About Southwood

Southwood is an 8 acre wood on a southfacing slope of the Taw Valley. Primarily colonised by oak, the trees have grown densely close together. There is evidence that the oak was coppiced to produce charcoal , but it has been neglected and over a period of perhaps 100 years has suffered an extensive invasion of rhododendron.

The current owners, Rachel and Philip acquired the wood in 2016 with a the specific aim of increasing the biodiversity in the wood and the first major task was to clear the rhododendron. Rather than simply burn the cleared bushes, we decided to stack and dry the useable timber to make high quality charcoal. The smaller pieces of charcoal are milled into granules for use as BioChar. Further details can be found on the PROJECTS page of this website. These products are both marketed under the Kingford Mill brand.

With the rhododendron cleared by 2021, the next big step has been to thin the oak to let in light and create spaces for other plants to form intermediate layers and an understory. New tracks were driven and hundreds of tons of timber has been removed. Smaller trees have been planted, such as hazel, hawthorn, and blackthorn, and slowly, the brown, bare earth is greening up. We are seeing all manner of flowering and fruiting plants appearing. Heather, gorse, foxgloves, broom, and bilberries are amongst the most prolific. To increase the variety of habitats, a pond has been recently been created and the Spring of 2025 will hopefully see more species established in the wood.

To gain access throughout the wood, paths have been created. To maintain and store tools, the wood now has two small storage sheds, and an additional area of flat ground was acquired with two garages and on which a workshop has been built, together with a composting toilet.

Rachel King and Philip Naylor own and work Southwood