0:00:02 > 0:00:04Britain was once an island of trees.
0:00:04 > 0:00:09For 10,000 years, they have shaped our landscapes.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11And we were once a woodland people.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15We managed our forests carefully, cutting and coppicing.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18And they thrived under our care.
0:00:20 > 0:00:21But forestry has changed.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27In the last century, plantations have replaced many of our woods.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31Others have been deemed unprofitable and abandoned.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Can they survive in the 21st century?
0:00:36 > 0:00:39Writer and woodsman Rob Penn believes so.
0:00:41 > 0:00:42Here we go.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46And for the next year, he is taking over
0:00:46 > 0:00:48part of Strawberry Cottage Wood,
0:00:48 > 0:00:5150 acres of unmanaged woodland in South Wales.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Oh, my God! I feel like I'm going into the jungle!
0:00:55 > 0:01:00Can he bring this forgotten forest back to life again?
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Summer has arrived in Strawberry Cottage Wood.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10After the hard work of winter, it's time for Rob to make some money.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Strawberry Wood charcoal!
0:01:13 > 0:01:16But he needs to find a market for his woodland products.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18- Rob.- Johnny. - Johnny. Lovely to meet you.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21- Stephane.- Stephane. Very good to meet you, as well.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24He must make the most of every inch of his wood.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Mad as a bag of frogs, the lot of them.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29And even brings in the family to help.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Oh, no! Oh, stop it!
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Just how difficult is it to make a living from the woods?
0:01:48 > 0:01:51It's June in South Wales.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55Spring has turned into summer and our woodlands are in full bloom.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00For the last nine months, Rob has been working
0:02:00 > 0:02:02in a neglected wood in the Black Mountains.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06He wants to use the ancient skills of the woodsman
0:02:06 > 0:02:08to find a modern role for our woodlands.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10And the arrival of warmer weather
0:02:10 > 0:02:13brings new challenges to his work.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17It's the beginning of summer and the trees are in full leaf.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20The sap is up, the birds are all nesting.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24And that means you can't work on the living trees at this time of year.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28But the warmer weather and the longer days
0:02:28 > 0:02:29are traditionally the time
0:02:29 > 0:02:34when you try and turn the industry of winter to some good profit.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39Over the next month, Rob needs to make his woodland pay.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43His winter coppicing has cost a lot in time and fuel.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Can he find new markets for his timber to balance the books?
0:02:48 > 0:02:51This wood is just a fraction of the hazel
0:02:51 > 0:02:53I coppiced at the beginning of winter,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56and it's been sitting here seasoning for six months.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01100 years ago, it would have been an important part
0:03:01 > 0:03:03of an industry which was fundamental,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06not just to this area, but to the whole of Britain.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Charcoal making.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14Charcoal was the driving force of the early Industrial Revolution.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Millions of tonnes went to the factories and mills
0:03:17 > 0:03:19of 18th-century Britain.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23The arrival of coal and oil led to the decline of industrial charcoal.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25But in the last 20 years,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28the popularity of barbecuing
0:03:28 > 0:03:31and the enormous growth of Middle Eastern grill restaurants
0:03:31 > 0:03:35has led to a revival of the charcoal industry.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Could our woods play a part in this growing market?
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Hi. Mark, it's Rob Penn here.
0:03:43 > 0:03:49I am just following up on the email that I sent to you...
0:03:49 > 0:03:53The charcoal industry is dominated by a handful of companies
0:03:53 > 0:03:54spread throughout the country.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Could they give Rob advice
0:03:56 > 0:03:58about starting his own charcoal production?
0:03:58 > 0:04:01If you can call me back, please, my mobile's on the email.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Thanks very much. 'Bye.
0:04:05 > 0:04:10The British charcoal industry is really very small.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13And until recently, it was unregulated.
0:04:13 > 0:04:18It seemed that you could import charcoal from anywhere in the world.
0:04:18 > 0:04:19And in the last couple of weeks,
0:04:19 > 0:04:23I've been trying to contact the major players in the industry.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26And, well, it seems that no-one
0:04:26 > 0:04:29wants to talk to me on camera.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32What Rob's conversations have revealed
0:04:32 > 0:04:36is that few of the large companies use British charcoal.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Almost everybody imports it from the tropics.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41OK, we're ready.
