. Read more...

Woodland owner and occasional deer stalker, James, gives us his personal views and advice on deer management gained from his own experience. Like many woodland owners we have deer in our woodland.  The deer population in the UK is increasing rapidly and woodland owners need to consider a number of issues when dealing with deer stalkers or those offering deer management services. Building a relationship with a good, reliable deer stalker can be very beneficial.  Besides controlling the deer population, he can keep an eye on things when you are not around, and may well be able to help out with odd jobs and other pest control.  However, there are a lot more stalkers – most of them amateur or recreational - than stalking opportunities, and it pays to take a little bit of care over whom you choose.  Read more...