If you are at all unsure about what you want to do with your woodland or how to do it, then obtaining good woodland advice is very important. Many people have the time, and enjoy reading about woodlands. In this case then the following books may be useful starting points.

Good introductions

• Caring for small woods by Ken Broad. An excellent practical guide to management and conservation of small woods for woodland owners, woodland managers, woodland craftsmen, foresters, land agents, project officers, conservationists, teachers and students).
• So, you own a woodland? Getting to know your wood and looking after it by the Forestry Commission.
• Trees, Herbs and Charcoal Burners by C Howkins. Examines the craft of charcoal burning in Britain, which is now beginning to enjoy a revival.

Practical handbooks

• Tree planting and after care by the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. More information can be found on the BTCV website.
• Woodlands by the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. More information can be found on the BTCV website.

Wildlife Conservation

• Woodland rides and glades: Their management for wildlife by M Warren and R Fuller. Useful booklet, giving advice on British woodlands. Nowadays, in many woods, open areas are confined to rides and glades. These features make up a relatively small part of most woods, but their value for woodland wildlife can be great provided that they are suitably managed.
• Coppiced woodlands: Their management for wildlife M Warren and R Fuller. From the early Middle Ages until the late nineteenth century most woods in lowland England were coppiced, creating conditions suitable for many plants, insects and birds and those requiring very open woodland habitats. The decline of coppicing over the past century has resulted in serious losses of habitat for certain open-woodland species. This booklet explains how traditional coppice systems worked, why they are important to woodland wildlife and how coppice can be managed to enhance its wildlife interest.

Forestry

• Forestry Practice guides 1-8: The management of semi natural woodlands, Forestry Commission.
• Forestry Practice (handbook 6) by the Forestry Commission. A comprehensive information source on British forestry. Practical account of the entire range of forestry activities in Britain, which will be of value to anyone concerned with the care and management of trees.
• Growing broadleaves for timber (handbook 9) by the Forestry Commission. Describes the silvicultural principles and practices involved in growing quality hardwood timber in Britain.

Tree identification

• Collins Field Guide to the trees of Britain and northern Europe by Alan Mitchell. A comprehensive guide to over 800 species common to Britain and Northern Europe. Each species is illustrated with descriptions to aid identification.
• Trees in Britain, Europe and North America by Roger Philips. A unique encyclopaedia of well over 500 trees. A comprehensive text.

Surrey specific

• Woodland Archaeology in Surrey Nicola Bannister. (A fascinating insight into recognising woodland archaeology, relevant to ancient woods wherever they are located).

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• The Future of Surrey's Landscape and Woodlands by M Walshe. (Discusses the main issues facing the landscape and woodlands of the county, including rapid landscape change, erosion of local distinctiveness, loss of heathland, downland and open views due to natural regeneration, neglect of woodlands, and lack of timber markets).

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• Trees and People In Surrey and beyond by C Howkins.

For the serious reader

• Trees and Woodland in the British Landscape: The Complete History of Britain's Trees, Woods and Hedgerows by Oliver Rackham. A classic book on British woodland, first published in 1976. Like other books by this historian, Trees and Woodland in the British Landscape combines mastery of detail with wit and scholarship. More than a history of woodlands or a fieldwork guide to woodlands and the landscape, this edition has been updated in the light of recent research findings and new attitudes to conservation.
• Woodland Conservation Management by G Peterken. An indispensable reference in the training of countryside managers, wardens, rangers and other professionals and amateurs involved in caring for woodlands. The text introduces basic principles for conservation in ancient woods and woods of other origins. There is also a classification of ancient, semi-natural woodland based on native trees and other recognizable features.

A great Christmas present

• Silva: the tree in Britain by Archie Miles, Ebury Press. A fascinating book describing the part that trees have played in all areas of British life. A wealth of information to inspire you when the weather keeps you out of the wood!