Maybe the UK should plant more....

[Mr. Ed]

I can speak to pine martens doing for greys. Not a one here, but some reds. And pots of voles and birds too. this clip might show our resident charmer:
 

https://maggs-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/p/ed/EeTEDnU_IK1MvcMhdCF1le0BoS4K2_tN6_9ZG_EHYinnYw?e=WOwDfb

 

 

[AHPP]

Not intentionally so. Just a little pressed for time and it's a longer topic. 
 
The woodlands we're establishing are investments. People wanting to diversify income, rather than just straight agriculture. They derive income from the carbon, the harvesting and the amenity value. It's multifaceted, but they are being planted for economic reasons. 

I want to hear everything there is to know about it so if you need to avoid a board game or something over Christmas, I’ll be reading. I suspect eucalyptus is a great crop for real free market use but I also sadly suspect the amount of carbon it puts on (and therefore the amount of taxvictims’ money it can attract) is the driving factor for most people.

[Khriss]

27 minutes ago, AHPP said:

Now you are being evasive. Answer the question if you don’t mind.

Hes probably  working at this point, wot happened to courtesy? K

[Paul in the woods]

51 minutes ago, Big J said:

Happy to show you some of the plantations if you like Paul. I don't make anything out of the actual planting, but we have invested in a local nursery which is growing nitens for us.

Thanks for the offer and I would love to see some one day. I have intended to plant some Eucs before you mentioned Nitens so don't need convincing.

 

The site might be less than ideal so if I do plant it up it may be of interest to you and the nursery to see how it does. Have you posted up their details at all or can you PM me them please?

 

And AHPP, this would all be done with my own money purely for their practical use. I could see similar people to me (smallholders) being interested in them as well.

 

On that note, does Nitens have any other uses? Is the wood rot resistant at all for example?

[spuddog0507]

14 minutes ago, Big J said:

I'm sick to the teeth of harvesting on ground that is second rate, stupidly steep or has terrible access. As such, we only plant on drivable, lower level, fully accessible sites. 

Yes i know where your coming from here, but unfortunatly when the UK started the big push just after the end of WW11 it was only land that was deemed as unfit for farming or food growth that was planted with softwoods, One site we have worked on for many years was planted in the late 40s early 50s and back then it was some 300 acers but now has been increased to 800 acers, there is some very steep slopes on this site with some being 60-70 degrees which is not good ground to work on, One guy who used to cut with us his uncle (now deceased) was involved with the creation of this site and was telling us one day that he ploughed it all with a ex army catterpillar and just winched his self and machine back up the hill after he had done a furrow down hill, this is something i can not see being done in this day and age, but it was done, we have worked on these bankins over the years and some are hard work to stand up on yet alone go up and down on with a tracked machine ploughing all day,

[devon TWiG]

2 hours ago, Paul in the woods said:

It's just a few acres of amenity woodland, not a plantation. But it does highlight many problems.

 

I'm not convinced pine martins are the answer to grey squirrels everywhere, they may well eat them but they also eat a lot of other mammals, birds, eggs etc. Also not sure how many decades it'll take to eradicate greys from places like Devon.

 

With regard to fire, even it wet Devon you do get extended dry periods where fire does become a worry when you're living on the edge of woodland. Not sure if Euc is any worse than gorse and pine though.

 

I'm seriously thinking of putting in a acre or so of Euc, just for our own firewood. Something to diversify away from the ash that's coming out elsewhere.

 where in Devon is your woods ?   I have a few acres near Ashburton ......

[Paul in the woods]

2 minutes ago, devon TWiG said:

 where in Devon is your woods ?   I have a few acres near Ashburton ......

I own a few acres acres around our house which are on a fairly steep south slope and a few acres a couple of miles away that is fairly flat. Both to the NW of Holsworthy.

 

Both quite different although both are likely to need restocking with something after a fair bit of ash is removed.

 

Something I can get a harvest from within a decade is certainly appealing.

[Stubby]

2 hours ago, Mr. Ed said:

I can speak to pine martens doing for greys. Not a one here, but some reds. And pots of voles and birds too. this clip might show our resident charmer:
 

https://maggs-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/p/ed/EeTEDnU_IK1MvcMhdCF1le0BoS4K2_tN6_9ZG_EHYinnYw?e=WOwDfb

 

 

I had a polecat/ferret cross that looked a bit like him .

[Jack.P]

Anyone know how successful growing rosewoods in the uk might be ...I’m intrested in trying to grow some into a thin straight pole for chairs . 

[Khriss]

15 minutes ago, Jack.P said:

Anyone know how successful growing rosewoods in the uk might be ...I’m intrested in trying to grow some into a thin straight pole for chairs . 

Might have a wait on yr hands 😉 k