INSIDER TRADING: WOODLAND

Woods Buying a wood brings many benefits, and it’s not necessarily the preserve of the super-rich. Pete Leeson of the Woodland Trust UK explains...

From INTELLIGENT LIFE magazine, Autumn 2008

Prices in woodlands have soared and they may carry on going...or they may not. However, it's still possible to find small areas in Britain for the price of a decent family car, say, £25,000. There is some fantastic heritage; you can often see the twists and turns in natural and cultural history. As a conservationist I'd say that buying a woodland can give you much pleasure and you should own woodland with the intention to change very little about it. Take good advice--contact the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors--and aim for pleasure, not financial return or development.

Some people want peace and tranquillity, far from roads and away from the madding crowd. Others want coppicing and wood fuel potential. Many have a desire to pass on something of value to their children, and you'll even find the odd naturist. For a weekend purchaser who wants a retreat, I'd recommend a small, broadleaved wood; partly due to evocative things like birdsong, wildflowers and sunlight dappling the leaves--but also because conifer stands are usually filled with evenly aged, densely packed trees, making them much darker, danker, less happy places.

Finding a wood isn't difficult. Because of replanting, commercial and conservation efforts, Britain still has an average of 12% woodland cover, though it might also be worth looking abroad. France has close to 30%, and Finland 75%. You should take into account all the costs: solicitors' fees, public-liability insurance, a survey by a woodland consultant, any necessary fencing and tracks, and making safe any dangerous trees. (Accidents from trees falling are thankfully very rare--eating peanuts is much more dangerous.) And consider the tax breaks: for non-commercial woodland you'll only pay stamp duty on plots over £150,000--and there's no council tax to worry about. ~ INTERVIEW BY JAKUB FIGURSKI