Getting started?

[TheHungrySquirrel]

So I'm after some advice folks ad your all a bunch smarter than I when it comes to trees.

 

I recently did my 30/31 tickets a few months back and managed to get a saw and all my ppe and relevant bits on a promise of full time work from a wood supplier (for my greenwoodwork) which I thought would be great.

 

Spent a few months cutting chestnut with them but only earning £70 a day cutting, running my own saw and fuel and £50 working in the yard using my greenwood skills and tools.

 

Now my trouble is after expenses and travel that equals around £45 a day when cutting and maybe £30 a day in the yard which doesn't sound fair to me for working 9/12 hour days???

 

 

I have no problems with working hard but feel a better wage should be there for me? I'm really keen to work, and work hard and after reading and watching loads of stuff online want to get into all aspects of treework including climbing, it may help that I already climb rocks so have some rope work knowledge.

 

 

The trouble is most local forest workers don't advertise and the arb guys are looking for people with 38/39 so they are actually helpful to them, so how are you meant to break into the game to get the experience?

[Brushcutter]

So I'm after some advice folks ad your all a bunch smarter than I when it comes to trees.

 

I recently did my 30/31 tickets a few months back and managed to get a saw and all my ppe and relevant bits on a promise of full time work from a wood supplier (for my greenwoodwork) which I thought would be great.

 

Spent a few months cutting chestnut with them but only earning £70 a day cutting, running my own saw and fuel and £50 working in the yard using my greenwood skills and tools.

 

Now my trouble is after expenses and travel that equals around £45 a day when cutting and maybe £30 a day in the yard which doesn't sound fair to me for working 9/12 hour days???

 

 

I have no problems with working hard but feel a better wage should be there for me? I'm really keen to work, and work hard and after reading and watching loads of stuff online want to get into all aspects of treework including climbing, it may help that I already climb rocks so have some rope work knowledge.

 

 

The trouble is most local forest workers don't advertise and the arb guys are looking for people with 38/39 so they are actually helpful to them, so how are you meant to break into the game to get the experience?

 

£70 cutting doesn't with little experience doesn't seem bad. Forestry sector doesn't pay well but i'd expect fuel to be covered at the lower end of the pay scale.

 

You say your fairly new how much are you cutting a day? You could always ask for payment by the tonne or m3. That way you know how much you have to cut.

[thetoolnut]

There's a lot of snobbery and elitism in this business. It can be quite cliquey and hard to break into if you weren't brought up in the industry. There are also other factors at play like the working man being constantly asked to do more for less. Globaisation, corpoate greed, white collar corruption etc. Get your climbing assessment done and drive on from there.

[TheHungrySquirrel]

£70 cutting doesn't with little experience doesn't seem bad. Forestry sector doesn't pay well but i'd expect fuel to be covered at the lower end of the pay scale.

 

 

 

You say your fairly new how much are you cutting a day? You could always ask for payment by the tonne or m3. That way you know how much you have to cut.

 

 

I figured it was a little low and with fuel/oil and wear and tear it knocks it down real quick.

 

I'd like to say nearly a chain when it's straight fell on chestnut but that's on a good day, if the money was better it would give you more incentive to work harder and not mind doing the longer days.

[TheHungrySquirrel]

There's a lot of snobbery and elitism in this business. It can be quite cliquey and hard to break into if you weren't brought up in the industry. There are also other factors at play like the working man being constantly asked to do more for less. Globaisation, corpoate greed, white collar corruption etc. Get your climbing assessment done and drive on from there.

 

 

It does seem that way, the arb guys want you have experience but won't take you on without it, so how do you get said experience.

 

I'd live to be able to do more tickets but I'm flat broke right now.

[TheHungrySquirrel]

All I'm after is somebody that wants a hand cutter 1/2/3/4/5 days a week, I want to be able to turn up early and work like f#%k all day and get the trees down, then get paid a reasonable wage.

[Brushcutter]

I figured it was a little low and with fuel/oil and wear and tear it knocks it down real quick.

 

I'd like to say nearly a chain when it's straight fell on chestnut but that's on a good day, if the money was better it would give you more incentive to work harder and not mind doing the longer days.

 

I've not done much in the way of coppice cutting. Messing around with tiny stems cutting about 7 product types down to about 2" then stacking the brash neatly for burning by hand is not my idea of fun. I'm not sure how many stools are in chain and how that relates to tonnage.

 

Are you tied down to where you are? A month or two cutting on conifer will speed you up and the best place to do this is in the North.

 

As for getting into arb dont see lack of CS38/39 as a barrier. What else can you bring to the party? For example if you have C1 or C on your driving license you already valuable to lot of companies. Even B+E is a big advantage nower days. 1st Aid again something that you can offer.

[TheHungrySquirrel]

I've not done much in the way of coppice cutting. Messing around with tiny stems cutting about 7 product types down to about 2" then stacking the brash neatly for burning by hand is not my idea of fun. I'm not sure how many stools are in chain and how that relates to tonnage.

 

 

 

Are you tied down to where you are? A month or two cutting on conifer will speed you up and the best place to do this is in the North.

 

 

 

As for getting into arb dont see lack of CS38/39 as a barrier. What else can you bring to the party? For example if you have C1 or C on your driving license you already valuable to lot of companies. Even B+E is a big advantage nower days. 1st Aid again something that you can offer.

 

 

I have been cutting chestnut as that's what was available to me and it's not that great as there's lots of info in your head to remember. Depends how packed the stools are I think to amount per chain.

 

Were going to be moving further into Kent soon but as you say all the softwoods up north, I'd love to get on that and maybe travelling and staying away for a week could work?

 

I have a normal license passed in 04 so not sure what that means I can tow, have owned plenty of large vans and trailers in the past.

[andrew t]

I was taken on with no tickets and worked my way up . I dident take no for an answer I was climbing and doing my tickets in no time . Don't ring people go into there office and sell yourself .

Best of luck

[Steve Bullman]

There's a lot of snobbery and elitism in this business. It can be quite cliquey and hard to break into if you weren't brought up in the industry..

 

Thats not my experience at all....and I can think of very few people who were brought up in this industry...its not farming!

 

I think companies are fed up of taking on new staff, investing money in them only for them to leave as soon as they have a bit of experience under their belts. You can't blame companies for being hesitant!