MJO Forestry – A Local Family Business
Meet Marc
Marc Odin grew up in the little village of West Dean nestled in the heart of the South Downs. His parents moved there when his Father, Ian Odin, 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 mates wanting work prior to heading off to university it was relatively easy to supply and so there it began. Marc started drift-weeding on the vast areas of newly planted woodland on West Dean Estate and built his business from there.
Where We Are Now
Marc’s business has gone from strength to strength and now provides sustainable forestry and complete woodland management.
We organise large scale woodland management, woodland planting, track and ride clearance, purchase of standing timber, coppicing, tree thinning and tree felling, as well as footpath and ditch maintenance. We also work closely with private woodland owners, as well as wildlife and conservation groups to increase bio-diversity.
Our other clients include various local wood markets (including high quality chestnut fencing) as well as numerous local firewood 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
