Badgers, Beeches and Blisters

This book goes into the practicalities of managing your woodland, written by Professor Julian Evans and sponsored by Woodlands.co.uk. Apart from now being Forestry Commissioner responsible for hundreds of thousands of acres of British woodland, Julian has also been Forestry Commission’s Chief Research Officer, but he also has his own small woodland in Hampshire. This combination of technical knowledge with hands-on grittiness makes the book a great practical guide for the new woodland owner.

Written collaboratively with the Woodlands.co.uk team, it addresses the concerns and aspirations of the hundreds of people who have bought woods of their own. The book is available for free download from the bottom of this page, and as a woodland owner you will be sent a hard copy of the reprinted version, "How to Manage a Wood of your Own".

As well as being a handbook for the new owner, Badgers, Beeches and Blisters includes sections on sources of advice, tax information, a glossary, and a tree-species guide. One of our favourite features of the book is the line drawings illustrating many private woodland activities from camping to padlocking. These drawings are by John White and Julian's son, Stephen Evans.

Julian continues to help and support our purchasers in a number of ways. You can meet him on our stand at the Weald Wood Fair in September, and may be lucky enough to come across one of the SWOG meetings in his own woodland.
He is a very busy person, having recently become vice-president on the Institute of Chartered Foresters. But occasionally he finds time to advise individual owners. Let us know if you would like to have a visit.