- Home
- About
Forestry
The Forestry Department, based at Garrowby Sawyard, is made up of a team of four who are responsible for the management of approximately 1,800 acres of woodland across Garrowby, Heslington, Haywold and South Yorkshire estates.
Garrowby Firewood is part of the Halifax Estates Forestry Department. Our team carries out all management tasks associated with the woodland on Garrowby Estate, covering 1,340 acres which is over 10% of the total Estate area, compared with about 2-3% tree cover in the East Riding of Yorkshire as a whole. This woodland contributes to the Estate's beautiful landscape, which has been designated as nationally important.
Management of the woodland requires regular thinning of plantations, as well as clear fells when stands reach maturity. Our timber is a mix of softwood and hardwood, with native hardwood species being the aim from a landscape perspective. The softwood mainly goes for woodchip production and the majority of the hardwood felled on the Estate is used for firewood. All of our hardwood is felled by hand, naturally air dried for at least 12 months and then processed into firewood. Placing an order for your firewood with us will ensure that you are obtaining a local and sustainably sourced product delivered directly to your home.
Process
Working closely with the Forestry Commission we select blocks of mature woodland for clear felling and younger plantations for thinning, to improve the form and growth rate of the final crop trees.
Within three years of clear felling any site we re-stock with species approved by the Forestry Commission.
We stack felled timber nearby to the felling site and it is then transported into the sawyard where it is restacked for a minimum of 12 months to dry out.
Once timber is at the right moisture level for processing, it is fed through the logging machine. The logs are loaded into boxes to continue the drying process for a further six months.
Restocking sites or planting new woodland takes place in the winter months when the soil is at optimum temperature and moisture content for young plants to grow.
Who We Are
Sean Edwards
Head Forester
Sean has been Head Forester for over 20 years. During that time he has been successful in adding value to the timber grown on the Estate by developing the firewood enterprise and has also taken pride in ensuring that we provide the best Christmas trees in the locality. Sean manages a forestry team of four, as well as contractors and tree surgeons and has a close working relationship with the Head Keeper, as the forestry areas are so crucially important to the success and reputation of Garrowby Shoot. Outside work, Sean enjoys his horses and hunting within the law.