Spirits and brambles.
Today I went into the woods to commune with the local spirits in order to gain permission to worship in the area. At first, I felt a very nervous vibe, but I'm not sure if that was my own feelings or maybe the feelings of both parties...anyways, I didn't bring anything for an offering this time, but I did a bit of cleaning up by moving some dead branches that had a plant pinned down. After I did that, I felt the tension ease a lot, so I'm sure they realized I wasn't there to do any harm; at least, not intentionally.
My stay in the woods was only about thirty minutes, but I think this is a good start. I'm going to go back in a few days and try some more communing and bring some offerings so I can better gain their trust. I want to be sure they're ok with it before I do any ritual out there.