0:04:41 > 0:04:42Slowly down towards me a bit.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46To explore whether he can make a competitive product,
0:04:46 > 0:04:50Rob has called in Pete and Anna Grugeon.
0:04:50 > 0:04:55They are some of the last remaining charcoal makers still active in the country.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58The process is basically the same as it always used to be,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01except that we now do it in this big steel drum.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05And this used to be made up of turf instead, which would fall apart
0:05:05 > 0:05:08and it needed much more attention through the night.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12But other than that, it's basically the same process.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15And let go. Cool.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18To compete with imported charcoal,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Rob needs to produce a product of exceptionally high quality.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25This means getting to grips with the ancient science of the charcoaler.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30The charcoal is almost pure carbon.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33And it's produced by taking wood,
0:05:33 > 0:05:35extracting the steam under heat.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Wood is majorly water. It's got a large water content.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40And so we lose that water content
0:05:40 > 0:05:45and then we evaporate off all the volatiles and carbonise the wood.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49It's a process that happens at about 600 degrees centigrade
0:05:49 > 0:05:51and you end up with pure carbon.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55A charcoal kiln acts like a large oven.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57By controlling the flow of air in at the base,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00you can ensure that the bottom wood burns,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04heating the kiln without damaging the wood above it.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06If Rob lets too much air in,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08the whole thing goes up in smoke.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Too little and the fire will go out.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13It's an art, and a science.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17An awful lot of work has gone into
0:06:17 > 0:06:20putting this pile of hazel on the floor.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23And on one level, it's incredibly exciting
0:06:23 > 0:06:25to see it going into production,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28but, of course, there is an inherent risk in this.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30You get the burn wrong
0:06:30 > 0:06:34and you're left with...nothing.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39A full kiln could produce over 100 kilograms of charcoal.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42IF Rob gets it right.
0:06:42 > 0:06:43It's alight.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49Fire! In the woods.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53Just keep doing it until you can't push it any further, but just gently.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56This is the free burn, so you just allow the fire to get going,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59don't control the air. You want the air to circulate through it.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02And when it's roaring, getting to full tilt,
0:07:02 > 0:07:04that's when we start closing it down?
0:07:04 > 0:07:07- Yeah.- Regulating the fire?- Yeah.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Go on, buddy, burn!
0:07:10 > 0:07:15The airflow in the kiln is controlled by six chimneys and intake pipes.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18These can be blocked off to reduce the amount of oxygen
0:07:18 > 0:07:21and prevent the kiln from getting too hot.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24We've begun an ancient process of making charcoal.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26And all that hard work in the winter
0:07:26 > 0:07:29is hopefully now going to be put to a product,
0:07:29 > 0:07:33a domestic product that we can sell. Very exciting!
0:07:33 > 0:07:35OK. So we're just lifting the lid.
0:07:35 > 0:07:40So we're now filling in around the base of the kiln with soil and sand
0:07:40 > 0:07:43to restrict the airflow to the fire.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47That means that you can regulate the burn,
0:07:47 > 0:07:52which ensures that you get charcoal out of the process
0:07:52 > 0:07:54and not a pile of ash.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59- OK. So the kiln's all sealed up now. - Great.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01It's going to burn through the night like this
0:08:01 > 0:08:04and we'll be back in the morning to help you close down.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13So the kiln's been shut down,
0:08:13 > 0:08:17and hopefully, it'll be ready in 16 hours.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20But in eight hours, halfway through the burn,
0:08:20 > 0:08:21I have to turn the chimneys over.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25So it's another night camping in the woods for me.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30Of course, that's very much in the tradition of the charcoal burners.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33They would have lived in the woods all summer long.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Charcoalers lived on the fringes of society.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39They retreated to the woods during the summer.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43Even then, their daily routine was determined by the rhythm of the kiln.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Good boy.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53So there are three chimneys.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56Those are the outlets and there are three inlets
0:08:56 > 0:08:59and I'm going to switch them over, each one.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04We're doing this to make sure that the burn is even
0:09:04 > 0:09:09throughout the entire kiln.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13So it looks like it's all going along fine.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17And I'm just going to hope that it continues like this
0:09:17 > 0:09:21until Pete and Anna get back here at dawn.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27BIRDSONG
0:09:46 > 0:09:48It's 7.00am
0:09:48 > 0:09:53and the kiln has been puffing away gently for 16 hours now,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56and I've just got up.
