Making the news today....

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

3 hours ago, Big J said:

 

It's indicative of how shockingly low the new planting numbers are in England when I'm personally responsible for planting 1.29% of all new tree planting 😄 

that’s pretty cool (for you J) 

pretty shocking (for FC)

3 hours ago, Big J said:

 

We planted 30 hectares of eucalyptus plantation last year on arable land. 

 

I take the point that planting on deep peat is a bad idea, but the upland grasslands are a largely manmade creation. They are economically useless, have fairly limited biodiversity and would be much better off as plantation. 
 

 

👍🏻 - with thought as to species diversification 

3 hours ago, Big J said:

 

The 70% one species rule from the Commission is not quite true, as it's rather easy to circumvent.

Where centralised government seeks to dictate policy there will always be those that seek to exploit advantageous loopholes. 

3 hours ago, Big J said:

 

Regardless, the UK has a chronic shortage of timber. We keep installing huge CHP plants, as well as the lower level domestic and smaller scale commercial biomass plants. We have no where near enough construction grade timber to meet demand, and as such import 80% of our timber.

👍🏻

3 hours ago, Big J said:

 

Timber plantations are simply farming. Long rotation, relatively low impact (on account of the infrequent harvesting intervals) farming. I do agree that current policy from the government allows for wealthy landowners to exploit the system, but that's more of an issue with the system than the landowners. You'd do the same if you were in that position.

Totally agree ‘system’ is always a blunt instrument. 
 

Id do the same?  By example, possibly not J. 
 

Example being I installed biomass system because I wanted to move away from oil and at a time when domestic RHI wasn’t even a ‘thing.’  I have subscribed (and benefitted) since, but my decision was not BECAUSE of grant inducement. 

3 hours ago, Big J said:

 

And I'd personally much rather walk through an upland forest than a moorland.

Hat off to your knowledge and contribution in this particular field J. 
 

My frustration is borne out of the seemingly never ending gravy train of highly paid, poorly performing quangos & civil servants that just keep making the same mistakes and wasting eye watering sums of public money. 

[openspaceman]

3 hours ago, Big J said:

And I'd personally much rather walk through an upland forest than a moorland.

Granted as long as  frequent viewpoints are maintained.

[Big J]

11 minutes ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

My frustration is borne out of the seemingly never ending gravy train of highly paid, poorly performing quangos & civil servants that just keep making the same mistakes and wasting eye watering sums of public money. 

 

Agreed. 

 

The difficulty that is going to arise is that much of the new planting in the UK at the moment is part of the Woodland Carbon Code, which has not yet been resolved for productive woodland. The only way that the present iteration of it works is if the landowner never fells any timber, ie, the carbon has to remain standing. Then (potentially) the ownership of the carbon is transferred at the final crop stage to whomever it is that buys it, but the model doesn't really make any sense and has the potential to create a situation where the UK has vast swathes of dark, completely unthinned sitka plantation that landowners would find economically unviable to fell as it would mean giving up their carbon store, and the associated financial benefits. 

 

I had a long, and slightly circular conversation with the author of the WCC, and it is only functional for the planting of 'never to be managed/thinned/clearfelled' broadleaf woodland. They are working on a model for productive woodland at the moment, but it doesn't exist yet. 

 

It'll be interesting to see what the long term ramifications of this are. Thankfully, eucalyptus plantations are very profitable irrespective of carbon income. 

[MattyF]

 
You'd do the same if you were in that position.
 
And I'd personally much rather walk through an upland forest than a moorland.

Not if I could help it! This is akin to benefit fraud IMO but is worse as these feckers don’t need the money!
These new carbon schemes are absolutely mental... if you owned 20hectares you could effectively retire ! I find it worrying that land being owned by so few is benefiting them in such an obscene way and no ones batting an eyelid.

[Wonky]

I'll put this here 🙈
 

 

Rooster fitted with blade for cockfight kills its owner in India | India | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

---

Bird with knife attached to leg ready to take on opponent inflicts fatal injuries to man’s groin

 

Edited March 1, 2021 by Wonky
Add link

[woodwizzard]

Good! All animal abusing scum need to feel pain!

[Stubby]

5 minutes ago, woodwizzard said:

Good! All animal abusing scum need to feel pain!

Don't know if he would have felt much pain . Must of bled out pretty quick . .

Edited March 1, 2021 by Stubby

[Retired Climber]

😆

7 hours ago, Wonky said:

I'll put this here 🙈
 

 

Rooster fitted with blade for cockfight kills its owner in India | India | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

---

Bird with knife attached to leg ready to take on opponent inflicts fatal injuries to man’s groin

 

The guy was fatally injured in the groin. I'm thinking he didn't quite understand the basic principles of cock fighting.😆

 

 

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

More a case of “Making the news day after tomorrow” but no harm shaking it up a bit....

 

It that Sunak character shafts the self employed on Weds they can count on not getting my vote when the time comes. 

[eggsarascal]

1 minute ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

More a case of “Making the news day after tomorrow” but no harm shaking it up a bit....

 

It that Sunak character shafts the self employed on Weds they can count on not getting my vote when the time comes. 

Nothing would surprise me!