The advantage of charcoal is that it burns hotter than wood, is far lighter, and produces less smoke and steam - so it's useful for smelting iron or cooking barbecues. You can buy it ready-made, usually imported and often from unsustainable sources, or you can buy locally from people working their own woodlands. Another option is to make your own using a small charcoal maker which Paul Bradford demonstrated to me.  Paul and Lisa do regular charcoal making demonstrations in Kent with their Community Interest Company (CIC), Willow Bushcraft. They use a specially made cylindrical piece of kit to show school children how charcoal is made, and as they sit around the fire they can discuss the processes required as well as the fact that charcoal making goes back to the iron-age.  This charcoal-making device was bought online for about £40 and Paul reckons he can get 30-40 burns out of the charcoal maker before the metal gives way. The processes are straightforward: he loads it with hardwood pieces typically about 1-2 inches in size and closes the end. While I was watching he used oak but charcoal can also be made from hazel, ash, birch, beech or ash. He then puts it on a fire - crucially the wood inside is heated in the absence of oxygen. Initially the moisture comes out as steam and next the wood releases flammable gases which burn off in yellow or blue flames whilst inside the charcoal is being produced. Paul says that although the instructions say it will be done in 2 hours, he finds it takes more like 3-4 hours for a burn. In any event it shouldn't be opened until it has cooled down much later, perhaps the next morning. Paul told me about the many uses charcoal has - obviously it can be burn but it is also used for drawing, for making toothpaste and for some cosmetics. It is used in face-washes and exfoliating scrubs - the properties that really help are its ability to absorb toxins as well as its natural gritty texture. It is also used in some deodorants because of its ability to absorb moisture and neutralise odors. Historically charcoal was used to make gunpowder along with sulphur and potassium nitrate. It can also be a filter for purifying water and has medical applications such as treating poisoning and overdosing because it absorbs certain toxins. It is a special material and quite remarkable how it is naturally occuring and the method of processing is so simple. To make 1.3 kg of charcoal in Paul's machine you need to put in about 6.5 kg of wood, which illustrates how much water by weight is contained in wood, but it also indicates how effective it is to burn charcoal to get to high temperatures - you are not wasting energy evaporating the water and the texture of charcoal allows the oxygen to get in for a hotter burn.  

In 2022,  we made a decision to buy Coed Bwlch Coch from woodlands.co.uk,  just over four beautiful acres of woodland near our home in mid Wales. Although we knew nothing about woodland management or forestry my partner and I love the outdoors. Just how important this is became apparent when I had breast cancer some years ago - I even camped out near the hospital during my treatment regime. It took less than six weeks to gain ownership. Woodlands.co.uk had two superb representatives on the ground, Ash and Helen. They opened our eyes to the possibilities this gorgeous strip of woods held. They answered all of our novice questions and guided us with ease through the buying process. We have been so impressed with the sensitivity and care taken by woodlands.co.uk to prepare the whole forest for sale. We’ve only owned the woods for a few months but we have already enjoyed dozens of visits. Our first task to cut back loads of brambles in one area where a bit of old stonework was peeking out has revealed a treasure: the ruin of a stone longhouse that pre exists the 1840 Welsh Tithe Maps on land once owned by the Earl of Powis. We are taking baby steps to learn- we’ve invested in some training courses, some decent outdoor clothing, some second-hand tents and handbooks. This year we’ll do some coppicing, harvest firewood for home, build a store, make some charcoal, camp, bring all our friends and family ... but mostly we will feed our souls.  

Woodlands contribute substantially to the character of the countryside, clothing the sides of valleys and hillsides, forming copses and wider swathes of wood.  The amount of woodland varies from county to county, in some areas broadleaved woodland dominates whereas others have a preponderance of coniferous plantation.  The national average for woodland cover is about 8.3%, with Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire being some of the most ‘wooded’ counties.  The oak is perhaps one of our largest native, broad-leaved trees.  There are two native species of oak; the sessile oak (Quercus petraea) and the pedunculate oak (Quercus robur). Oaks are (generally) long-lived trees that grow quite slowly, compared to other broadleaved species. Both the pedunculate and sessile oak (and their hybrids) can grow to be very large trees.   Old trees can have a circumference of 10+ metres. Read more...