Pete Mctree

Over the last few years, I have read countless articles about the usage of biomass as a fuel. A few from government and the power providers shouting it's praises and describing it as both carbon neutral and sustainable and some from others pointing out the negatives e.g. Unsustainable harvesting rates of timber and increased CO2 production when burned when compared to coal or gas. I have even heard rumours of ships full of raw timber being imported and chipped at the dockside. I have always thought of it as a viable option for smaller users e.g. Individual buildings or homes, but I cannot see the long term (or medium) sustainability of the current level of consumption and production of CO2. I, like many others here send a significant percentage of my arisings into biomass and I see no harm in this, as we are often limited to other avenues to get rid of bulk chip. This is a link to an article from the Guardian I read today and It seems to agree with what others detractors have written and puts some salient points on the table, albeit with no solutions. 'Carbon-neutrality is a fairy tale': how the race for renewables is burning Europe's forests | World news | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM Wood pellets are sold as a clean alternative to coal. But is the subsidised bioenergy boom accelerating the climate crisis?

It was like the forum had Trump as a member 😆 - interesting to begin with, but.....

The narcissistic manner of self promotion is quite Vespasian like.

And how does topping a tree affect it's structural integrity- google that ! A little bit of knowledge is truly a dangerous thing.

Oh the joys of social media, where a window cleaner google searching on his phone (probably sat on the throne) offers critical advice alongside qualified and very experienced arborist. If I was the tree owner reading this I would be very wary of the provenance of some of the information put your way. Find a good consultant and get some honest & specific advice, not what some bloke on a forum found on a quick google search !

I am in a similar position of not knowing what to replace my Kolibri with. I love the high and wide back support & large side D's. All harnesses are becoming more lightweight, generic and TMish it seems - perhaps driven by an attempt to complete, but the lack of real variation will stifle future development in my opinion.

I really rate the Eder - it being 2 stroke is a positive & Even though I bought the smaller one, it never fails to impress

I wear a chinstrap loosely- cannot bear it tight as it makes me nauseous. Something is better than nothing & I really feel it's a necessity when climbing, as it's all too easy to have it knocked of your head in an impact.

Had two experiences with Towergate - shocking to say the least. Neither arb related , but 9 months to pay a simple claim out the first time and 14 months the second speaks volumes

Spend nothing - go real old school and use a becket hitch

Doubtful - fit for purpose no doubt

Anyone imported one recently? If so what was the cost including duty?

Out on the beech a few weeks ago with the youngster ?

Wonder if the job is in sparkford? ?

This behaviour has cost a friend of mine a significant amount of money ( & stress). After 3 years of irregular work, his subbing announced that he had not been paying tax, had no UTR and wanted all his tax paying and holiday pay etc - the courts reluctantly backed him & payment had to be made - be warned folks

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Got 2 also - must try harder ?

Great saws - I will be very surprised if you find one new

Have you any experience of using it as a saw or just for milling?

Dead alyanthus- leathal with horizontal cracks and anything that is so rotten that the timber has the structural integrity of a bag of compost!

If you have not got a good rigging point & tie in point, then tie in and choose the cheapest target to bomb. Cranes can be a massive help and if they complain about the cost then suggest option1 !

You really need to understand the industry a little more before taking the plunge at your age. It has very little resemblance to anything you will see or learn on any training course & the standard you will trained too is far short of what you need to achieve. You will probably need to work a couple of years at or slightly above minimum wage and work hard to earn it. Try it for a good few months before investing serious capital in my opinion. Like Matty, I have been in the industry many years and have seen many older trainees come and go, without a good word to say about the industry & a bag of regrets.

If the AA see it we will have to climb in it too!?

Normal rate on Saturday and double on a Sunday. Never been paid or charged any different

Agreed - strong, cheap disposable rope like polysteel is the way forward