Getting started in your own wood by Julian Evans and Will Rolls is often recommended as the first book to read for the novice to silviculture. Below are the bits I found useful — the book also contains a lot of other useful information about establishing woodland which I have not included here.
Wood Management Practices
- Cleaning: Removal of unwanted growth in young trees past the establishment phase, but not yet 3-7m tall
- Pruning: Side branches pruned from lower trunk up to 4-6m, preferably in late spring due to sap
- Thinning: Removing about 1/3 of trees, leaving best examples, starts when trees are 10-12m tall, initially every 3-5 years, reducing to 8-10 years
Animals and Wildlife
- Deer Culling: For experts; make local enquiries
- Pheasants: If present in your wood, they belong to you
- Protected Species: 17 species of bats, dormouse, great crested newt, otter, sand lizard, smooth snake, natterjack toad, and some plants like marsh saxifrage
- Rabbit and Squirrel Control: Can be controlled at any time; deer best controlled in winter, specific rules apply
Timber and Firewood
- License Requirement: Needed for felling more than 5m^2 timber in 3 months or selling 2m^2
- Firewood Sources: Obtained from thinning, debris or coppicing
- Seasoning:
- Green: 50% water, 0.28 tonnes/kW stove output/year
- 1 year: 35-30% water, 0.19 tonnes/kW
- 2 years: 25-20% water, 0.165 tonnes/kW
- Burning Technique:
- Best done using seasoned wood, hot and fast in an enclosed stove
- use Defra approved appliance and have a CO_2 alarm
Measurement and Yields
- Tree Trunk Size: 1m^3 of wood is considered large
- Wood Weight by Diameter:
- 10 cm = 0.03 tons
- 20 cm = 0.25 tons
- 30 cm = 0.7 tons
- 40 cm = 1.2 tons
- 50 cm = 2.1 tons
- Conifer Yield: Around 8 m^3/ha/year for established woodland
- Timber-to-Log Conversion:
- 1m^3 solid timber = 1.5m^3 neatly stocked logs
- 1m^3 solid timber = 2.5m^3 loosely stocked logs
Professional Assistance
- Contact: Forestry Commission for a woodland officer, or use Confor for forestry contractors
- Professional Forester: Consult when unsure about management practices