Swampy land

[Dave and Verity]

Have seriously got the bug and we have been to look at another plot. There haven't been any takers and it has been on the market for some time. I think the thing that would put a lot of people off is the extremely damp nature of the ground, it varies from a bit squelchy to small ponds. Young reed plants are currently coming up all over the place. I'm told by a nearby neighbour that the ground has got wetter since local strawberry growers have been stopped from drawing water nearby for irrigation. There are a few dykes running through it. If these dykes were given a thorough overhaul is it likely to dry out much? and how much is the integrity of the tree roots likely to be affected by the dampness of the ground? Very hard for me to tell what type of trees they are with no leaf, but my guess is mainly Sycamore. Is Sycamore any good for firewood?

We are looking at this purely as a wood harvesting / re planting project, not somewhere to camp / spend leisure time etc.

Dave

[Dexter's Shed]

a woodland opposite us was very boggy, we too suffer from it in places, the way they solved it was to dig shallow channels about 8" deep and place that plastic irrigation pipe (perforated) into it then cover back up, we too have drainage ditches that have got filled over time, I'm sure with some work by us it would be less boggy, without ill effect to the tree system.

Sycamore Produces a good flame, but with only moderate heat output. Should only be used well-seasoned.

[smojo]

If it's going to be your second wood it would be nice to have one that's completely different to the first presumably. Why not take it on and embrace it's wetness? Make a feature of the pond to attract different wildlife and flora. You could plant with alder and willow to draw some of the water out. Both very tolerant of wet conditions.

[Dave and Verity]

Thanks for the input, it's swampiness very nearly embraced me. Not sure I'm ready to return the gesture.


Dave

[Dave and Verity]

Have decided not to go ahead with this one. We walked the full boundary yesterday, it hasn't been touched for years so it was a bit of an expedition. When looking at it in the cold light of day we decided that getting wood out would be a nightmare, and probably more trouble than it's worth. There wouldn't really be a lot of enjoyment in ownership with it being so wet, and on reflection we decided that enjoyment is much more important than it's investment potential.

Dave