What to look for when buying a wood

[tracy]

What do we look for when buying a wood - a question I get asked often, so I thought it would be a good topic on the forum.

Here are my thoughts:

1. Live near

2. Decent access

3. Neighbours

4. Tresspassers/fly tipping

5. Wood type

6. Is it manageable by me the owner? Or do I have the money to pay someone else?

7.....more thoughts?

[mikepepler]

Here\'s a few other things:

- take a Tree ID book when you visit a wood, and try to spend a couple of hours there. We are *still* finding trees we didn\'t know we had, a year on from buying! It\'s even worth trying to do a rough survey, e.g. estimate the number of oaks, as these are good for wildlife, and are also high value if you need to thin them a little.

- Take a digital camera and take loads of photos - once you\'ve looked at a few woods it can get hard to remember what you saw where!

- See if you can find out anything about how the wood\'s been managed in the past and why it\'s for sale. You may be able to discern some of this just from looking, or you might want to try and talk to local forestry workers (perhaps once you\'re seriously interested).

[Binz]

other things to maybe consider (depending on intended uses):

Current biodiversity and scope for improvement

Is it sloping or level

If sloping, which way (north, south, etc) as this will affect flora and atmosphere

Is it a SSSI

Any invasive species

Traffic noise

Short walk to somewhere that sells ice cream

OK, the last 2 weren\'t considerations on our list when looking, we just ended up with them

[Chris]

When we were looking at our wood we found one nearby, but also looked at vandalism/fly tipping, range of trees and plants, structure of wood ( as we were interested in coppicing). We have had the wood 5 years now, and are still finding new trees. Because they came up all together when the coppicing was stopped about 40 years ago, most of the tops are up a long way. One fell over in a newly cut coppice coup last winter and we found it was aspen. We have also found some wych elm within the last year pretending to be hazel.

One thing to consider is public access. If there is a footpath through the wood decide if you can live with it and the inevetable tresspassing.

Chris

[tracy]

There are a few people joining swog who are looking for woods to buy, so I thought I would resurrect this topic.... anyone want to add anything... advice for those looking to buy?

[Keith Williams]

I've just joined and am looking for a wood in the Essex area, my priorites are

1. Location, has to be within about an hours drive to be useable.

2. Privacy (travellers, dog walkers)

3. Affordability both to buy and running, might even make a profit long term!

4. Access, I'd prefer not too accessible or point one is compromised - I'd buy a four wheel drive if necessary.

5. Legal aspects - I'd want to manage the wood as medieaval coppice/ standards / understory. Rabbits / squirrels as well as the trees and bushes as food resources. I don't want to be unduly restricted.

6. Ability to stay overnight / weekends 'survival' camping - don't want too many deer ticks or other unpleasantness.

[chrisMM]

Similar priorities to Keith.. but there are so few available in this area that I am prepared to be flexible.

There's Harmergreen Wood (but at £120k Clegg guide price - likely to go for quite a bit more) its out of my league by myself... anyone else out there looking in Herts ?

Chris

[tracy]

Hi guys

Yes, I think Chris make a good point, we need to be flexible in some criteria on woodland buying,

for example, you might want your woodland to be far off a main road, and private, but access can be more expensive and difficult, even a 4 wheel drive in the winter can have problems.

Dog walkers can be a pain, but also wonderful, as they can keep an eye on the place for you - and make good friends sometimes too. Helps with the woodland neighbours! Once you see the right wood, you will fall for it, and manage with all its individual foibles! There are pros and cons to every part of woodland ownership, and woodland types, but you can make almost any situation work....and it is worth it!

[DaveTaz]

Would like to know if anyone has got their "ideal woodland"? Or maybe once you have the best one you could find, it becomes (over time) your perfect place! Nice to start out with a wish list but prepare to compromise a little and be patient.

Having bought our patch of woodland in North Wales about 18 months ago I have noticed prices seem to be on the increase and some near to us have been sold "off-market" - ie. prospective buyers are talking to agents and securing woodlands without them being advertised.

Whenever we visit Misty Wood we feel so lucky to have what will soon be our perfect place.

Good luck to anyone searching for their "perfect place"

[Catweazle]

I've got nearly my perfect woodland. To be perfect it would be "detached" to stop the squirrels from migrating from neighbouring woods.

On the plus side - it's 3/4 mile from my house, 17.5 acres, stocked with good quality trees and 300yds from the lovely village of Cobham with its excellent and ancient pubs.

In a perfect world I'd be allowed to build a house on 1/2 acre of it, but that was never the plan and won't happen in the forseeable future.

TIP: If you see your perfect woodland, you can find out who owns it for £3.50 at the Land Registry website. Why not make them an offer ? Mine went to auction and I got it for £50k, www.cliveemson.co.uk have a few in the South East, be aware that prices have risen a lot since then.