A Family Run Business
Our Story:
About MJO Forestry
Marc Odin grew up in the small downland village of West Dean lying in the heart of the South Downs. His parents moved there when his father, Ian, was hired as a forest worker for West Dean Estate in 1964. Marc was 9 when he got his first job earning £1 per hour at Chilsdown Vineyard, working alongside his beloved mother Hilda and little brother Neil.
After finishing his A Levels at Chichester High School for Boys in 1988 he offered to help his father with an immediate problem… After the devasting storm of 1987, there were no local forestry contractors that wanted to take on a job so mindless and monotonous as drift-weeding the affected areas. With plenty of school friends keen to find work prior to heading off to university it was relatively easy for Marc to find the labour. Marc and his friends started drift-weeding on the vast areas of newly planted woodland on West Dean Estate and so MJO Forestry was born and the business has gone on and grown from there.
Where We Are Today
Marc’s business has grown and gone from strength to strength. Today MJO Forestry is still a Family Run Forestry Business. We work alongside woodland owners and wildlife & conservation groups to increase bio-diversity on the South Downs.
We carry out large scale woodland management and all that entails. Our work includes woodland planting, track and ride clearance, purchase of standing timber, coppicing, tree thinning and tree felling, as well as footpath and ditch maintenance. We work closely with private woodland owners as well as wildlife and conservation groups, working to increase bio-diversity on the South Downs and beyond.
Our other clients include various local wood markets (including high quality chestnut fencing) as well as numerous local firewood businesses. MJO also has links with local seasoned firewood supplier ‘Forest To Fire Ltd‘ who supply ‘Ready To Burn‘ logs to local homes and businesses.
Recent Work
Most recently we have been carrying out roadside operations due to the Ash Dieback that has hit the UK over the past few years.
We have worked closely with road agencies to ensure that all dangerous trees are removed from the roadsides in order to prevent possible accidents from happening.
Our innovative work in this has caught the attention of the Forestry Commission and we are passing as much information on as we can in order to help other agencies.
Meet The Team
