H&H Land & Estates Branches Out with Forestry and Woodland Specialists

Forestry and woodland experts join H&H Land & Estates to help landowners maximise the woodland management and woodland creation opportunities

We are delighted to announce the appointment of two woodland specialists as we expand our offering to meet the growing demand for forestry services across the north of England. Sarah Radcliffe will head up the division as Woodland and Forestry Manager, with Will Livesey taking on the role of Woodland and Environmental Advisor for South Lakes.

Forests and woodlands in the UK have become a huge part of land ownership and farming and are an integral part of the landscape, providing many different habitats for our wildlife as well as providing an income for the landowners. Appropriate management of these natural resources is paramount for the retention of the habitats and species that use them as well as the economy. 

To further extend our comprehensive range of services in this area, we have recruited woodland expert Sarah Radcliffe who began her career over 14 years ago as woodland officer before progressing through to field manager for the Forestry Commission.

Sarah’s primary responsibility will be to provide professional advice to clients on all forestry and woodland matters, especially Government schemes and legislative requirements, preparing and submitting woodland creation projects, managing sales, planting and maintenance, securing necessary consents and grants, and undertaking assessments, mapping, and reporting.

Northumberland based Sarah will operate on a hybrid working system splitting her time between the Carlisle and Durham offices as she leads this key area of growth for the company across northern England.

Commenting on her new appointment, Sarah said: “This is a very exciting opportunity for me to utilise the skills and knowledge I have acquired through my time at Forestry Commission and put them to use by helping landowners and farmers gain clarity and understanding of forestry and woodland management, which is an ever-changing area. I’m looking forward to guiding this new team for H&H Land & Estates and am excited to see what we can achieve.”

Also joining the new team is Will Livesey whose role will primarily entail providing woodland management and grant services to South Lakes’ clients. Since gaining his degree in Woodland Ecology & Conservation in 2017, Will has gained a wealth of experience working for Stobart Forestry, undertaking woodland surveys, supervising operations and grant applications.

Through his role, Will will be primarily accountable for preparing and submitting environment and forestry scheme applications, including felling licences and Environmental Impact Assessments. Will will also be responsible for undertaking ecological and forestry surveys, producing ecological appraisals in relation to planning applications and proposed renewable energy developments, and preparing accurate and detailed plans and maps using specialist GIS software.

Operating from the Kendal office, Will will also be part of the wider forestry and environment teams which greatly enhance the company’s capacity to deliver new and existing instructions within this field.

Only 59% of UK woodlands are under active management, so raising awareness of good woodland management through a regular felling and thinning programme will increase the biodiversity of the woodland and provide the landowner with an income. The price of coniferous timber was 40.5% higher in the year to March 2022 compared with the previous year ( www.forestresearch.gov.uk ) so now is a good time to start to manage those areas of woodland hiding away on the farm.

On this new expansion, Thomas Armstrong, Director and Chartered Surveyor at H&H Land & Estates, said: “With the focus on forestry and its impact on the environment snowballing, we wanted to make sure we were in a position to offer the best professional advice and support to both existing and new clients, which is why we have introduced a team of specialists in this area.

“Both Sarah and Will are extremely motivated and dedicated to their field. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome them to the team and look forward to seeing them drive this area of the business forward.”