Making a living from Woodland..

[earlybay]

Not sure this is necessarily the right place to ask but thought I would try anyway ...

I (like many others Im sure) have a long-term dream to switch careers from my current office-and-computer based job, to one being outdoors and based around our native woodlands and their products.

I am certainly not naive enough to think this is an easy (or even possible) undertaking, but just wondered if anyone here had any experience in doing this, and their thoughts on direction, etc. ??

Would also add that unfortunately I dont own my own woodland.

thanks ...

Mike

[carlight]

hi ,

not very constructive , but , tomorrow when i'm getting very wet being outdoors working with woodlands and their products , ishall be wishing for a nice warm coffee and biscuit office job .

smiley face

[Hobby]

Hiya mike,

With a woodland that contains the right tree species, the possibility of ditching your office job and making a living from its various products, is, without doubt, a viable option, ...... as long as you don't want the high life that is !!!

Coffee, biscuits and a warm fire can be regularly be found within my 17 acres........though I do have to supply them myself !!!.

[earlybay]

good to hear, thanks for the response ...I''d rather have tea and biscuits in the rain in the woods than stuck in an office !

Seriously though, Im not looking for a luxury lifestyle, but does need to be enough to support a family of 5 !!

[tracy]

Hi Earlybay

It is a lovely idea isn't it? I think we have even thought about it, so far though we are of the opinion that it is not so easy.

Some thoughts

cold, wet, hard work!

We cut, dried, delivered and stacked firewood a few times and found we were almost making no money on it. Those who do sell firewood need to have machinery to make all the cutting and splitting and loading a LOT faster in order to make any kind of profit. That is not to say you can't do it, but it is hard work. There are grants available to get set up though....

Most people who do this kind of thing for a living are enormously talented crafts folk, who also run courses. I hear that it is in the courses that they make their living.

I guess only you know how much money you need to earn per month, and if you spend say £50 000 on a small woodland, how long would it take to earn that back? Would you family all be involved in helping, that would make a difference too!

With the price of woodland going up, as well as the demand and price for firewood it is certainly a good investment. I don't mean to put you off, far from it, I think if you were determined and hard working you could make it work, it just won't be plain sailing. I am sure that there would be a SWOG member near you who would happily have you come and work with them for a few days in the winter, cutting wood and stacking it so that you could get more of a feel for it and more experience. Where in the country are you?

Not sure these thoughts help at all. Have you read Ben Law, The woodland way? Very inspiring!

Tracy

[earlybay]

Yes thanks Tracy -Woodland Way is a must read - have also been reading 'Livings Woods' magazine too..

I certainly dont mind the idea of hard outdoor work (after years stuck in a soul-destroying office I relish the idea), but as you say , its the payback that is the issue - judging by what I pay for a pickup load of firewood in this area, Paddock Wood, (£50), I cant see how anyone could make a return on that ...

It seems that going down the route of 'adding value' to the wood is the way to go, as Ben talks about in his book, and then the marketing too. I have considered upskilling in things like chainsaw work (getting certified, etc.) and then trying to find some work doing this ..

Luckily I do know a friend who has purchased a part of Combewell woods near Flimwell, and when time permits I am hoping to spend some time there working ...

Something else I am considering is approaching some local owners of woods local to me with a view to renting/leasing some woodland - being in the heart of the Kentish Weald means there are acres of old and now unmanaged chestnut coppice woods, previously used to provide hop poles locally I would think.

[tracy]

That is a grand idea - having your chainsaw ticket will open a lot of doors for you. I know loads of owners who want someone to work in their woods !

Def contact David Rossney of Esus forestry (google) Best trainer around and based in Cranbrook.

Some good courses at the moment at the woodland enterprise centre in Flimwell, worth going to. Come along and chat more to us at the Bentley woodfair!

[earlybay]

Thanks Tracy - will def check out David Rossney for training options ..

yes already noticed that there are some good courses at Flimwell which is just down the road from me.

I think I just want to make sure I keep focused on the outcome and not just do loads of different courses because they look enjoyable ! (spent a day last year working on a pole lathe which I loved !)

[treebloke]

I am sure I have mentioned this site before, you need to buy the book in order to see all the threads on the forum but it is well worth it if you are serious about buying and living on your land. It is possible.

http://www.fieldtofarm.com/

[Toby Allen]

There are hundreds of people (maybe thousands) making a living from working woods, there is no need to own a wood or live in one. I buy standing timber from a the forestry commission, management companies and private owners, as well as contract work. Then fell, extract then work it up in the woods.

I'd definitely recommend getting trained by Dave Rossney and spend some time seeing what other people are up to. I've a friend in Pembury it may be worth visiting.

The different aspects of working in forestry are endless, you may find you already have a skill from the current job you can transfer over, marketing or budgeting for example.

It may also be worth having a think about what you want to be doing, a lot of the work is repetitive and monotonous after a while. We love cleaving but after a few weeks making stakes and rails its a lot like being in a factory, especially with the sawbench going. Keeping the quality high while being fast enough to earn a wage has it's pressures too, with holdups and breakdowns wittling away the cash as well.

That said I wish you good luck, if you want to go visit my mate get in touch, and keep us informed of your progress.