arboriculturist

You have misunderstood. The approach was - all sites do no have to be left in a sterile condition and even just a short monolith can add to biodiversity. No sour grapes here ?

In a scenario like that, Ash tree no targets, 2ft dia. ABH (6ft DBH) 1st choice every time - persuade the customer to leave standing deadwood for habitat. 2nd choice - persuade the customer to fell and leave fallen deadwood for habitat. 3rd choice - Charge the customer a considerable amount more, fell, ring up sweat buckets heaving it around and take it away. Zero return in converting to firewood as most most people realise. Ooh - and that's a handy wheelbarrow with tracks on for moving something ?

We had a tracked 7.5 tonne ex. before Firewood. Did you go out and purposefully buy a tracked excavator, as you know its not the ideal machine?

Remembering that Big J's niche is low impact forestry. As has been said the large plantations use full size forwarders following the harvesters and extracting brash to roadside where its chipped with crane fed mega chippers into bulkers. Using used comparably 'Micro' equipment, bought (and slightly modified) rather than made from scratch to extract brash to roadside where it could be chipped into bulk transport could be an option if the figures actually stack up. However I think chipping time is the issue - needing to chip into roadside heaps if space allows and collect chip with clamshell bulker - that could work if the local market is geographically positioned to make it financially viable. You need to be making a good profit out of the exercise remember. ?

Buy a very old timber trailer with bolsters - up and running almost immediately ?

Yes, I was looking at the length of that stack - it's a longgggggggggggggggg way to the far end! One of our main hauliers says he needs 6 metres headroom to unload with the crane. Ideal 7.5 anything less just no reach. May just stick with the talon for now as no auxiliary circuits on the ex. At lot of people must be envious of that setup and you will have worked hard over the years to have that level of processing machinery etc. Have you a mountain of IBC's stacked somewhere and a forklift looking at the amount of roundwood there! ?

What size is the takeeuchi and was the grapple expensive new? Thanks

Nice layout. I like the timber type seperation and the rotator allows tracking between the stacks rather than having to take from stack ends if you only have a talon. Main feedback I could give is get the rest of the deck roofed over (the height of roof required to allow for rotator loading is always a killer though) and the conveyor. ?

That's nice ! I'm intrigued as to how the now chip gets forwarded roadside and loaded into an Arctic bulker or 8 wheeler? ?

OOh that's like a Warrier powerscreen

I would send it up a conveyor with a screener at the end or use a small tromell screen ?

Totally agree and if you retail firewood and are already out delivering then a branch logger can work for some, however I would suggest not in Big J's scenario at this time in history. I would suggest that possibly over time a 'harvester based' dedicated chip harvester could be designed that processes the brash follows the harvesters and similarly a 'forwarder based' dedicated chip forwarder operating in tandem could be an answer - huge production costs needless to say, but a feasible solution in large scale plantations - Economies of scale again. Given the future timber shortages this approach may become reality.

I can see the logic in your desire to harvest what otherwise would be a waste product, I dislike any sort of waste also, however I would be extremely cautious about the actual ROI. It's so easy to get swept along with the impetus of an idea and before you know it you are spending a lot of time, effort and money on an enterprise that may not have the legs. A friend of mine planned to embark on a similar venture to you on the woodland management side and planned to have the equipment fabricated. Of course that was always going to be cost prohibitive and he didn't progress the idea. Branch logger - never ever will that give you anything other than beer money - sorry but just analyse the footage and the labour content is massive. I see there is the opportunity to produce a product from the waste, however that product is only ever going to be chip and the volumes you are likely to be producing and the low price paid per m3 present a challenge. Of course it is feasible and your brainstorming in your own time and sound-boarding off others would provide one of the best solutions. The whole process has to be mechanised of course or it would be a 100% non starter. However as you know only a desktop study will inform you wether it can be profitable to harvest and extract the product, cross-load to roadside transport, then transport and deliver to the consumer. I am dubious that sufficient customers are out there in the right location - fair amount of effort in researching the market then ! The few that are won't be paying upfront or on delivery I doubt. I would like to be proved incorrect - but in this instance I think the effort required and the low ROI gives the message that this is one to pass on. I have learn't that time is a finite resource and I now, often with difficulty, focus on my main core business as other avenues of revenue, unless self managing, only serve to dilute my focus and kill any potential free time. That's only my take on this and I may well be missing a key factor in your plan. ?

As the ' So what's going to happen to the Firewood market ' thread has slightly derailed - I thought I would start a more apt one: Buying loose fruit and veg in a supermarket is actually more expensive than buying prepacked cellophane wrapped products and until that changes a lot of people won't be swayed into avoiding packaging. I am in for a real ear bending from my daughter if I dare to return home with anything whatsoever that could be bought without wrapping. Kitchen roll is out the door also and we have returned to the days of my childhood when we had napkins in napkin rings on the table at mealtimes. Came home with a few truckloads of potato boxes the other day to re-use - she loved that idea and was all smiles that day! ?

Those are great and come from a Koelreuteria paniculata common name Golden Rain tree Their flowers yellow/red-orange are equally as interesting. Only ever seen one once at Dartington Hall in South Devon - I have some photos somewhere from my previous educational days out collecting leaves for the obligatory leaf collection album. ?

Ah fair enough - it's your livelihood

3 years is up and it's time to change our Posch S-360 processor. Supplied new by Wilsons Sept 2015, same as the one before. Well maintained and fully serviced ready to go. I'll try and get it listed in Arbtrader Classifieds over the weekend.

Burn the manual that came with the woodburner. ?

Yes true as you say. Under the Town and Planning Act Local Authorities have a duty to protect trees in relation to development. That is the 1st thing that should be on their mind when they roll up on site - i'll try and preserve as many trees as is humanly possible on this site. Not - "Ah I was informed that there is an overiding need for development on this site, so its appropriate to preserve 1 or 2 good ones". The planet needs all the vegetation possible, especially in the urban environment where air quality is often poor. There has never ever been a more desperate need for trees given that fact that 'millions' of tonnes of UK forests and woodlands are now being harvested to fuel the often inefficient biomass power stations they are commissioning at an alarming rate. This planet's ecosystem needs the trees - it doesn't need the people and development.

We have more bins in our house than the council facility ! - I'm all for it though. ?

When I did my PA1 / PA6 the recommendation was to burn all empty plastic Herbicide/Pesticide containers on the farm !

If you are a producer who buys a lot you can still get it for around 45. I wouldn't think your margins would make retailing Firewood at those prices worth the effort.

https://www.facebook.com/ben.mann.98871 ?

I would recommend getting on a training course with someone decent like Treevolution - trying to get advice of this nature on a Forum would be unwise in my opinion, even though without doubt there are plenty on here who are seriously skilled.

www.biofuelwatch.org.uk !!! ?