Here are three good reasons to manage farm woods
There are three good reasons to manage farm woods, writes Stephen Habershon. I cannot think of many farms that do not have some areas of woodland.
This would usually be in the region of 10 per cent of the land holding. With land being at a premium it would make sense to manage these areas of trees to best possible effect and, as luck would have it, now is the perfect time to do so.
The government is set to launch the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive and it will be aimed at domestic dwellings. This could give a further boost to the already buoyant fuel wood market and give a good economic reason to go into any woods of marketable size to carry out a thinning operation.
So, if a bit of dosh is the first good thing to come from the woods, what are the other two reasons? Well, most farm woodlands are shot over and a sensitive thinning operation can enhance the sporting quality of a wood in terms of holding cover, feed rides, flushing cover and gun stands.
All shoots would like to increase the percentage return of birds shot to birds released and with more light to provide cover this becomes a real possibility.
Flushed birds can also be shown to their best advantage, having a clearer flight path through the canopy.
The third element is that if the woods are thinned properly and the poorer trees removed, the better trees have more room in which to grow and become bigger and therefore more valuable, thus increasing the capital value.
The only slight fly in the ointment is the dreaded Chalara fraxinea or Ash Dieback as it is more commonly known.
If this deadly disease strikes nationwide it would cause an oversupply in the market causing prices to tumble and stocks to build up.
On the paperwork front, a felling licence would be required from the Forestry Commission outlining the number and volume of trees to be removed.
This is a fairly straightforward procedure involving a felling licence application form and a map showing the area where the trees are to be worked. If your time is at a premium, or if you suffer from an aversion to form filling, an agent could sort this for you.
So there we have it, a win-win-win situation. Farmers can thin their woods for immediate tax free income, greater sporting potential and improved timber production and capital value.
Crack on while the going is good, Chalara and weather permitting!
Stephen Habershon, Forestry Consultant with Balfours Property Professionals
