Hello all,
I've been lurking for a while, but thought it was time to say hello.
My wife and I bought a small wood (12 acres) in Cambridgeshire last year, and are just starting to engage with what this is going to mean if we take it seriously. The wood's an oak - ash - field maple mix which has become pretty dense and dark and will need some serious thinning out over the next few years - I'd like to see if we can encourage the hazel and ground vegetation to regenerate. Lots else to do - our hedges are all overgrown, and we're wondering whether we dare pollard some of the bordering oaks too.
It's a nice prospect though as the clearing work we've done so far is really satisfying to see the difference an afternoons work can do in getting some sunlight to ground level - getting the rides and internal tracks clear will be this winter's goal. I'm hoping to do a chainsaw course this year and graduate to clearing some of the bigger stuff....
Be good to hear if there's any Swog members close by.
k