0:09:56 > 0:10:01And it's fairly obvious that there are now some changes happening.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06So the smoke here has begun to go clear.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09You can see my hand through it.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11And the same on the pipe over here.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15And what this means is that we're very nearly ready,
0:10:15 > 0:10:19or perhaps even ready to shut this baby down.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21So I'm just waiting for Pete and Anna to show up
0:10:21 > 0:10:24to show me how to do it.
0:10:25 > 0:10:31The changing colour of smoke is a key sign for charcoal makers.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34White smoke indicates steam and impurities being burned off.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36But when the smoke starts to clear,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39it means the charcoal itself is beginning to burn.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41Pete, Anna, morning.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Hi, Rob. Morning. Sleep well?
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Yeah, not bad, thanks, not bad. How are we looking?
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Yeah. It looks like we've arrived in the nick of time.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52You can see the smoke's changed.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54- It's become really clear.- Yes.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56- The steam's not in there any more. - OK.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01- And the kiln's ready to close down. - Fantastic.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03So first of all, we remove the chimneys.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07- OK.- And block up the chimneys.- Yeah. - And then block the inlets.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09Just block them up with mud, close off all the oxygen
0:11:09 > 0:11:12- and then we leave it to cool. - Brilliant.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Rob must work quickly to kill the fire.
0:11:15 > 0:11:20Even a few extra minutes could render much of the charcoal useless.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23I think Pete and Anna arrived just in time.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27It might have been rather unfortunate.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30I could have ended up with a large pile of ash.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34That's all sealed up now, so we've just got to wait for it to cool down,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37then we'll look inside and see what we've got in the way of charcoal.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40With temperatures in the kiln having reached 600 degrees,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44it takes a full day for the wood to cool.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Waiting for the charcoal to cool is,
0:11:49 > 0:11:53well, it's a bit like waiting for an overdue baby
0:11:53 > 0:11:57in as much as the wait has only served to heighten my anxiety.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01There could be nothing but a pile of ash in there.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03And if that's all there is,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06then it's been a long, hard journey for naught.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09But of course, there might also be a huge pile of charcoal.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Something that we can sell.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14And that is very exciting.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29OK, Rob, let's get a hold of it and pull it off.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37It seems we have charcoal.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39Wahey!
0:12:39 > 0:12:41We have charcoal!
0:12:41 > 0:12:43Oh, man! Great!
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Charcoal!
0:12:47 > 0:12:51It's rather beautiful in its texture, as well, isn't it?
0:12:51 > 0:12:54- Yeah, it is.- And the charcoal's really good quality.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57The charcoal is good. It doesn't look too over-charred.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01- It's quite dense. You've definitely got a future as a charcoal maker. - You reckon?
0:13:01 > 0:13:04- I reckon.- All right!
0:13:04 > 0:13:06THEY LAUGH
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Oh, that's great! I'm so pleased!
0:13:11 > 0:13:14For the next three hours, Rob sorts through the charcoal,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17separating big logs from chips and dust.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24The first bag of charcoal.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28After all that hard work, this is a deeply satisfying moment.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38By the end of the unloading, Rob has 150 kilograms of charcoal,
0:13:38 > 0:13:42with a street value of almost £250.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of this whole process
0:13:46 > 0:13:48is the sense of vindication.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Vindication against all the naysayers.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54People who said you can't make quality British charcoal.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56Well, there it is.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00And now, the most important thing is going to be to find the market.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03It's hard enough making British charcoal,
0:14:03 > 0:14:07but selling it could be even more of an uphill battle.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09To seek advice, Rob heads to London
0:14:09 > 0:14:13to meet one of the country's leading charcoal experts.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15How has the charcoal market changed?
