Got to respect this mans love for the outdoors… “my greatest achievement is creating a living bush” the man has a wife and kids 😂😂 never change bro 😎👏🏻

Hi Mike, I've been through the same journey as you. I'm older than you are (I'm in my 60s) but purchasing a wood was one of the best things I've ever done, and I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments you expressed at the very beginning about preserving a bit of nature, improving it and passing it on to future generations. Remember that unless you do something really extreme like clear felling, nothing is permanent and mistakes can all be rectified over time, so you've not got to be afraid to get stuck in! One thing you haven't really addressed yet (apart from one catch 'n cook video) is squirrel management. Yours is an ideal channel to get across to people the threat that greys pose to the health of British woodlands. One only has to look at comments on squirrel control videos that a lot of people (especially the city-living younger generations) haven't the least idea of the threat that they pose. They only see fluffy squirrel-nutkin, and your channel could go a very long way to help change attitudes. I have only one regret, and that is that I couldn't afford to purchase the wood earlier in my life. You're young enough to make the most of it and see some of the results longer term. I wish you every success.

Hearing you talk about how you won’t see the trees grown but that you’re doing it for future generations was so heartwarming. “Great men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” Excellent work. Beautiful sentiment. Thank you for being a steward of this land and for sharing it with us!

There is a saying that the best time to plant a tree is now and 20 years ago…. I live in a property tress we’re plated 30 years ago and we have a small woodland to look after. Some family and friends have done similar 20 and 10 years ago and they are habitats in there own right, so keep planting, anywhere and everywhere is a great thing to do. And nice to see more of it as I drive through the UK.

I've loved all your series of videos, but your woodland series is by far my favorite. Watching you and your dad steward the forest is close to my heart. Thanks Mike for all you bring us.

I've really enjoyed your woodland series, and this was a lovely summary of the year. I'd love to have a bit of woodland like this

Your passion to protect the woodlands is immaculate everyone should inspire to be like TA outdoors 🎉💯

Excellent video Mike. Glad you are remembering to stop and smell the proverbial roses, not just work. I bought my woodlands and meadow at the same time as you did, planted 200 trees and have then sat back, watching the land change through the seasons. This way I do not rush in and spoil the land. Thanks for the inspiration. 🌳

some of us don't get tired or bored with cutting wood or whatever else you are doing some of us are here to support you in your regular everyday endeavors

what a lovely thing to make from the fallen ash tree with your dad. everytime you use it you'll remember the ash tree, the making of the hut and the time spent with your dad, happy memories you have made and that's important. lovely film and glad to meet you and your channel

Every once and a while one of your always excellent videos jumps out and 'sticks'. This for me was one of those videos. Your honest and deep felt emotions towards this wonderful wood really comes across. I really enjoyed your attitude and humility as you grow with the woodland around you. Thanks!

Glad to see another tree squirrel doing work. I grew up in Michigan around family that did forestry and tree work so I took it for granted, and to be honest, we don't get a lot of attention other than the "hovering" home owners do while we work. There's a lot of valuable advice he'll be able to pass along to you, and of course the biggest reason being safety. We don't have to tell you, staying safe while you're alone or out in the woods is #1 before anything, those techniques will do you well sir! And I imagine it'll be a good bit of content. Enjoy your property brother, I know it has to be like medicine for the soul!

Your adventure has been wonderful to follow. It is so nice to see such love of nature. Thank you for letting us join you.

THANK YOU for filming and narrating a fine overview of your woodland project. I would encourage you to do more camping this year. I don't believe we need you to build new shelters: just enjoy what you have created and show us how the structures have held up.

I’m from Louisiana in the USA and I never seem to be happy about my properties until I bought a home in the country side and now I wouldn’t want to live any other way but in the country so he is a inspiration for many other people.

I love how level the land is. It reminds me of the woods I hunted in southern Alabama growing up.

I have three 'permissions' and have helped to repay them by clearing ditches/water courses, fencing, and sorting out potholes to the access roads - the mundane aspects of wood management Those 'permissions ' stemmed from the fact that I wanted to understand how woods worked so that one day I could buy my own wood. I no longer wish to buy my own wood. I am too old to do that stewardship justice. The ability to buy a wood came too late for me. You are young, and your ability to buy that wood did not happen by 'luck', but by being personable, intelligent and knowledgeable. Your wood is in good hands. Well done, sir.

