Small Woodland Owners' Group (SWOG)

News & Events

  • Newsletter February 2014

    The February newsletter is available for download, with plenty of news and features to enliven the dankest of days. We have plans for a SWOG meeting in March, a report on the hopes of the RFS for more rigorous squirrel control and a feature about Marston Thrift, an ancient community woodland in Bedfordshire. We hope…

  • Coppice Tools – Bring and Buy Sale

    From a chainsaw to a billhook, bring along your old tools to sell, swap or barter and buy some-one else’s. If you have anything big to sell let us know and we’ll save you a space (or just bring a photo of it). Saturday 1st February 2014, 10.30 – 4pm Pepenbury, Cornford lane, Pembury, Tunbridge…

  • Meeting at Marston Vale – 2nd March 2014

    Marston Thrift is a community ASNW woodland on the borders of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. It has been worked by a dedicated group of volunteers since 1973 and it is thanks to them that the woodland has been brought back into management and now thrives. The Wardens of Marston Thrift, Clive and Angela Bucknall, have kindly…

  • Courses for 2014 from ‘Native Hands’

      ‘Native Hands’ will be offering a new and updated range of courses for the new year.  Wild pottery, bramble berry baskets, stitching bark containers and more.  They are based down in East Sussex near Lewes. More information and course dates are available the Native Hands website.  

  • Courses for woodland owners

    Many SWOG members have been on courses to improve their woodland knowledge or to learn new skills. We have compiled a list of courses attended by those members who received a grant from Woodlands.co.uk when they purchased their wood. It is searchable by course, subject or county, and includes hyperlinked contact details and short reviews.…

  • Newsletter January 2014

    A very happy new year to everyone! The January newsletter is available here – slightly shorter than usual, but including excellent contributions from several members. Elsewhere in the SWOG website, don’t miss Rich’s article about deer management.

  • Coping with Deer in Areas of High Population

    Deer numbers are at their all time high in many parts of the country.  Managing a coppice in one of these areas is hard work and can be extremely frustrating.  Groups like the Deer Initiative are being proactive in educating woodland owners and the public about the issues involved.  The main problem being that deer…

  • December Newsletter 2013

    The December newsletter is here! We have news of an award from the Royal Forestry Society and a request for woodland owners to respond to a Forestry Commission squirrel survey. Articles include: The Vigilant – restoring a Thames barge All I want for Christmas – SWOG members reveal their ideal Christmas gifts Making hay rakes…

  • Deer Management Course – Plumpton College

    Plumpton college are running a Deer Management course over four days between December and February next year.  It is being taught by Jamie Cordery of the ‘Deer Initiative’ . It covers a lot of ground including. Population dynamics Deer impact assessments Landowners/Deer stalker agreements Landscape scale management Risks and liability Deer economics For more information…

  • November 2013 Newsletter

    As the nights draw in, sit back and enjoy the latest SWOG newsletter. With several interesting reports about how owners use their woods and the sustainability of Britain’s woodlands, we also have features on Log cabins for the birds – make a bird box from just one log Our friends in the north – managing…

  • Making a Log into a Birdbox

    There’s nothing more satisfying than making something for the wood from the wood. Anything from a teaspoon to a log cabin can be fashioned from the materials you find growing or lying around.  It keeps our 21st century plastic clutter out of sight and means everything is low impact and will eventually return to where…

  • See the woods from the trees at Plumpton College

    The Wood Enterprise Centre is hosting a free day of information and advice around the subject of woodfuel on Tuesday 29th October at at Plumpton College at Woodland Enterprise Centre, Flimwell, East Sussex,TN5 7PR. There will be speakers from the woodfuel industry, and advice on how to apply for grants, as well as demonstrations of…