0:14:15 > 0:14:19Pooran Desai started BioRegional Charcoal in 1995.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23What began as a network of small producers has grown to supply
0:14:23 > 0:14:26some of Britain's largest stores.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28But Pooran has been fighting an industry
0:14:28 > 0:14:31that has turned its back on local producers.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34The UK market for charcoal is mainly imported charcoal.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38So we import about 50-60,000 tonnes a year.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42And really, that's well over 95%.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45We import charcoal from three main regions in the world.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48- Southeast Asia, Africa and South America.- OK.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51And an amount of that,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54an increasing amount, is coming from sustainable sources,
0:14:54 > 0:14:57particularly if you look for things like the Forest Stewardship Council label.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01But a lot of it isn't produced sustainably.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03And a lot of it will be illegal.
0:15:03 > 0:15:09Nobody really knows how much of our charcoal comes from illegal logging.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12But a lack of regulation has meant that tropical hardwoods
0:15:12 > 0:15:14and mangroves still provide a significant amount
0:15:14 > 0:15:17of the import trade.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26Cheap labour ensures it can be sold at an attractive price.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31This has come at a huge cost not just for the UK industry,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34but for the environments where it is harvested.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40Actually, UK charcoal is some of the best charcoal in the world and
0:15:40 > 0:15:44for particular uses like barbecues, actually it is the best charcoal.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47It lights very easily, you don't need firelighters
0:15:47 > 0:15:50so the quality of the burn you get is fantastic.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53You burn with it in a slightly different way, you cook with it,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56but, for example, the UK's barbecue champion
0:15:56 > 0:15:59says it's the best charcoal he's ever used.
0:15:59 > 0:16:00Which is lovely to hear, isn't it?
0:16:00 > 0:16:05- Yeah, and celebrity chefs are promoting it.- Yeah.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08But I suspect that actually we produce no more than 2% or 3%
0:16:08 > 0:16:09of the charcoal in the UK.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13You know, the reason is it's more expensive to produce.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17The big retailers are very sensitive on price, customers less so,
0:16:17 > 0:16:21but, for those sorts of reasons, we import most of our charcoal.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27I suppose the most extraordinary thing
0:16:27 > 0:16:31I learnt from Pooran was the amount of charcoal we import
0:16:31 > 0:16:35when really it can be made from wood which is here and there.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40But it's very difficult to get people in a recession
0:16:40 > 0:16:42to pay for a premium product.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44British charcoal is expensive
0:16:44 > 0:16:47compared to that from tropical forests,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50and Rob must find a buyer to break even.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53His first port of call is one Britain's finest,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55and busiest gastropubs.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59I think they must be out the back. OK.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Johnny Mignon and Stephane Pasquier have brought Gallic flair to
0:17:02 > 0:17:05the Perch Pub on the outskirts of Oxford.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09Alongside a bustling restaurant, they have started an upmarket BBQ
0:17:09 > 0:17:12that attracts hundreds of people every weekend.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Rob has brought ten bags of his charcoal as a sample.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18- Gentlemen.- Hello.- Good morning. - Good morning.- Good morning.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21- I'm Rob.- I'm Johnny. - Johnny, lovely to meet you.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24- I'm Stephane.- Lovely to meet you. - Very nice to meet you.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26So, I have some charcoal which I made
0:17:26 > 0:17:29in my wood in the Black Mountains in South Wales.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32- Wonderful.- And I'm hoping it might be restaurant quality
0:17:32 > 0:17:35and that you might be able to have a go with it.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38We've got a very busy day today, but we'll give it a go.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40- OK. Thanks.- Thank you.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44So what are you looking for?
0:17:44 > 0:17:50Big chunks. So important to me because, see, that's an example.
0:17:51 > 0:17:57- Those pieces would take a long time to hold all the heat.- Right.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01Small pieces are not very good at all because they burn too quickly.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03It looks like it would be the perfect charcoal for myself.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05- Really?- To be honest, yes.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07We should get it on the barbecue then, shouldn't we?
0:18:07 > 0:18:11- Let's do it, let's try it.- Great. - So let's put it on.- OK.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15And then it would take about 30 minutes to 40 minutes
0:18:15 > 0:18:19- to get these perfect state, you know.- Brilliant.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22- It's just a question of being patient now, I think.- Fantastic.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Well, I hadn't expected such a warm welcome at The Perch
0:18:24 > 0:18:28but I certainly hadn't expected that my charcoal would be
0:18:28 > 0:18:33put on the front line so quickly and I'm now rather anxious that
0:18:33 > 0:18:35it's got to cook 100 burgers,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38and I hope it brings something to the party.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43What happens at the Perch is happening all over Britain.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48We are a nation falling in love with barbecue food.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51If local pubs can buy their charcoal from local woodlands,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54could this be a foundation for a local charcoal industry?
