Grading Oak

[Silvester]

Hi 

A new member here. I have a block of semi natural ancient woodland on the farm that I am gradually bringing back under management.

 

Lost several reasonable sized oaks (65 cm diameter at 1.5m) in the autumn that I am in the process of cleaning up so that I can extract them when dry. None are great with various knots and dead branches. Probably only 8ft of clean stem on the one shown in the photo - others are cleaner, with one having a fair amount of  epicormic growth.

 

Would this be regarded a "fencing oak" or does it need to be added to my firewood pile !

 

Does any one know who might be in the market for this type of timber. Probably got 5 similarly sized butts. NE Hampshire.

 

Regards. 

 

Andrew

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kernowstu]

Give Ian Hampshire a call 07860 383369 top bloke, will advise/buy

[openspaceman]

50 minutes ago, Silvester said:

Lost several reasonable sized oaks (65 cm diameter at 1.5m) in the autumn that I am in the process of cleaning up so that I can extract them when dry. None are great with various knots and dead branches. Probably only 8ft of clean stem on the one shown in the photo - others are cleaner, with one having a fair amount of  epicormic growth.

 

Would this be regarded a "fencing oak" or does it need to be added to my firewood pile !

Fencing oak was  a size as well as a quality, generally a tree that would have grown on for the butt to become "planking" or a longer length a "beam". Your picture shows a typical oak grown as a standard with an under storey but the canopy has closed or its own crown has self shaded over some lower limbs and they have died off, leaving dead knots, making the second length less desirable. All of it would be good enough for a small oak frame as the bits with dead knots while not having strength in bending would work in tension as sole or wall plates or tie beams. The butt end is clean so good for rafters and posts, 40 years ago the length up to the bottom of the major scaffold branch you have left on would have fetched £1.50-2.50/Hft in full lorry loads. I've been out of it too long to know current prices.

 

The most valuable piece is the butt from the root plate to a bit below that dead limb at the bottom pointing into the ground at an acute angle, if a sawmill wanted this it would pay enough  to make the rest  not worth considering for anything except firewood or mining timber (a market long gone)

[Silvester]

10 hours ago, kernowstu said:

Give Ian Hampshire a call 07860 383369 top bloke, will advise/buy

Thanks very much for the recommendation. I see that he is based in Medstead - so fairly close by. I will give him a call.

 

Andrew

[Silvester]

10 hours ago, openspaceman said:

Fencing oak was  a size as well as a quality, generally a tree that would have grown on for the butt to become "planking" or a longer length a "beam". Your picture shows a typical oak grown as a standard with an under storey but the canopy has closed or its own crown has self shaded over some lower limbs and they have died off, leaving dead knots, making the second length less desirable. All of it would be good enough for a small oak frame as the bits with dead knots while not having strength in bending would work in tension as sole or wall plates or tie beams. The butt end is clean so good for rafters and posts, 40 years ago the length up to the bottom of the major scaffold branch you have left on would have fetched £1.50-2.50/Hft in full lorry loads. I've been out of it too long to know current prices.

 

The most valuable piece is the butt from the root plate to a bit below that dead limb at the bottom pointing into the ground at an acute angle, if a sawmill wanted this it would pay enough  to make the rest  not worth considering for anything except firewood or mining timber (a market long gone)

Thank you very much for your detailed response. 

 

Nothing much has has been done in the wood in the wood in the last 50 years and In the past some good timber has gone to waste on the floor. I invested in a grapple a few years back and can now skid out what I want to ride side.

 

The RHI and increased firewood prices have been a blessing for these types of woods. However I believe that the real management issue lies in the ever increasing numbers of deer, that through heavy browsing prevent the natural cycle of regeneration in ANSW. Without a degree of control then the character of the wood changes and I am seeing this with more open glades and fewer trees.

 

Thanks again.

 

Andrew

 

 

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, Silvester said:

 

 

Nothing much has has been done in the wood in the wood in the last 50 years and In the past some good timber has gone to waste on the floor. I invested in a grapple a few years back and can now skid out what I want to ride side.

This is true of many small woods, often after the better timber has been taken and the  lesser stems "recruited" to be a final crop in order to get around the need to replant and maintain. We lost our culture  for looking after woodlands after the two world wars.

 

I doubt natural regeneration to the level I think you mean was ever much of a feature of coppice with standards, unlike the French who aim for a dense carpet of oak seedlings prior to felling the remaining seed trees and then intensely managing the regeneration for many years. The English seem to have wanted to shut the gate on the  wood apart from regular sales of underwood, the onus being on the coppice worker to tend to any maiden oaks. From the coppice workers point of view this was onerous as the oaks then detracted from the coppice crop.

 

When you neck off that fallen stem remember 1cm at the bottom is worth more than 20cm at the top of the sawlog and most instructions for safely separating the root from the butt involve leaving quite a bit of the best timber behind. Consider also a small tear out of the buttresses top and bottom  from a tight boring cut can easily be dressed out without affecting the sale value at all.