Check that usable timber stands within about 2 km of the site by counting poles and beams in sample plots, then plan a cutting rotation and replanting from the start. A settlement needs hundreds of poles and beams, and woods cut without a plan recede farther from the settlement each year.
Surveying the wood near a candidate site for building poles, beams and fuel, and planning its harvest so that it lasts.
Timber Is Heavy, So Distance Is the Cost
The carrier’s rule is timber within 2 km if possible, because a permanent settlement needs hundreds of poles and beams and every one has to be dragged or carried. Green wood is heavy: freshly felled wood can hold 50-200% moisture by weight (see Wood Seasoning), more water than wood fiber. Seasoning, which also prevents cracking and warping, takes time, so you need a stock cut well ahead of use.
What You Need
- A measuring line — 10 m, to mark sample plots.
- A pole size you need — decide which diameters and lengths count as usable.
- A notebook.
Method: Sample the Woods
Step 1: Mark sample plots Mark several plots of 10 m x 10 m (100 m2) at different places in the woods within 2 km. Spread them out; do not choose only the best-looking spots.
Step 2: Count usable poles and beams In each plot, count the straight, sound trees of the sizes you need. Note species. Note dead, diseased or leaning trees separately.
Step 3: Average and scale Average the plots. One hectare is 100 plots of 100 m2, so the average per plot multiplied by 100 is the count per hectare.
Step 4: Decide what you may cut Do not take all of them. Mark a share to harvest each year, and plan how the stand regrows. See Coppicing & Fuel Management for species that regrow from the stump.
Worked Example
Five plots give a mean of 12 usable poles per 100 m2.
- Per hectare: 12 x 100 = 1,200 poles.
- Suppose the first buildings need 300 poles (an assumed figure to replace with your own). Taking every usable pole: 300 / 12 = 25 plots = 2,500 m2 = 0.25 hectare.
- If you take only a quarter of the usable poles to leave the stand healthy, one hectare yields 1,200 / 4 = 300 poles, so you need 300 / 300 = 1 hectare, four times the area.
The point is that a modest need still takes a surprising area when cut sustainably.
Other Building Plant Material
Straw and grass for bales, thatch and insulation (see Thatching and Straw Bale Construction) come from fields and meadows; plan for them in the farm layout, not the woods.
Common Mistakes
- Sampling only the best stand — spread the plots.
- Cutting for the next building only — plan the next ten years.
- Using green timber for tight joints — it shrinks and cracks.
Safety
Felling kills
Check the lean of the tree, the dead branches above and the escape path before every cut. Never fell with another person within two tree lengths, and never cut a tree that is hung up on another.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Clay, Stone & Sand Sources — the other building materials
- Combine with: Timber Framing — using the poles you cut