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Using English charcoal to be self-sufficient is fantastic
0:18:59 > 0:19:02and the flavour, you will just taste it.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05Do you really think that it makes a difference to the taste?
0:19:05 > 0:19:07Huge. Hugely, even to the way that the meat cooks.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10- Yeah.- It cooks it in a slightly different way.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Does that make it
0:19:12 > 0:19:15a high-end product, does that make it difficult to price it?
0:19:15 > 0:19:19Our barbecues are a bit more expensive than other places,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22I mean, a couple of pounds extra,
0:19:22 > 0:19:26but I think at first it may be a bit like "Oh, it's too expensive"
0:19:26 > 0:19:30but when you explain all the causes that we make behind
0:19:30 > 0:19:32to get our charcoal locally sourced, to get our wood
0:19:32 > 0:19:34is supporting local produce,
0:19:34 > 0:19:39local independent business, they know that it's worth the money.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Johnny's predictions seem accurate.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43There's a roaring trade for burgers
0:19:43 > 0:19:47and Rob's charcoal seems to be holding its own.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49So, how's the charcoal, any good?
0:19:49 > 0:19:53- Fantastic.- Really? - Really, really high quality.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56I've been very busy, I was in the kitchen all service
0:19:56 > 0:19:58but I have feedback from my barbecue chef
0:19:58 > 0:20:00and he say that it was very, very good.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03Customers loved the barbecue.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05They do talk about the taste, it was amazing
0:20:05 > 0:20:08and, you know, seeing you around today
0:20:08 > 0:20:11I hope it will bring more awareness to people
0:20:11 > 0:20:14that we need to support England and English products.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16Fantastic. Will you take some more?
0:20:16 > 0:20:18- Of course!- Really?- Bring it all.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Yes, bring it all. Have you got more in your car?
0:20:21 > 0:20:23- Yeah.- We'll take it. - Oh, great. Great.
0:20:27 > 0:20:33Stephane and Johnny take all of Rob's charcoal, offering £4 a bag.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37It's a massive boost for the project and there is now a revenue
0:20:37 > 0:20:39that can keep the wood paying throughout the summer.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43And Rob can set to on the rest of the woodland.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49Summer is a time for growth, but brambles crowd the forest floor
0:20:49 > 0:20:54and must be cut back to allow the seeds below to germinate.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58The last time I did something like this I think
0:20:58 > 0:21:02I was probably a kid, and I was doing it for good money.
0:21:03 > 0:21:10It's like going into a jungle in Indonesia.
0:21:17 > 0:21:22As the weeks pass, the woodland takes on new shapes and colours.
0:21:24 > 0:21:30Once again, Rob is immersed in life under the canopy.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38One of my favourite things about coming to the woods
0:21:38 > 0:21:44is the sense of escapism and I can never be sure
0:21:44 > 0:21:49if that is a matter of escaping from modern life,
0:21:49 > 0:21:52from the pressures of work and parenthood
0:21:52 > 0:21:56and all the other white noise of existence,
0:21:56 > 0:22:00or whether it's something more profound.
0:22:00 > 0:22:06Whether that escapism touches a dormant memory of childhood,
0:22:06 > 0:22:10when coming to the woods meant escaping from
0:22:10 > 0:22:15the all-searching eye of adulthood.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23By July, the schools have broken up
0:22:23 > 0:22:28and Rob can introduce his own children to Strawberry Cottage Wood.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31THEY ALL LAUGH
0:22:31 > 0:22:33Oh, no, oh, stop it.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44As a child, I placed value without thinking about it then,
0:22:44 > 0:22:50but I placed value on being in the woods for all sorts of reasons,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53you know, they were joyful places.
0:22:53 > 0:22:58But there were also, in the darkness of a large wood,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01there was an intimidating quality,
0:23:01 > 0:23:07which was somehow attractive to a small child.
