The Team | Holistic Land Manage

More about us as a team

We need some photos of you at work together

John and Richard met while working for the Woodland Trust in 2017. Between the two of them they were responsible for the management of the Woodland Trust's estate in North East England. During their time together managing the sites, they became aware of the lack of suitable tools and resources for management of the open spaces in and around the woodlands. On many occasions the sites were too small for most machines to work or the material too difficult to remove.

Holistic Land Management (HLM) was in its infancy and in 2020 two pedigree Highland Cattle were purchased jointly between John and Richard, with the intention of using them for conservation grazing.

The learning curve of animal management has been steep and ever evolving. Open space management has become a significant and important component to HLM's business, from it roots established in woodland.

John and Richard are passionate about land management. As the name Holistic Land Management suggests, they look at ALL of the land holistically, working with landowners in their decision making based on what is appropriate.

Co Director

John Butler

Having spent most of my career in Industry we moved from Manchester to the North East in 1989, I was still in industry but would break out into the countryside later.

In 1993 I enrolled as a volunteer with Durham County Council countryside ranger service, in 1998 enrolled on a HNC Countryside Management distance learning course.

In 2004, after 11 years, the volunteering paid off when I applied and was offered a part time ranger post with the Countryside Service which went full time some years later. In that time, I boosted, at my own expense, my HNC to a HND in Countryside management, took on a part time post with the Forestry Commission as Assistant recreation ranger, whilst there achieved a HNC in Forestry and achieved many land-based skills:

CS30-31A-31B Maintenance, cross cutting

CS36 Breakdown of a broad leaved crown.

CS48 Award in Safe Use of a Powered Pole Pruner

CS50/0021-05 Emergency Tree Work Operations

PA1-PA6.

ATV/4WD awareness

In 2016 I landed a post with the Woodland Trust as Assistant Site Manger that progressed to Site Manger later. I was with them nearly three years and whilst there, covered in house skills, data awareness, internet security plus field skills such as:

AWR (Ancient Woodland Restoration) Level 1
Volunteer Management
EPS (European Protected Species) Awareness
Tree Safety

Co Director

Richard Wilson

Having spent my childhood playing in the countryside, climbing trees and building dens, I have managed to continue my passion for the natural environment into a career.

My first taste of working in natural environment and conservation sector, was when as a teenager, I volunteered at a local Country Park every weekend, assisting the Countryside Rangers carry out the maintenance around park. These tasks varied so much and were outside, I knew this was an area that I wanted to work in.

I continued my studies and I enrolled at the University of Wales, Bangor where I gained a Batchelor of Science Degree in Rural Resource Management. This gave me a broad academic understanding of Forestry, Farming and Conservation in the UK. I spent a year out of my studies at a University in America, working as a Field Assistant for some projects linked to the University of Reno, Nevada. One project was looking at the foraging behaviour or the North American Pika and the other was looking at the effects of prescribed burning on pine seedling germination within the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Both these projects involved extensive fieldwork in the mountains.

After graduating with my degree, I moved to America to travel and assisting on more ecological surveys. These surveys were wide ranging in both geography and skills requirements. Nighttime spotlighting surveys for endangered Black-Footed Ferrets in Wyoming. Live mammal trapping in Colorado and Bald Eagle monitoring in Idaho to mention some.

On return to the UK in 2004, my search for work meant developing and acquiring additional practical skill. Therefore, work included fencing, planting and some training with the National Trust for Scotland, getting a Scottish Vocational Qualification in Environmental Conservation specialising in Upland Footpath Construction and Maintenance. My self-employed work was mainly around the Highland of Scotland where I had moved.

In 2006 I was offered some summer work with Forestry Commission Scotland and this was the start of my journey into commercial forestry. The training and practical qualifications I gained in this year employed by the Forestry Commission gave me the opportunity to be exposed to the highest of industry standards.

After a move south in 2007 and a short time as a trainee tree surgeon, I managed to secure a permanent role in the Forestry Commission, based in East Anglia as a Forest Craftsperson. Within a year I was awarded the temporary promotion opportunity as a Works Supervisor. In 2010 I took the permanent position of Work Supervisor and Coldstore Manager within the Forestry Commission, which is when the family moved to Northumberland.

While at the Forestry Commission I was promoted again to Harvesting and Marketing Forester, where I was line managing 11 staff. One Works Supervisor and 10 Machine Operators who were harvesting 100,000m3/year.

In 2017 I took the decision to leave the Forestry Commission and my Harvesting Foresters role to gain a wider range of skills and experiences. I was successful in becoming a Site Manager for the Woodland Trust and I was responsible for the Woodland Trusts sites within the North East of England. This role was one of huge variety and variation. From manging volunteers to organising harvesting contracts on ancient woodland sites or speaking to donors wanting to buy a woodland for the Trust or a neighbouring landowner that doesn’t like the leaves dropping into their garden from the trees on our land!

After 5 years with the Woodland Trust, I wanted to utilise my skills further than the Woodland Trusts land, so I moved back into the Forestry Commission, where I am embedded in the grants and regulations team and advising landowners on grants for woodlands.

In 2020 during the covid times, we moved to a tenant farm in the North Pennines National Landscape. While at the farm I have been involved in the Sustainable Farming Incentive Pilot Scheme and helped shape the future grant funding, to hopefully cater better for upland farms. I have also been building my skills and understanding of livestock husbandry by managing the growing Highland Cattle Fold, as well as numerous other types of animals including rare breed sheep, pigs, alpacas, goats, chickens and bees.