Like many people, I first came across Ben Law on Grand Designs, where after a long battle with the local authority, he had been granted permission to build a sustainable house in Prickly Nut Wood. Whilst planning laws for those in the rural economy are a little more relaxed than for other people, they had never come across someone working a wood for their livelihood.

Law has been resident here for many years now, and has managed the wood as a coppice. The art of coppicing, thankfully has not been lost, but it was close. The idea is to cut back native trees to just above the ground and use the wood for a variety of different products and consumables, for example, poles, hurdles, walking sticks and charcoal. The tree will then send up straight shoots that are harvested again after five to seven years. By managing a woodland this way you bring light and air in, extend the range of habitats that wild creatures can use and you can do this sustainably for a very long time.

Law is not frightened to show other how to do this, in the past a lot of wood folk would keep this to themselves and not pass on their knowledge. He runs apprenticeship schemes to ensure that the knowledge is not lost, and that others have an opportunity to secure an income from a wood.

As he lives in the wood he gets to feel the natural pulse, from taking time to see the creatures around him, to being woken by first light and having a few peaceful moments in the morning before starting work. One thing that comes across in this book is a man who is completely happy with his lot. The only part that spoilt it a little was the chapter that speculated what a predominantly local economy could be like in 2037 after the oil had run out. It was almost written as a fiction piece and did;t really fit with the rest of the book.

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