“We believe that conservation is not just a label but also a lifestyle that we choose to adopt”
The hardwood forests of Britain and much of Europe have been managed and altered by mankind for centuries. Privately managed woodlands support a variety of wildlife and are therefore fantastic nature reserves.
Harvesting mature trees opens up space to enable younger species to grow and thrive. This not only rejuvenates the woodland but by replanting it ‘puts something back’. This cyclical process is vital for maintaining beautiful and healthy woodlands. Within our business we make decisions to help support the estates’ foresters to work and protect these sites.
Trees are felled during winter when the sap in the tree is down. Extracting heavy logs with large machinery over wet winter ground damages the fragile soil structure of the forest floor. To overcome this we purchase our round logs a year in advance, and ask for the logs to be extracted from the forest when the ground is either frozen or at the end of the breeding season.
We wholly support the responsible management of our woodlands and ensure we source timber from sustainable forests. Ben Sutton is committed to conservation and he approaches his trade with care. He personally selects and buys all our timber from managed woodland. Granted by the Forestry Authority, a felling license is proof of where trees are felled, who owned them and that they have been felled legally in an environmentally friendly manner. This enables us to provide provenance for all our timber.
Nothing is wasted – At our yard at Sotterley Estate waste from our machinery shop is either converted into firewood or is wood chipped to supply biomass boilers.
