Book excerpt: As a young boy, David witnessed bulldozers obliterate a forest for a bypass. Decades later, he resolved to replace the annihilated trees with another wood. Starting from nothing, he set about the task. It was not easy; there was vastly more to woodland establishment than planting saplings. Writing informally, David recalls the triumphs and disasters of his undertaking. Success was hard-won and ultimately depended on an overlooked truth... Splendidly illustrated with aerial photos, this is the must read book for those wanting, or wondering what it is like, to plant a new wood of their own.