My favourite was definately the hedgelaying. It really does its job, but it is also beneficial for wildlife and non-obtrusive compared to fences.

The world could use more people like you. 👏🤝🤜🤛

You're an inspiration, Mike. I've made it a goal of mine to purchase a woodland in the Rhodope mountains in Bulgaria and take care of it with knowledge I've gathered from your channel. Thank you so much.

I just came across this channel whilst looking for ways to improve woodland, so that I can work on my own project. So glad that I found it. Very engaging and interesting. Thank you.

This is the first time I've seen this woodland day I think your.a very lucky man to own a wood and the things you can do to help the wood live on and the wild life it will help is great your kids will love it and maybe one day they be at your side giving there dad a hand like your dad did thank you

It must be amazing to own your own woodland. It's a dream of mine and it's nice to see someone not only living that dream, but respecting the woodland in such a way as you. If I ever get around to owning a woodland, I'd love to add some small glades for butterflies and birds such as Pied Flycatchers, add a load of scrub to stregthen biodiversity in the scrub layer, maybe some hazel for coppice. It's amazing to see you doing this! Subscribed without hesitation.

You could maybe plan on doing this as a series. Annual year review of how the woodland is fairing. Mention some projects that you'd done over the course of that year, as well. It'd be awesome to see! Always love your content, it's a nice departure from busy suburban city life.

It´s soo great to see a young man and his family takin´care of such a beautiful place. Lot´s of work, I know :). Thank you so much.

This channel means so much to me, it is my escape from busy life.

Great to see you back, a welcome update! If you want to turn any excess wood into a musical instrument, then give me a bell👍

Just come across your channel and watched this video, thoroughly enjoyed it. You’re a true inspiration to the future generations. Definitely on my watch list. 👏👏👍👍

Been a follower of yours for years & love that you’ve got your own piece of woodland, I really look forward to future content! As a sheep farmer I will say that the sheep will be through that lovely fence of yours in no time🤣

Mike, you never cease to amaze me! Through watching your videos I get to experience all the things outdoors that I was never able to do. All though I did camp with my family I'm older now, the kids are all adults and have families of their own and they're in different states here in the U.S.A. Through these videos I get to vicariously live through you and do the things I never got to do. Well done! Take care, Rick

This reminds me of back home SO MUCH but without all the evergreen trees. It's very beautiful. I grew up in the bush. My father built a house back in the early 80's and it was out in the middle of nowhere. We had a little farm and I just remember being outdoors as much as I possibly could. I grew up on the Thousand Islands in Ontario, Canada. So the Boreal Forest starts down there then gets bigger as you go northwest. It is all cottage country around. I lived right on the water as well so it was amazing. I got to experience everything when I was learning how to walk, I was learning how to skate and swim not long after. I grew up doing things most people would probably not like doing if they grew up in a smaller city. My passion was fishing, swimming, playing sports, camping, bushcraft, cross-country skiing, 4wheeling, etc. When I was 13, I was working at a dive shop, and instead of getting paid, my sis and I worked there to get our diving license (back then it was around $500.00 per person) So we ended up working there after we got our licenses so we could rent out the equipment and finally be able to get our own diving set. It's a very expensive hobby, but once you own everything, all you need to buy is the air to fill your tanks. Or if you weren't from the area, you would hire us and we would take you out to shipwrecks and show you the best spots in that area, help you get your gear on, make sure you had a buddy to go with and we'd push you off the side of the boat and we would wait for you to surface nearby and come get ya. lol Anyway, going back to the forest, it's such a magical place. I can still hear the songbirds while walking with my late grandfather in the bush growing up. The sound of chickadees will always bring back happier times. Now I live in western Alberta right nea the Rocky Mountains, and I have been hiking quite a bit through there. Done some camping, too. It's just vastly different. Like, when you go out for an hour, you have to prep for four seasons. lol It's always changing, and it will snow in July at times. The nights are freezing cold, but we have the fold-up cot that is lightweight, so you just unfold and put your mattress pad on it and you're good to go. Also a bonus, barely any bugs. Especially at night. It's far too cold here for a large amount of insects. Back home they are everywhere. I have seen spiders the size of my hand while grabbing wood. There are plenty of medium-sized snakes, too. Most of them are rat snakes or they are harmless water snakes. I hate the gigantic dragonflies. Those things scare me and they bite. They actually are born under water then come out of the water, molt, and fly off. it's pretty awesome, but they still just bother me. Hhaha I'm rambling. ANyway, great video! It was my first time coming to check out what your content was about. I subbed immediately. I love bushcraft. It's a forever love of mine. I can't wait for the camping season starts in Kananaskis Country! It's beyond beautiful, and not far from here!

