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Back To: Your
Response to the WoodLots consultation
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In
our recent survey on the future of WoodLots many useful comments were made
by our readers. We’ve selected a few, showing the varied perspectives
amongst the readership and giving some background to the decisions we’ve
made about raising revenue |
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Conservation
Woodland Owner, East Sussex:
‘Woodlots
is extremely useful as a reference work, keeping me in touch with services,
giving me an overall idea of who wants what and where they are. I would be
prepared to pay a small subscription, if this is what it takes to keep it
going, but my means are limited, most of my time and spare cash going into
running the wood. Am not bothered about profit, just maintaining a healthy
wood’. |
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Timber-framer,
West Sussex:
‘Woodlots is doing a simply
outstanding job and I would be very sorry to see it disappear. It is just
beginning to come into its own after many years of investment and I believe
it potentially forms the backbone from which many additional endeavours can
blossom. The small woodland owner and average woodland practitioner
generally operate on a very tight budget (read: ‘no money’) and thus it
is important not to drive anyone away by imposing a payment structure. Much
better to offer additional services for which a charge can be
levied’. |
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Coppice
cutter, Kent: ‘It would be a great shame
for WoodNet to become over commercialised, leading to a greater
administrative burden resulting in increased costs.
I believe that much of WoodLots attraction is its simplicity and
introducing the competitive element of extra advertising styles would
detract from this. Many of the advertisers are woodland workers trying to
find what seems to be a scarce market for basic woodland product (eg fencing
stakes/ rails etc) and there is a danger that these people will be
frightened off rather than encouraged if the magazine becomes dominated by
larger organisations that can afford higher marketing costs’. |
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Woodland
owner, East Sussex:
‘Very
important to keep WoodLots free. Persuade large-scale businesses
(eg. Wood machine manufacturers) to insert full-colour display advertising.
The readership must be of high advertising value. You could persuade
businesses to insert special adverts aimed at the unique market’. |
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Woodland
Manager, Coppice worker, Surrey:
‘WoodLots
to reach ‘Jo Public’ so they can see that there is an alternative to
imported and/or mass produced timber products. We like the simple advert
layouts as puts all suppliers on equal level, also the hard copy is popular
to pass around between colleagues and clients’. |
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Furniture
maker, East Sussex:
‘Hold
informal functions at the Woodland Enterprise Centre encouraging timber
interested people to network and increase WoodNet profile. Social events (a
Wood Ball?). Also, why not publish four times a year, seasonally, thus
reducing production costs’. |
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Woodland
owner, Hampshire:
‘For
me WoodLots is a superb publication linking owners/managers/buyers etc. I
would be happy to pay a small subscription to receive WoodLots. I prefer
hard copy even though I have easy internet access’. |
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Horse-drawn
Timber Extraction Business, Kent: ‘I have found WoodLots to be an invaluable
publication. My advert has gained me contracts and has allowed me to contact
other contractors. Further support from local councils would allow WoodLots
to expand and support more training programmes and seminars’. |
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Your
comments & feedback are welcome: if you have any suggestions or
comments on the future development of WoodLots service, please let us know
at info@woodnet.org.uk |
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Back To: Your
Response to the WoodLots consultation
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