Larch price

[Big J]

18 minutes ago, arcwoodlands said:

Lot of what you are saying is wrong or much more nuanced. FC wind maps show Scotland generally more windy than southern UK. Just because you had a nice stand in Moray doesn't mean West Country worse. Read the what the wood scientist says about speed of growth in relation to strength, which I assume you are using as the measure of "quality"? Yes wind creates tension and yes the continent is generally less windy but its a bit more complex

I agree that it's more complex, but my understanding so far is that the increased wind speed, decreased quality of sunlight in summer and the lack of a dormant season contributes substantially to our rapidly grown, but generally low quality timber.

 

Please educate me on this - I do find it very interesting and it's something I'd like to know more about. I know a little more about silviculture than is needed to be a harvesting contractor, but would not describe myself as a forester. I'm only reflecting on my own limited knowledge in the field and my more extensive empirical observations from being both a harvesting contractor and sawmill owner.

 

I posted a photo of some first thinning spruce from Cornwall on a Swedish forestry group and it was described as balsa wood 😄

[arcwoodlands]

It doesn't matter how you would describe yourself but as somone who falls trees as well as mills them your experience is hard won. Check the Edinburgh napier wood science blog. Some of your opinion will be validated. Some will not. 

[Big J]

6 minutes ago, arcwoodlands said:

It doesn't matter how you would describe yourself but as somone who falls trees as well as mills them your experience is hard won. Check the Edinburgh napier wood science blog. Some of your opinion will be validated. Some will not. 

Thanks for that. I shall have a look. 

 

I started out on second thinnings on hardwoods, handfelling. Ran a sawmill for 7 years, whilst doing larger diseased elm and sometimes specimen softwood harvesting jobs in Morayshire and the Highlands. Then moved to Devon and do a wide range of forestry. The variations are really interesting, and there certainly is some good quality timber here, but it's a lot of work to get it to that state. You do notice that even just a couple of counties east of us that the oak (particularly) improves no end. 

 

 

[arcwoodlands]

It's all in the silviculture... 

[Big J]

5 minutes ago, arcwoodlands said:

It's all in the silviculture... 

 

Most of the forestry here in Devon is planted on such marginal land. There is also loads of spruce on sites that are completely unsuitable. We're working in a bark beetle infested stand at the moment, which I feel is exacerbated by the extremely dry nature of the hill top. Drought stress makes for a happy bark beetle.

[Mike Hill]

Mate

 

The Pacific "North Wet" is rainy as all fcuk mate.That rain dosnt fall from blue skies...

 

Bergen has sometimes 300 days of rain too,but there is little difference in the trees between here and Oslo for example.

[Big J]

28 minutes ago, Mike Hill said:

Mate

 

The Pacific "North Wet" is rainy as all fcuk mate.That rain dosnt fall from blue skies...

 

Bergen has sometimes 300 days of rain too,but there is little difference in the trees between here and Oslo for example.

 

I appreciate that. 

 

So what's your explanation for the rapidly grown, but poor quality timber in the UK?

[Mike Hill]

41 minutes ago, Big J said:

 

I appreciate that. 

 

So what's your explanation for the rapidly grown, but poor quality timber in the UK?

I dont know J

You are the one telling the story.

 

If I had to guess,I would put it down to much better soil quality in the UK.The Soil in Scandi is shite in the forestry areas and worse on the coast.Just like the PNW.

[Big J]

4 minutes ago, Mike Hill said:

I dont know J

You are the one telling the story.

 

If I had to guess,I would put it down to much better soil quality in the UK.The Soil in Scandi is shite in the forestry areas and worse on the coast.Just like the PNW.

Interesting thought and I can't argue against it, but would then cite my various visits to Germany (good soil) where the forestry is generally excellent. 

[MattyF]

Interesting thought and I can't argue against it, but would then cite my various visits to Germany (good soil) where the forestry is generally excellent. 

Would you not say that is down to management, I thought to be a forester in Germany it’s earned through strict apprenticeship and training and in this country it appears any one can pick up a saw and have a hack about with little idea of what they are doing .. I think most of the forestry in this country is miss managed it has nothing to do with growing conditions, land owners expect to have trees that make them money with barely any input ,plant and forget and it does not work like that for quality timber... and then there are the idiots sitting on ancient woodland wanting to rip it out and plant Sitka ! Lad I know in the woodland trust was asked if there where grants to do this I kid you not!