The most sincere video I’ve seen in quite a while. Thank you 🙂

you make me feel proud to be a man. best of luck for the future. can't wait to see future videos. best wishes from Scarborough,

How lovely! What a gentleman caretaking for nature, we need more people like this man

Lovely content as always. Just a small note, standing deadwood is incredibly important ecologically. From The Woodland Trust: "The rarest kind of deadwood is that of dead trees which still stand. [...] those allowed to remain in place offer incredibly valuable habitat for wildlife that can live nowhere else."

Thanks for this exceptional summary of accomplishments over the past year. Looking at all you and your Dad have achieved, I see nothing that should be regretted. How you repurposed that magnificent fallen tree was truly amazing. The memories you've created are priceless. I wish you and your Dad many more years of working in the woodland and teaching all of us what's involved in managing this wonderful gift of nature. Your passion and stewardship are admirable. I look forward to what lies ahead.

I also own a couple of acres of woodland and can completely relate to you wanting to just go there and immerse yourself within in it without having to film. There are times I've gone to mine and just sat and had a coffee - a calming place which give a release from everyday life. I've been subscribed to your channel for a few years, but not watched many videos - time to go and correct that (especially as it looks like you now own a lightweight 😎👍)😂

One of your most interesting and sympathic videos so far.👍 Congratulations for that fine piece of land. I can really understand that you love spending time there, as I feel the same when I can spend time in my own small woodland. Unfortunately, over here in Germany we´re not allowed to build anything like your small cabin even on own land, but never the less it´s always a joy. Have a good time and thanks a lot for your inspiring channel! Regards, Hubertus 🙂

Protection of nature for future generations. I couldn’t have said it better. Thank you for caring about the earth and the future generations and sharing and teaching through these videos.

Bushcraft gives a respect for our natural world and that shows here. Excellent attitude and philosophy.

I own a 5 acre piece of woodland & i,m going on my 7th year with it . Back when I bought it , it had a lot of cotton wood trees , sugar, maple & oaks . Me & a friend went through it & inspected as many of the trees that we could to make sure there were no dead standing that could fall on anyone , that’s the first thing we did the second thing we did is cut the dead standing wood up for fire wood & cleaned up all of the paths & made some camping areas . I ended up replacing the woodlands with some edible fruit trees like plum , pear , apple & peach trees along with pine , walnut , spruce , white cedar ,burch , & some dogwood trees . I had a overwhelming infestation of honeysuckle I had to remove that took a whole summer to do , all by hand by the way , I did know you could rent a piece of small machinery that could do the work for you . Now 7 years later everything is looking very good , my fruit trees are big & healthy & all my other trees have filled it the gaps we left tearing out all of the dead standing trees . We left some of the smaller dead standing for building material , noe everything looks very good & im happy with the results.

Great to see the progress 😊 congrats on everything you've achieved so far Mike! It's been great to watch you put such care and love into everything you do and the videos you make.

Mike, have enjoyed watching your ongoing woodland preservation ownership and stewardship. Most of this is not available to me in the States, but have been a member of Nature Conservancy since 1989. Their efforts parallel yours but on a larger scale. Yours is a far more human scale and more relatable. Thanks for your ongoing series. Be well and ongoing best wishes to you and yours.

"Grandad's trees" made me smile.

Greetings from a Yorkshireman in BC, Canada! Thank you for uploading this very interesting video. I lived in rural Yorkshire and spent lots of time with my dad managing a wetland nature reserve, Coppicing Hazel and Pollarding Crack Willows and White Willows. In my own cottage I planted a hedgerow and had the pleasure of seeing it grow to maturity and ecological value. In 2014 I bought 20 acres of woodland in BC that had not been managed. We lived in a caravan on the property (3,500 feet above sea level) through 3 winters dropped below -30C, we had no running water, or sanitation, also no electricity for the first year. Living and experiencing 4 seasons in this environment taught us a lot about nature and its struggles. The forest here contained a huge amount of deadfall and was extremely dense to work in. During this time we started to build a log house which has only recently been completed. Global warming is having a big impact on flora and fauna and we are doing our best to support the ecology of our 20 acres. As you may be aware, we have had terrible droughts and wildfires in BC which not only impacts humans but the wildlife too. migratory patterns are changing as animals and birds are disoriented as a result of the fires and smoke we have had. Please feel free to get in touch aas we both have our own stories. Keep up the good work, Chris

This woodland series has been educational and right up my strasse Mike. Love what your doing bud and thank you

I'm new to this channel (although have been a fan of the TA Fishing channel for many years) - your humility, self-awareness and ability to share your insecurities are unusual and compelling the modern world of social media. It took me about 10 minutes in before I paused and did a search for local woodlands for sale (not much in Wiltshire - but I'll be patient!). Thanks for doing this.

We bought 11.5 acres of raw woods here in the USA. We built a house and garden on about 2 acres of it and are leaving the rest as woodlands. It is amazing to be able to experience the woods on a daily basis. Like you, I am having to learn woodland management techniques. Being a steward of the land is an amazing spiritual journey.

Got to respect this mans love for the outdoors… “my greatest achievement is creating a living bush” the man has a wife and kids 😂😂 never change bro LG Connar

This is the content I crave 🔥🔥🔥

I feel so privileged to witness you and your Dad's exploits o er the years. I love how you respect life around your new property! That's the ultimate joy of bushcraft.

Seeing you get really enthused and attached to particular trees and then their contribution to the things that eat them once they fall is amazing. Thanks for all the stuff you put out into the universe 🙏

I also aspire to own a woodland and bring it into low-impact management. Thanks for the inspiration to keep dreaming!

“Being a steward of the land…” I could not love this more. Thank you for being exactly you! 😊

Great job with your woodland! Its a real pleasure to see you on your own piece of land. Enjoying nature. Thanks for all you do.

Thank you for the continued inspiration. Amazing to follow.

God bless you when you say Grandads trees. If countries were run by people with your thinking we'd be far better off. In the future you will look back and know that you lived your life the right way round. Plus you did it, not just talked about it. I applaud you. Everything else will come with time.

Great video bud really enjoy them keep'em coming. Wishing you and yours the best. Stay safe and be well brother. 👊😎🤙🍻🇺🇸

Treating nature with respect is what it's all about. Here we see that action in practice. If only the rest of the world shared your passion our climate cgcle would be extremely different. Jope I'm alive to see a vlog on your patch in 10 years time Bushyboy Oz

Humble, personal and passionate ... Thank you for sharing

You're awesome man! Randomly found you awhile ago and loved all the content since. Love how you've grown as a creator and outdoorsman, and that you still want to grow with filmmaking. Excited to see what comes!

An old man from New Mexico USA who has been watching for a couple of years & always enjoyed the content. in the mid 1960s I was stationed at Menwith hills station near Harrogate Yorkshire. keep up the great work.

Beautiful and amazing journey, thanks for the ride along!

Mike this was absolutely amazing! Your love for nature is so awesome. I really love that storage shed that you and your father made together, it looks outstanding!!

Your sense of "stewadship" is inspirational. It tells everyone that you have taken responsibility for real piece of nature, and that's a lesson we should all take to heart. Well done!

Only started watching about a month ago. Really enjoying all the episodes. Wish they were marked in order instead of or as well as the year. Blessings to you, your dad and Jack.

Been watching you since the pandemic. Really enjoy your content and look forward to seeing what else you do.

Thanks for the video and it is nice to see how you are enjoying the woodland and giving information about it.

Thank you. I have expressed the same sentiment about how I manage my land. I am starting with the full understanding that someone else will be able to enjoy the benefits. Well done my friend.

I have truly enjoyed watching your videos and watching all the progress that has come with your Woodlands. I look forward to all your future videos. Thanks for sharing.

I think I've been watching you for 3 to 4 years and I love your channel you teach me and show me cool things thank you keep up the fantastic work ❤

Great year in review. I've wanted to do the same kind of thing where I'm at in the PNW. Watching the urban sprawl grow up to the roots of the mountain range has effected me greatly. Long before seeing your channel I've wanted to claim a dozen or so acres of woodland here to steward in much the way you have. The inspiration for how & why to do this you've shared has been fantastic. Keep up the good work & if we see a bit less of the lessons but more of the observation & conservation work that would be even better.

I've loved the series so far, and am really looking forward to see what comes next. I also really love your enthusiasm for the woodland,!

Yes mate! Watched your channel for years now. The last year of content has been absolutely great to watch. Thanks for sharing your treasures with us for so long lol

Really enjoyed your woodland series and it has taught me how much it takes to look after a woodland and what can be done. Can’t wait to see how many animals we will see and your future projects.

Don’t regret anything. You are creating a harmonious atmosphere for yourself and a natural park. Bravo

Mike....I love your spirit and dedication to the woodland! I recently bought a woodland and am so excited to "be one" with it as well. It's amazing how my attitude changes to the positive being there. As a very wise man said "the earth does not belong to us, we belong to the earth". Chief Seattle. I will be interested to see your journey...thank you, your Dad, and Jacks!!!!

So lovely hearing your enthusiasm have followed you and your dad's channel from the beginning Luv from 🇬🇧

Ive been so busy with work I haven't had time to follow your journey properly. Really glad you did the video, keep up the great work inspiring us all 🎉👍

Sorry bout my essay below. Just wanted to add how lovely it was to see you and your father to make memories and share building projects together. I wouldn't worry a jot about having created the oven - in the grand scheme of things, it's not a permanent structure, and iit will do no harm - and I'm sure it will make family nights out a lot more fun.

So nice that you are so considerate to the woodland and your suroundings - Really lovely to hear and see 💚✌🌿

YES! Big congrats and excited to see the videos created here

Nice to see that this woodland is In good hands 🌱

I love every bit of this. You did well my friend. Congrats and I look forward to you sharing more on this land.

Gosh, to light a little fire in your own wood seems fundamentally wonderful.

Thank you 😊. Good update. Looking forward to seeing the woodland during spring and how the hedge line has grown in the last year.

A great journey of understanding your new place, wildlife cameras are so revealing.

Its been a realy interesting trip that you and your Dad have taken us on there in your woods. I had no idear how woodland managment worked until now.. Great videos. Thankyou. keep them comming please ;-)

The Ash tree is a story that has limited choices. So doing a right thing still feels off because this beautiful tree has already been blown over. Love your channel and content. Keep up the amazing work

Brilliant. Well done and much respect.

Congratulations on your own woodland 👍👍 looks like a very beautiful and peaceful place, can't wait to watch all your upcoming videos.

Awesome new video Thanks Mike!!

When you were talking about the oven you made, and how it detracted from the surroundings, I disagree with your words! I think that you living in harmony and bringing these things in, like the shed, only add to it. Sure it's not a habitat for wildlife but it's all part of the same being. Your passion in keeping this space how it should be is admirable! Love your work btw

Much love from Switzerland

Congratulations! I'm happy for you, good luck.👍

I have really enjoyed the woodland series. Take the time to enjoy your woods.

Fantastic, Keep up the good work, Extremely jealous, Happy someone with your mindset is guardian of that woodland, Enjoy.🙏🏽

It's an amazing woodland, this year past has certainly flown by and I've so enjoyed your woodland series. ❤👍

Have greatly enjoyed watching your journey so far. Learning about woodland management from you has been really cool, I'd love to see more about the flora and fauna of the woodland; how to identify species, their role in the woodland etc.

Thank you for sharing your full woodland journey experience. I honestly hope that this woodland should flourish through many generations and that whilst you own it, it will become even fuller with wildlife. 🐦