Small Woodland Owners' Group (SWOG)

News & Events

  • Horse-logging demonstration 13 May

    Join us for the visit to Karen Moon’s 9-acre wood at High Stoop in County Durham. SWOG members can enjoy a day in the woods, watching a demonstration of horse-logging and learning about the advantages of this traditional, low-impact aspect of woodland management.

  • Newsletter May 2017

    May Day is here and with it the latest SWOG newsletter! Nominate your favourite woodland individual or enterprise for a Woodland Award Read about the PAWS restoration workshop in Rogley Wood Learn about one man’s lifetime love of crafting rustic ash chairs. Sign up for a SWOG meeting!        

  • PAWS Restoration Workshop – Joint Meeting with The Woodland Trust

    Early April was an excellent time to hold a joint SWOG and  Woodland Trust, PAWS (plantation on ancient woodland sites) restoration workshop. 

  • Woodfairs 2017

  • Newsletter April 2017

    The April newsletter is bursting with life: No fewer than five SWOG meetings to attend Get involved  – sign the Tree Charter and have a tree planted on your behalf Read about EFRA’s recommendations to the government on the future of forestry – they did not mince their words!

  • Into the woods with Countryfile

    It was great to see a whole episode of BBC Countryfile devoted to woodlands and timber.

  • Malvern Coppicing – a review

    Thanks to Annie Vincent for this review of a course at Malvern Coppicing. This course is a must for all those starting out in their woods and for those that want to learn how to manage and maintain it while ensuring that the wildlife is encouraged, too.

  • Newsletter March 2017

    ‘Indoors or outdoors, no-one relaxes in March’, according to Ogden Nash. He’s right: the number of activities and reports in this month’s SWOG newsletter will provide something for everyone. A series of SWOG meetings around the country coming up during the spring and summer. Christopher Duncan tells us how to turn brash into cash Rodney Waterfield…

  • Low Impact Extraction Ideas – Milling in the Wood

    If I look back at the woods I’ve worked and managed over the last few years a common theme emerges. They all seemed to have valuable timber in them, timber that desperately needs felling. Sometimes it’s on an overstood chestnut or ash stool in danger of falling over because of it’s enormous weight.

  • Newsletter February 2017

    With Christmas a distant memory, and even Pancake Day a blip on the horizon, celebrate the start of February with the SWOG newsletter. Gary Alexander provides sensible advice about woodland insurance Andy and Jane Morton describe their work in Sallerton Wood The winners are revealed in SWOG’s Big Picture competition  

  • And the winners are . . .

    Thank you to everyone who entered the SWOG Big Picture competition. All the entries were wonderful and it is great to see everyone enjoying their woodlands. Our judge, Graham Wood, faced a difficult choice, but finally selected three clear winners.

  • Red Squirrel Training Day

    Holly Peek a  Red Squirrel Ranger for Anglesey and Gwynedd has contacted us with some information that  North West Wales members may find interesting.