How to set up your own Woodland Project
You will need a strong Autistic community in you area so that you have sufficient people to support the project and ideally your local Autism group should have Charitable status (this will give the project credibility when it comes to the getting land stage).
Ask your local Autism group if they are happy to undertake such a project. It is a good idea to find as many people within the group as possible to volunteer for roles in the project so that it is not placing extra burden on the people running the group. People running groups are often very busy already so the project needs to take place without adding to their burden. You will always find a variety of individuals with different skill sets within any group so you just need to find the right people for the right tasks.
Once you as a group have decided to start a woodland project you will need to undertake the task of getting land to plant trees on to create a new wood. Farmers are able to get subsidies for planting trees and will sometimes have areas of land that they can't do a lot with agriculturally due to aspect, soil quality, the land being to wet to grow crops on etc. Write to local farmers explaining that you are a charitable project for Autistic people looking to rent a small area (2-3 acres) of land to plant trees on and create and maintain a new wood.
Wait for replies and hopefully you will have some success. If a farmer can get a subsidy to plant trees and not have to go to the effort of planting the trees themselves they might be willing to do it. Also they get to help out a local charitable organisation, and to rent out some land that they would not otherwise be able to do anything with.
Once you have the land you will need to look at the soil type, drainage and look at what other tree species grow in the area. Send a soil sample of for testing. The type of wood you create will depend on the type of land, for example a very wet area would support Willow, Alder, Birch and even experimental forestry such as Timber Bamboo.
Work out what trees will thrive in this environment and start planting.
Once one Autism group has successfully rented land and started a woodland project it will be easier for others to do so. When another group decides to start a project they can refer the farmer to what the previous group has achieved. They will be able to see that it is an established idea and a workable proposition.
All it takes is one group to have a go at this idea and make a success of it and it opens the doors for a myriad of woodland projects led by Autistic people to take place across the country.