Couple branch out to help protect woodland

But you don’t have to live in the middle of a vast forest to earn a tidy income from lumberjacking.

Just ask, Karen and Adrian Waterhouse, who live in Otley, West Yorkshire.

They are carving out a niche as “low impact” lumberjacks who are helping Yorkshire’s woodlands to survive. The couple, who run TreeWorld, near Pool, in West Yorkshire, are branching out, if you’ll pardon the pun, from their long-running tree surgery business to help small woodland owners care for their land.

The Forestry Commission estimates that around half of Britain’s private woodlands are undermanaged, often because of a lack of expertise or cash.

According to Mr and Mrs Waterhouse, that could amount to nearly 36,000 hectares across Yorkshire. They believe a great opportunity is being wasted. Under-managed woods have been linked to a fall in the bird population, while low quality timber is needed to supply the expanding wood fuel market.

Active management could also boost jobs in the rural economy and provide owners with an increasing return on their investment.

The couple have bought special harvesters and other machines which cause minimal disturbance to sensitive areas, such as ancient woods or Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Traditionally horses have been used in this terrain, but machines surpass their output and can also do the work of five men.

Mrs Waterhouse said: “We have had a lot of interest so we are staging a special demonstration in the Chevin, Otley, on September 22. There will be people from national parks, country estates, farmers, and conservationists.

“Everyone agrees that we need to manage our woods better and we reckon there’s real potential for small firms like ours to grow by offering something different and benefiting the environ-ment.”

The White Rose Forest, an initiative that encourages tree-planting in Leeds, and Leeds City Council are supporting the development of the business.

Vince Carter, a spokesman from the Forestry Commission, said: “Felling trees might sound like a bad thing for wildlife and the environment, but done properly and sustainably it can provide a tremendous boost.”