Ben Holzer
Landscape Historian with
over thirty years experience
Woodland management plans to Forestry Commission standards, and landscape history research for private estates and landowners across Suffolk and beyond.
Woodland management plans
Woodland management plans written to Forestry Commission standards, transforming the goals for your woodland into a practical, documented strategy.
Working with private landowners and woodland owners, I produce detailed plans designed to enhance the long-term ecology and productivity of your woodland: whether your priority is conservation, biodiversity net gain, or the sustainable management of ancient woodland and coppice.
All plans include full survey mapping and documentation. Get in touch to discuss your woodland.
- Site survey and woodland inventory
- Compartment mapping and sub-compartment classification
- 10-year management plan written to UK Forestry Standard
- Conservation, biodiversity net gain, and habitat objectives
- Ancient woodland, coppice, and veteran tree assessment
- Felling licence support and plan of operations
- Protected species and designated site considerations
- Practical management recommendations with clear timescales
Landscape history & heritage
Researching the history of private estates, parkland, and woodland, uncovering how centuries of past management have shaped what exists on the ground today.
Drawing on LiDAR, historic maps, and archival sources, I produce research and reports for private landowners and estate managers who want a deeper understanding of their land, whether for personal interest, estate acquisition, or to support conservation and planning.
- Desk-based assessment and archival research
- Historic map regression — tithe, enclosure, estate and OS mapping
- LiDAR analysis and earthwork interpretation
- Identification of parkland features, field systems, and former land use
- Historic landscape characterisation reports
- Research into estate and family history of land ownership
- Reports suitable for private use, grant applications, and planning support
- Statements of significance for heritage assets
Thirty years in the landscape
Ben Holzer has spent his working life in close relationship with the British landscape. Beginning with a HND in Conservation Management in the early 1990s, he has worked across horticulture, land management, and environmental survey — accumulating a depth of practical knowledge that few academic routes alone can provide.
Returning to formal study later in his career, he completed a BA and subsequently an MA in Landscape History — bringing academic rigour to bear on a lifetime of field experience. Today he works as a woodland surveyor and landscape historian, producing management plans to current Forestry Commission standards and undertaking historical research for private estates, landowners, and conservation bodies across Suffolk and beyond.
His approach draws on GIS mapping, LiDAR analysis, historic cartography, and decades of direct observation — combining the tools of the modern surveyor with the methods of the landscape historian.
MA, Landscape History 2019–2021
BA, History & Landscape History 2004–2010
HND, Conservation Management 1990–1992
Get in
touch
Whether you need a woodland management plan, heritage research for your estate, or simply want to discuss what’s possible, get in touch to arrange an initial conversation.
