A Wild Idea?!

[Matt Weir]

Chaps & Chapettes,

For a while now I have been on the look-out for a piece of woodland in the Lancashire/North Wales area that is for sale. I have a dream of packing up the family at the weekend and disappearing into our own bit of wild britain for camping, conservation, bushcraft, land management etc. I have been looking at land prices ITRO £2000-£5000. There are some plots that are available for that but they seem to be made up of 'strips' of pasture land.

I have happened upon some really nice 'proper' woodland whilst searching but the prices are a bit higher (£15,000 - £40,000 >) but obviously you are talking a lot more acreage. For an example take a look at www.woodlands.co.uk (for the record I am in no way affiliated with them type legal blurb :) there are many more land agents out there as well).

The point of this post is would anyone be interested in some kind of joint-ownership thing? I know it sounds a bit 'leftfield' (sorry no pun intended) and I am quite nervous just posting this as I have never contemplated anything like this before esp to people in an internet forum that I been a member of for 2 minutes but i thought if there is ever a group of likeminded people to do something like this then BCUK is the place.

I am thinking in basic terms of like if 30 members get involved = 10 acres of dedicated bushcraft woodland for £500-£1000 each or 60 member @ £250-£500 etc. Whatever or however many. It all depends on interest in the project.

I would obviously would expect to have a soliciter oversee everything and draw up any contracts etc with the members splitting costs.

I am well aware that you dont actually know me as a person (yet - hopefully bringing the tribe down to the Bushmoot) and even to me it seems like a crazy far-flung idea but potentially could be fantastic.

Any thoughts, feedback (or on-yer-bike) I eagerly await.

Regards,

Matt.

[andyn]

Hi Matt,

Personally I don't think it is an idea that would work, too many people with different ideas of what land management and bushcraft is, the land will become over used - (30 bushcrafters reusing the same woods cutting firewood etc will serious impact the area, all I think would happen is that loads of arguments would occur. But that is just my opinion and what would stop me from entering such a group purchase, other people may have different views.

The whole group wood purchase was something that was discussed a while back and there are a couple of threads on woodland purchasing.

See here: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=9278
and here: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=9311

There are quite a few other threads that come up when the search term "purchase woodland" is used but i wont list them all, as there is enough to read through there.

Have a read through them and you'll see some of the concerns that other people have highlighted on the idea and you'll get a better picture on whether it is something you seriously want to go ahead with.

Good luck with your choice.

Andy.

[Matt Weir]

Thanks Andy,

I see your point re: overuseage of land etc and I will read through the posts you mentioned.

Matt.

[Marts]

Did BES ever buy some land?

[andyn]

They rent at least one place, and run raffles and stuff to keep it the funds coming in. Don't think they purchased it in the end.

[pierre girard]

Thanks Andy,

I see your point re: overuseage of land etc and I will read through the posts you mentioned.

Matt.

If you do this - someone has to be in charge. Someone has to have final say on all decisions.

Even among my brothers and I (we own several pieces of land in common), there have been enough disagreements that we've had to decide who is boss on each piece of land. The decision we've reached is - whoever originally located the land - gets final say.

On one piece of land, one of my brothers wanted to clear cut all the trees. Another wanted to haul in a trailer house for a hunting shack (cabin - o.k., trailer house - no). As I located this land and did all the legal run around to make the purchase - I have final say, and I nixed both of these ideas. Then, the problem is - doing it in such a way that no one gets bent out of shape. As the eldest, I also have final say on the land we've inherited, but I have to tread even lighter there.

If we have this much problem, being brothers, and pretty much like minded as to our goals for the land - I have to wonder how it would work out for strangers.

[sxmolloy]

in theory it is a very good idea and thumbs up for that matt, but as pointed out already the hassle involved would be massive.

when i win the lottery :D :) i might donate some land for bushcraft use!!

[philaw]

I think that most of the problems would disappearif you make the group smaller. 30 people would make the project very cheap, but awkward, and you'd have the problems just mentioned that if everyone cut a piece of wood there'd be no forest left. People would be taking apart old shelters to make new ones.

If you had £5000 and can't see anything for less than £15000 than get a group of 3-5 people and go from there. The chances are that you wouldn't go there often enough to justify it just for yourself if you had to drive a long way there, and you'd still have peace and privacy. Lancashire/ North wales is a big area. It sounds like you're serious about conservation, but is driving a hundred miles to take care of a forest is a net gain for the environment? Try to find something close to home if you can.

[anthonyyy]

What’s the situation regarding leasing land?

I have vague plans for leasing land for 30 years or so (after which I will be dead and forgotten).

[Matt Weir]

I think that most of the problems would disappearif you make the group smaller. 30 people would make the project very cheap, but awkward, and you'd have the problems just mentioned that if everyone cut a piece of wood there'd be no forest left. People would be taking apart old shelters to make new ones.

If you had £5000 and can't see anything for less than £15000 than get a group of 3-5 people and go from there. The chances are that you wouldn't go there often enough to justify it just for yourself if you had to drive a long way there, and you'd still have peace and privacy. Lancashire/ North wales is a big area. It sounds like you're serious about conservation, but is driving a hundred miles to take care of a forest is a net gain for the environment? Try to find something close to home if you can.

:) Definitely the closer the better and absolutely 100 miles is really too far
so for North Wales it would have to be north Wales. I am pretty much south central Lancs near Bolton.

I totally agree that a smaller group would be far easier to organise - the smaller the easier really.

Matt.

[Forest]

If you had £5000 and can't see anything for less than £15000 than get a group of 3-5 people and go from there. The chances are that you wouldn't go there often enough to justify it just for yourself if you had to drive a long way there, and you'd still have peace and privacy.

This is the same idea me and a freind had. He who also happens to be a web designer, so after we talked about it for a few months he knocked up a site in a couple of evenings to cater for exactly that: finding other people willing to invest a few quid without spending a wedge and having all the management responsibility: www.woodlandsgroup.org.uk

Hope this helps

[dommyracer]

If you do this - someone has to be in charge. Someone has to have final say on all decisions..

Hmm, not necessarily. You could form a management committee and issue shares to owners based on their contribution (1 share = 1 vote). Shareholders can then propose motions / ideas and vote on these, just like any other company owned by shareholders.

You could also choose to appoint posts, for example if someone has professional experience in a particular area, for example woodland management, you may wish to appoint them the woodland manager.

You could also apportion the availability of the wood on a timeshare principle, where each shareholder gets certain blocks of time, some being more expensive than others. They could then 'bank' or swap unwanted slots with other shareholders.

I think it could work with a smaller group of people, obviously depends on the size of the plot.