WOODLAND LIFE - EPISODE 3: Plenty of content in this one. Tree Felling, Carving, Building a temporary camp. Lots! Watch every episode here: kzfaq.info/sun/PLxnadpeGdTxCwRkZTLMhjbT_EAu6bAIZy

Really enjoyed this episode. Maybe if we all had a copse or small woods or forest to look after we would have a better environment and be more at one with nature. Well done 👍

There's nothing nerdy or weird about feeling connected to the world around you and the things you make with your hands. We should think it's weird that people don't feel some kind of connection like that. You don't have to be a backwoods hermit to appreciate the natural world either. Good on you, my dude.

I've a table with a split on top and atop one of the legs. It's been like that for as long as I can remember but that table has been in constant use in my family for about 160 years and is still perfectly serviceable even now. It was made for one of my ancestors by her father, as a wedding gift and what he had available was Yew. An odd wood for furniture, likely explains the split, but it's what he could get hold of. You don't buy a table from Ikea that'll be around in a century or two, lucky if it lasts 5 years. Don't lose that spoon, mate, you never know.

This is both a history lesson and a wildlife lesson, with some survival mixed in.

Definitely agree with utilising the monolith tree by adding an owl box !

I love the sentiments of this video. It's crazy how much accessibility seems to reduce the value of everyday items and tasks. I love the old adage "nothing worth doing comes easy". The struggle, effort, challenge, and eventual victory makes the reward more worth while and valuable. Maybe not to others, but to you. And many of us find the value you place in things to be valuable to us. I'm loving this series so much and appreciate you sharing and your approach

I love the camping and bushcraft content but it was fascinating watching your mate Ryan work those trees! Talk about a guy comfortable in his work and with his skillset 💪👌

I'm thoroughly enjoying this woodland series. Ryan's a cool bloke that knows his way around a tree.

Seems like you've found your calling/passion. Looking forward to many seasons on the woodlot!

Whee! I love watching arborists or tree surgeons working. All that skill and talent up a tree. Safety lines or not, they're crazy and I love it. And there's dad! Always a bonus. Of course now I have to research bodgers. Thanks for the new word. Have a good holiday, to all of your family and friends.

Will be nice to watch your growth and development in the old ways. Incidently, an old Sussex saying I learned from a bodger (believed to originate from 'badger' meaning wise man of the wood) predicts the weather forecast for the summer by noticing which tree was to bud first in the spring. "Oak before Ash we're in for a splash, Ash before Oak we're in for a soak". Good stuff.

Gonna be a lovely trip learning about managing a woodland, mate. Its people like you who give me Hope for our Race. Cheers

i'm glad that you took the time to wait and listen, to stay overnight and see what the owls, deers and all living and dying creatures have to say, before you make big decisions. I think that this wood will manage you well in years to come. Keep learning and sharing Mike!

One of the most fun and educational channels on KZfaq bushcraft Can't wait to see how your woodland develops, have a great Christmas, it's great to see your dad still getting involved, I started my channel JQOutdoors so my dad could still be involved as he isn't able to walk any real distance anymore. Thanks again

I lived on a large farm in Tennessee once, and there was a beautiful apple tree that was brought down by a tornado. I took some of the wood and carved a Goddess. Like you, I am no wood carver, but I still loved my little Goddess.🐝🤗❤️

Great to see that you are taking a hands on approach to the dangerous parts. I love your videos, and will be watching your progress.

Quite literally just finished carving a spoon, something I haven't done in ages, very rewarding to do. Love your wood lands looking forward to seeing more adventures next year.

Enjoyed the latest video. Brought back memories. I worked for a tree surgeon company right out of school. Although most of what we did was remove trees from around houses. I think I would have enjoyed a wild-land management side more. I love the outdoors.

Absolutely loving this series about your woodland

The spoon is great. Congratulations again you should be so proud of your new property. Living a boyhood dream, with a boys dog beside him, magic for sure. Good on ya mate - Ottawa Canada 🇨🇦

You are right being concerned about the possibility of a falling tree. My uncle died because of this 2 years ago. Greetings from Spain

m8, you cannot let that tree simply rot away there, its such a premium piece of lumber, and its from a species that is rapidly going extinct. Even if you dont do anything with it on the channel, you should have it slabbed up and save it for re-doing the floors in your livingroom or something (ash flooring is absolutely stunning, and extremely expensive)

Thank you for letting us follow as you have this adventure. For me it's like being there and learning with you.

