Sometimes you don't see the woods for the trees. Forest of Dean residents are surrounded by trees, but very few know where these end up when they are eventually felled.
Last week we reported how participants in the Dean Oak Co are planning to attend the National Hardwoods Auction at Westonbirt at the end of November when this year's stands of Forest of Dean timber allocated for felling will be on offer.
Next week the Review begins a series reporting how the heavier timber is marketed, harvested, milled and eventually used. We will be accompanying potential buyers as they inspect and evaluate the stands. At Westonbirt we will watch how Tim Orson and bigger bidders make out.
We will observe the contractors as they clear or thin the stands and then follow the trees to local sawmills. Finally we will visit the workshops of Forest woodworkers, some of them nationally and internationally famous.
"We welcome the Review's initiative," says Forest Enterprise's Deputy Surveyor Rob Guest.
"People sometimes forget the Forest of Dean is a working forest where timber production has been undertaken for centuries, providing employment and satisfying society's material needs from its timber sales. Residents and visitors enjoy the woodlands for their natural beauty and tranquility, but our bread-and-butter work is mostly invisible."
Next week: Bob Smyth meeting Planning Forester Ben Lennon.