0:23:15 > 0:23:21They were places where you could express yourself without comeback
0:23:21 > 0:23:26and they were places where you got wild, you know,
0:23:26 > 0:23:29they had a sense of wildness about them
0:23:29 > 0:23:32and it would turn kids into wild hooligans.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34THEY SHOUT AND CHEER
0:23:37 > 0:23:42And those are qualities which I inevitably feel
0:23:42 > 0:23:45I should pass on to my kids.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04Trees are a key to our quality of life.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08You only have to walk ten yards into a woodland to sense that
0:24:08 > 0:24:11there is a different spirit in the air.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16But our woodlands are always going to struggle if we value them
0:24:16 > 0:24:21only in terms of what we can materially take out,
0:24:21 > 0:24:25which begs the question, is there another way to value them?
0:24:25 > 0:24:30Can we value them purely in terms of their just being there,
0:24:30 > 0:24:32their existential value?
0:24:34 > 0:24:38For eight months, woodsmen, coppicers
0:24:38 > 0:24:41and horse loggers have been in and out of Rob's wood.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45People who see timber as a resource, to be extracted and processed.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47But for millions of people,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50our woodlands are simply a space to be enjoyed.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53These guys are the 9.8 Cartel,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56an underground mountain biking group from South Wales.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59I've invited them here because, if you want to get people
0:24:59 > 0:25:01into the woods to use them,
0:25:01 > 0:25:05recreational users, young recreational users,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08then, for me, the first port of call is mountain bikers.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15Mountain biking is one of Britain's fastest growing sports.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18It's bringing a new generation of people into the woods.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Young people who want to manage them,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24albeit not for the timber they contain.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28The club came about, just a group of friends looking to ride together.
0:25:28 > 0:25:319.8 metres per second squared is the speed of gravity.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36A lot of people may get the idea that mountain bikes will
0:25:36 > 0:25:38come into the woodland to destroy the place, you know,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41chop down trees and all this sort of stuff,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44that's not what we do at all. The more natural the track is,
0:25:44 > 0:25:46is what a mountain biker would want to see.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51We may use, you know, fallen branches and stuff to prop up ramps
0:25:51 > 0:25:55but we just use the dirt and we just use the natural terrain.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Mountain bikers look at our woods in a different way.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Not just as a store of timber, but as a place where trees,
0:26:02 > 0:26:06roots and ditches become part of a giant living playground.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08You can make so much from a woodland,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11you can make your jumps, switch backs, berms, tabletops,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14and then all you've got to do with a woodland like this
0:26:14 > 0:26:17is just look up there, imagine where you'd like to ride,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19put a shovel in the ground, and make something.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24So woodlands, for us, are just key to our sport.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28After only an afternoon of digging, a track has been built
0:26:28 > 0:26:31and a business proposition is on the table.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35I think there's real potential here for maybe two or three tracks.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38It's the right sort of length, it's ideal.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41And you could charge people to come and use it, do you reckon?
0:26:41 > 0:26:44Yeah, definitely, yeah. It's getting more and more popular in Wales.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Typically, a couple of Land Rovers and a trailer,
0:26:47 > 0:26:49you could charge up to £25 a head.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51People are out there doing that already?
0:26:51 > 0:26:53It's getting more and more popular in Wales.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55There's quite a few farmers I know who do it
0:26:55 > 0:26:57and people are prepared to travel.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00We travel to North Wales when we hear there's a new one up there, so
0:27:00 > 0:27:04if you did that thing here you could get people travelling from all over.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10THEY CHATTER EXCITEDLY
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Give it leather, lads.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Mad as a bag of frogs, the lot of them.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51So there's two things I love about this
0:27:51 > 0:27:53one, it's very low impact and it's organic.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56As soon as these boys stop riding this track it's gone.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58And then the other great thing is,
0:27:58 > 0:28:01they'll pay to come and do this, which means that there's
0:28:01 > 0:28:05a viable income stream for the wood without having to fell the trees.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20Awesome, love it, love it, love it.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22It's good, man. It's good effort.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24Next time at Strawberry Cottage Wood,
0:28:24 > 0:28:28Rob has an end-of-year assessment from a conservationist.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30We can really see the difference,
0:28:30 > 0:28:31we can see the top of the slope now.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34He gets the timber back from his old ash tree.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37They are exquisitely beautiful.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41And he sees what his woodland could look like in years to come.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44- It feels alive and vital again, doesn't it?- It certainly does.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd