Had ago in this today

[dexta]

I had a go in this today it's suppose to be capable of doing 800 trees a day. What a awesome machine it's got loads of buttons to press ,a computer and even got a mouse. Don't think I could get full capacity out of it yet:thumbup:

[the village idiot]

I had my first go in something similar the other day. Had a Logset in to remove the last of the conifers from the ancient woodland. They are an amazing contradiction of brutality and technical finesse! Took me 10 miutes to fell and crosscut one spruce so I think I'll leave it to the professionals!

 

The operator was concerned that the amount of work available for these machines is dwindling, and it won't be too many years before they are all fighting over the last conifer standing. Be interesting to hear your thoughts on the future in store for these big harvesters.

[Wood wasp]

If we actually had a coherent planting policy to replace the softwoods being harvested then things wouldn't be too bad.

 

Instead we have the FC which is truly not fit for purpose and another multitude of quangos/"charities" obsessing with native woodland and planting hectares of useless rubbish.

 

Incidentally, one of the reasons conifers get such a bad name is because the FC proved incapable of managing the nations forest estate, as a result we ended up with millions hectares of dense forest consisting of choked dying trees.

 

"Self thin" was the term they conjured up to try cover up the mismanagement!

 

A mature, well managed, thinned conifer plantation is a beautiful thing and host to a multitude of beasts and bugs

[the village idiot]

Interesting stuff!

 

Could you elaborate on 'hectares of useless rubbish' that the FC are planting?

[Wood wasp]

FC are hardly planting at all these days.

 

Any major planting scheme announced by quango/charity is always for native woodland and it's not even for native woodland which will ultimately have commercial timber value.

[Mat]

.... obsessing with native woodland and planting hectares of useless rubbish.

 

+1

 

 

A mature, well managed, thinned conifer plantation is a beautiful thing and host to a multitude of beasts and bugs

 

+1 also.

 

I started off hand felling in production forestry.

 

Much of it was Windblow in the Westcountry, but the sections of woodland that was left standing by the storms were beautiful and serine places ('groves' of douglas fir etc).

 

We cleared the standing tress on these sites as well, so that the whole sites could be replanted with mixed hardwoods in one go.

 

When I take a 'sentimental journey', and revisit these sites all these years later, what appears to remain is nothing but stunted tangled woody scrub .

[Brushcutter]

Is that a 12 or 14 70. Either way its very smart.

 

I always found driving the harvester boring and stressful. Although i did like clear fell thinning i really didn't like. I can't remember what i use to cut a day but it was a lot more than i could hand cut and stack...

 

The tigercats are getting a fair amount of work because they can get to the real steep stuff.

 

I can only echo what has been said about the FC and everybodys else policy on native woodland. Sold the FC a lot of 1x1 planting stakes for the tubes on there oak/ash/cherry mix woodland to replant around here. The whole lot will just turn into a tangled un thinned un managed mess in the name of nature conservation.

 

I know matrix planting has its issues but the end product of a mix of hardwood/softwood that has been looked after will deliver nature conservation, timber production and all sorts of non timber value products. In fact you can move to a CCF system featuring heavily on timber quality. All it would take is a bit of thought and well planting some conifers; which after all is what the UK and international timber market want.

[County 764]

If we actually had a coherent planting policy to replace the softwoods being harvested then things wouldn't be too bad.

 

Instead we have the FC which is truly not fit for purpose and another multitude of quangos/"charities" obsessing with native woodland and planting hectares of useless rubbish.

 

Incidentally, one of the reasons conifers get such a bad name is because the FC proved incapable of managing the nations forest estate, as a result we ended up with millions hectares of dense forest consisting of choked dying trees.

 

"Self thin" was the term they conjured up to try cover up the mismanagement!

 

A mature, well managed, thinned conifer plantation is a beautiful thing and host to a multitude of beasts and bugs

 

Sadly he's completely correct in his summing up of the FC

[R5log]

Is that a 12 or 14 70. Either way its very smart.

 

 

 

I always found driving the harvester boring and stressful. Although i did like clear fell thinning i really didn't like. I can't remember what i use to cut a day but it was a lot more than i could hand cut and stack...

 

 

 

The tigercats are getting a fair amount of work because they can get to the real steep stuff.

 

 

 

I can only echo what has been said about the FC and everybodys else policy on native woodland. Sold the FC a lot of 1x1 planting stakes for the tubes on there oak/ash/cherry mix woodland to replant around here. The whole lot will just turn into a tangled un thinned un managed mess in the name of nature conservation.

 

 

 

I know matrix planting has its issues but the end product of a mix of hardwood/softwood that has been looked after will deliver nature conservation, timber production and all sorts of non timber value products. In fact you can move to a CCF system featuring heavily on timber quality. All it would take is a bit of thought and well planting some conifers; which after all is what the UK and international timber market want.

 

 

1270e

[roseyweb]

Its a shame when they wanted to privatize the FC the government bowed to the sandal wearing dog walkers stirred up by the business hating labour party