Continuous Cover Forestry?

[matelot]

I don't think I've ever seen a thread on CCF here. Since I think it's an interesting idea I thought I'd start a thread.

 

I love the idea of CCF ie better habitat for wildlife and not being forced to sell masses of timber when prices are low. However I just don't see how it can work in the UK. Surely if you clear a patch of wood it means you get windblow in neighbouring plots? I cant see how removing a couple of trees from an acre can make much financial sense?

 

Has anyone seen it work successfully in the UK?

[Mambus]

Phillipe Morgan from west wales is a great exponent as was the sadly missed Tallis Calnars.

 

Re: neighbouring stands being exposed, what would clearfelling do?

 

It doesn't work everywhere and you've got to be careful with your starting point. It might be possible to start with a thinned mid-rotation crop which can be further thinned using graduated intensity techniques to keep it wind firm (eg line thin 1 in 6 and feather neighbouring lines leaving an unthinned wind firm 6th row). The older the stand, the less likely you will be able convert to CCF. There's loads of literature out there including FC stuff and apart from the benefits you mention, timber quality is meant to be improved too with longer fibre lengths developing in most conifers.

There you go, you've started a thread! [emoji106]

Oh, and check out target-dimension felling, re markets.

 

 

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[devon TWiG]

I don't think I've ever seen a thread on CCF here. Since I think it's an interesting idea I thought I'd start a thread.

 

I love the idea of CCF ie better habitat for wildlife and not being forced to sell masses of timber when prices are low. However I just don't see how it can work in the UK. Surely if you clear a patch of wood it means you get windblow in neighbouring plots? I cant see how removing a couple of trees from an acre can make much financial sense?

 

Has anyone seen it work successfully in the UK?

 

Yes .... google " bradford hutt plan " I regularly pass a place where this is used ( very steep ground ) not sure how success can be measured as I would imagine harvesting costs are high , but there are some magnificent WRC 's and DF 's in the woods .....

[Khriss]

Heard a lot abt this - but not heard anyone implimenting it . It 'should ' be good for wildlife and amenity considerations , but AnY forest operations change habitat -so am not sure how viable it can be. Seen a few 'coppice with standards ' operations fail miserably over the years K

[luftwaffe]

It's just idea to avoid the cost-hassle of replanting, and to keep the forest managers in work by doing a little bit of thinning little and often.

[stihlmadasever]

As touched on above it would greatly depend on how the timber is extracted,any forestry operations will have an impact on the environment.Many factors to conscider to make it a success,rotational thinning could definetly work in some instances but each case would have to be looked at and worked in a very specific way.

Hold on hold on ive just noticed matelot started this thread.....

Impressive

[MattyF]

There is bands of continuous cover around me .... some where for the squirrels to go I guess and certainly makes a change from the thousands of acres of Sitka plantations around them. One thing is they do blow if a block of Sitka near them is clear felled or the continuous cover is thinned, they seem to be the only contractors working in this part of the forest at the moment with a lot of the big contractors twiddling there thumbs waiting for the new financial year to get cracking again.

Watching a newly racked thinned block of Sitka that runs up to a near by loch with great interest in the future ..it is about 20 years old and just been rack thinned with a machine. The other existing blocks are a mixture of age and species and should look good when the wind blow is cleared and new thinning done.

[slack ma girdle]

Yes .... google " bradford hutt plan " I regularly pass a place where this is used ( very steep ground ) not sure how success can be measured as I would imagine harvesting costs are high , but there are some magnificent WRC 's and DF 's in the woods .....

 

Is that on the Devon Cornwall borders, next to some old arsenic workings?

[Jimbo 76]

CCF compromises most of our work. We are a very small company. But we have found this to our advantage in this sector.

 

Our principle employers are trusts and other similar bodies. The main driver is concervstion and habitat emprovement.

 

In about half the sites we do the work on day rate with the option to buy the timber to off set the employers costs. If we do not exercise this option it's put into open market.

In the other half the dependant on site we will purchase the timber standing.

 

I like the idea in principle, that the work is dependant on site and not a one size fits all policy. But I do think is requires continuity of management and I guess only time will tell. Also much of the sites upkeep after we have left is supported by volenteers due to the nature of our employers. So in the wider open market not sure how this could be commercially sustained?

 

Cheers,

James.

Edited April 4, 2017 by Jimbo 76
Spelling

[Will Heal]

Is that on the Devon Cornwall borders, next to some old arsenic workings?

 

 

Yes, I worked in it for a year when I left school

 

 

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