You should metal detect around the base of the widow makers and see what you find. Excited to see what all you do in the future. Congratulations on your adventures.

nice to have someone with those specialized skills to help you out. maybe invite him for a camp in your woods

It's a little strange seeing a forest with no evergreens (fir, spruce, pine, cedar), but, I definitely envy you! Nice coffee spoon btw!

This man knows how to get the most out of limited resources.

Love the scoop, you did a great job and the walnut oil really brought the beautiful colors in the wood out.

so very happy for you and its wonderful that you care so much about your woodland , and as always love seeing your father he is truly awesome , have a great day

Це найкращий відос який я бачив сьогодні 👌👍🖐️вітаю всіх з наступаючим новим роком бажаю вам щастя здоров'я та сто 💯 років життя 👉🐟👍.

I knew this was going to be a really interesting and informative series. Thank you Mike. Ryan is like a mountaineer the way he scales those trees! Will admit I watched in complete awe at his skill set because it's not something the general public ever get to see, wherever these guys are working it's closed off, pretty obvious why! Wow!

I could watch the "my Woodland" series for hours. Thank you so much and I'm excited and eager to see what comes next.

Long time fan, first time commenting. You create beautiful videos with wonderful narration, nice pace, and rather educational too. It’s wonderful to watch you grow your hobby into a lifelong asset and responsibility. Best wishes with the woodland and I look forward to seeing how you change it and nurture it.

Your videos have inspired me to go on foraging courses. Seeking to go on some bushcraft courses next year. As a carpenter/joiner I am fascinated by bodgers aswel. By far my favourite channel on KZfaq 👍

Lovely wood, i purchased a small woodland just outside Thetford forest in 2005 for £500-00, it has given me and family so much pleasure over the years.

Iam only two min into the video, but can I just say what a lovely film!

Having your own woodland is something epic! Great video👍noticed you filming all the new trees which Will one day replenish the woodland 👌

There is a right way to do things in the woods and that way is the Bodgers way:) Merry Christmas Mike

To honor something that was once living.... to give it a new life. I believe we would all be better if we took the time to appreciate that. Thank you for sharing your woods.

I used to have a doctor called bodger and a dentist called drewit . Loving the videos Mike .

Your apoon looks awesome congratulations on Your land acquisition I will be watching You and Your projects

I'm sure many a bodger have found great value in having a little four legged helper around the camp.

This is beautiful, inspiring and amazing. It must be so peaceful to escape the chaos and evils of society. Especially in such hostile times like right now. Best wishes to you and your family! Thanks for the info and content.

Fabulous content and video! It’s mind-boggling the richness of resources just bringing down one oak tree. You’ve got me thinking about coppicing, I’ve got a few birch and many poplar, I might try it on my place.

KZfaq ads are spooky: you carved the little spoon and up came an ad for Christmas anti pasti served on little wooden spoons. You cut the tree into logs and more Christmas food advertising a chocolate Yule log! It's lovely to see your delight in your good fortune, watching your appreciation and amazement at the fact that you *own* a piece of woodland is such a pleasure. I'm also very envious, I grew up playing in broad leaf woodland like that in Kent. Now hampered by the extreme exhaustion and pain of ME/CFS I can no longer venture out as often as I'd like. I can still enjoy the scent of the autumn and winter in my mind through your films so many thanks for that treasure. Happy Christmas to you and all your family, stay safe in the outdoors and here's to a better time for all in the new year.

It's ancestral through our blood. We are the people of the North and the Northern forests. It's only natural that we feel at home in the North Woods 😊🌲🌳. I will be moving up North soon, into the Forest as well♥️. I can't wait😊.

This channel just got awesome!! Combining bushcraft, woodland management and overnights, this is a passion package for me.

I'm only 12 and because of this guy I am already started building a log cabin

Each episode of this wood lot adventure is not long enough. It seems like so little, but it really is a lot of work being done. Look forward to each new episode. Merry Christmas and Happy new year to you and your family.

That was amazing! The little spoon was beautiful! This was a learning video and a really enjoyable to watch! I can’t wait to see what’s next!! Good job! Cheers!! Merry Christmas to you and your family and Your Mom and Pop!!

I love how you let nothing go to waste……all of it is turned into building material, wildlife habitat, and soil regeneration. Good job youngster!

I cried when the large tree was brought down but I was so happy to know you will create something amazing with the tree block you kept as you did with the spoon. Honoring the 🌴. I look forward to seeing your next adventure in your forest. Thank you!!

Not sure if it's something you'd be interested in but you could use some of that felled wood, especially the oak, for cultivating mushrooms. Shiitake especially do well plugged in oak. Great content, amazing woodland a real custodian!

Who needs money when you own a beautiful woodland...you hit the jackpot!

Reminds me of when my granddad taught me how to fell trees on his land, was always hilarious running out of the way as they came tumbling down. Good times. Great vid!

Cool....i have become interested in bushcraft and plan to get a Lavuu hot tent..

I am a Pagan Witch and have been my entire life. I literally worship and honour Mother Earth and trees, of course, are an integral part of that. So, I totally get where you're coming from and, for what it's worth, don't think it's sappy at all. It's one of the problems with our modern-day society. We've gotten so far away from it that we're literally putting ourselves in danger. But by you doing what you're doing, you are leaving a legacy for your daughter and her children and grandchildren. It's a beautiful thing!! And one day, she'll be grateful to you for it!

Your woodland is so beautiful. Interesting to hear the history and meaning of the bodger. Very enjoyable video here Mike. ❤

People were one with the earth. You have wonderful sight, and a good way of expressing it in words.

Lovely little Coffee scoop Mike, i would buy one of those if they were for sale

It's always so impressive watching a professional do his job, definitely the right decision! Great episode as usual!

it must be nice to own land and trees. i'm stuck in town with a couple of lots of grass and leaves. i always wanted to live in the woods. envy is running thick here! fresh air, peace and quiet. i would build a cabin with that wood. and a chair.

I think your right Mike lots of people don' t appreciate the beauty of nature and what they have for free. To be honest I think we should be going back in time now and not forward just to make people understand that we shouldn't take everything for granted just because it's there to be had. We destroy the good around us because of greed and wealth and also pollute our air and waters. Great video Mike keep it up.👍🙏

Wonderful episode, very heartfelt commentary, and a very obvious love of, and respect for, the natural environment. I envy you and your opportunity to grow with and into you new woodland property.

Amazed at Ryan, have him back often. Loved your dad's fishing comment.

This is gonna be the best 40 mins of my life 😊

Amazing video! I love your attitude and conscious way of thinking. Remembering our ancestors and their way of life. Congratulations to that beautiful piece of woodland. Looking 4ward to more videos. My utmost respect! Kindest regards from Austria. Konstantin

Loved the forest management session.. I have an acre and a quarter, mostly wooded. Hurricanes come through and create a mess, leaving a few widow makers. Tree men are the ticket to getting things settled again. Love your spoon work too. Lovely ash wood. I have mostly oak which is hard and more coarsely grained. I need me a better knife if I attempt such a spoon.

Great stuff. Lovely to see the progress and your Dad along too.

This woodland speaks volumes to my inner woodworker spirt. Thank you for this.

Some Black Cherry trees would go nice there - plus, the flavor of oak and black cherry cooked/smoked meats is fantastic. Black Cherry is good for all sorts of uses as well.

See if you can find someone to mill some of that Ash tree and build yourself a little shack/tiny house. Love your channel. 👍❤☺

I love to see your excitement about maintaining your forest. My family manages a couple hundred acres. Something we've learned over the years is that any time you have a chance to take fallen trees with good wood into lumber, do it. I'm not sure what you're income is like, but if you've got the money, invest in a lumber mill. Build yourself a nice little roofed structure around it to keep the rain off and if you have some money left over after that, invest in a pellet or briquette maker for all the sawdust you'll inevitably have. Very little waste, good heat, and if you spread the ash (from heating/cooking) around, it makes very good fertilizer for the trees. Ideally, you don't want anything that makes too much noise around anywhere animals may congregate as it'll scare them away, but if you've got a small area well away from everything, you could set up a few buildings (bushcrafted, of course) and maybe some solar panels for some localized power. It'd be good to be able to charge your equipment while out there and to have a decent place to rest if you're not filming and want to be out of the elements for a bit. I know power tools aren't the bushcrafting way, but they are beyond useful for woodland management, especially if you can charge them on site. You could tailor your projects to be pure bushcraft, or mostly bushcraft with a little help from battery powered tools. My family also do maple syrup, so doing that manually would be impossible for the number of trees we tap (probably close to a thousand, if not more, at this point). Power tools are a life saver, lol. We have a small cabin overlooking a creek with some solar and wind power generation. The solar is on the roof and the wind turbine is quite high, so you never really notice it unless you're looking for it. It's about 20'x20' not including a small enclosed back porch and very much in the middle of the woods, lol. It's reasonably well insulated and heated by a cast iron stove. There's not enough power for air conditioning, but we can run a ceiling fan for air circulation, run a radio and a small TV as well as some lights. There's more than enough power to run a computer if we needed to, but there's really no reason to, lol. I dunno, these are just my thoughts and opinions. Do with them what you will. I won't hold it against you if you decide not to use any of it. :) All I ask is that you continue to make good videos! :D Edit: Also, we're in the north-central Wisconsin area, so we get cold winters with a lot of snow and really warm if not hot summers.

Its nice to see dad getting involved i wondered how long it would be! All the best with the future.

Hand carved wooden spoons that can be used for stirring soups and stews would be great for any one to have and use. I like them and have some that I use. Good luck anyway.

Everything that has life would hope to be a part of something. People have the potential to do great things, to make and have a huge impact in this world. Some do exactly that while others do little. None the less it is something. Your spoon will be a reminder of a great and beautiful tree that even in death, still impacts this world... you my friend are doing the same through your channel. Tomorrow is never promised but our actions today can and will make the impact on the world we leave behind.

Keep it coming, wife and I love your work!

Looking forward to some collabs as you build up a camp and do more projects, hoping for a traditional forge video with Alec Steele!

Your dad must be bursting with pride at the journey you've taken in your life. I asked my dad the same about me and he said he only drinks when I'm around. I didn't know how to take that hahahaha. It's been pretty cool of you to let us follow along.

Can’t wait to see this in a couple of years mate looks amazing already !

Yeeee let's go came out with another banger

And the journey starts for real. Nice to see Jax doing important work. 😀👍

I don't think it sounds nerdy or soppy at all. It just sounds like you have a connection with and respect for your woodland and everything in it. If only everyone who owned a patch of land had that. You have a beautiful, functional scoop now too.

Your living my perfect life maybe one day in the future I'll be able to afford a bit of woodland but for now I'll keep learning new things by watching you and your life in the woods

Ryan, you rock. How cool is to watch him work, honestly

You have so many NEW viewers since you first showed basic camp craft skills--the kitchen setup, being a fine example. It is good to revisit this basic content while you move ahead and teach viewers about woodlot management.

Good to see the compassion about the fallen trees that died/dying. Around my way the carpenter ants are destroying alot of big oaks.

I don't think I've seen anything cooler than your friend soaring from one tree to the other on that rope. Really shows you how skilled and dangerous that job is. For the spalted log you should try carving some bowls. The finish will look amazing on them

Thank you for sharing! Appreciated that glimpse of Jax/Jack's.

You should also take care of the deer it's cheap to do one salt block about the size of a gallon of milk and special seeds for a garden for them to grow big beautiful antlers. It's reasonable to buy nothing to maintain. And the outcome is really amazing. Just an easy idea for a great herd. You never said how much ground you have just wondering. Enjoy your patch of woods. C-YA

The GRAIN in that wood is amazing you can make bowls even a Spork maybe awesome love what you do merry Christmas to you and your family

From your brothers across the pond, it's great what your doing and there are lots of us over here who feel the same. Keep the content coming and thanks.

Truly ‘reality TV’ worth watching.

There is a sense of animist spirituality in your woodland and your love of it. So much more understandable than orthodox religions

I love your humble approach. You act like you have things to learn. Funny to learn means going back. Back in time to how our ancestors did things. Its so awesome to not hear a know it all. Keep learning. Thats the best way to go through life isn't it? Blessings to your little piece of joy land woodland!

I do envy you bud, such a quiet and serene piece of land you personally own.Away from all the noise of the cities and towns.Resources you can use to make a limitless list of helpful tools.If I ever win the lottery, I’d buy myself a woodland with a brook going through it.

You did a beautiful job on the spoon 🥄

I would love to see a video of you planning a permanent camp and your thought process in picking the spot. Great video mate. 👍❤️

It sounds epic. The fact that you have an ethos is rare and amazing. Thanks for the great vid!