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arboriculturist

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Everything posted by arboriculturist

  1. SPOT ON BT! I would have pruned out all of that re-growth from the previous reduction and reduced the crown branch length by 1/3 more thanyou have done in your 'AFTER' photo. Providing you follow the BS and are critically leaving the strong growing points, the tree will tolerate heavier than the maximun normal pruning specification given the species. The crown will of course look fairly sparce of foliage initially, however the customer will appreciate this management approach in the long term. That is a decent reduction all the same; shows skill.
  2. Felled an Ash 3ft diameter 3 years ago with Honey Fungus - now has 10ft high thicket arising from the stump. I don't think you should have any concerns.
  3. Take a look at the Farma W700. I can't comment on the price perhaps someone else can? More efficient on a machine with a blade to push lengths of roundwood against. The video below is speeded up towards the end. [ame] [/ame]
  4. Thanks for posting 'A highly valuable black walnut tree' - Hilarious !!!
  5. Very sorry to hear that John - I know that sickening feeling well. The landowners theft is sure to be linked.
  6. It appears that this year has taken its toll on several with kilns due to slow sales. The kiln still has to be paid for in the good and bad times. Also as more kiln dried appears there is sure to be a price war for 'kiln dried' but this time all the kilners will be on a level playing field as they are selling the exactly the same dry product, unlike some air dried retails some of whom sell green/damp wood. The established kiln dryers with assets can afford to drop their prices for a couple of years and that will destroy several of their competitors. This could follow a similar model to the supermarkets and small retailers - not a great situation for the independants.
  7. To those with solar PV panels on the roof - YES
  8. I think you are the only person in the UK using solar. I researched this intensively and after costing the Tubes, Insulation and installation costs it was negligible if it was worth it. Air drying seemed a lot easier. I have not ruled it out but found it hard to source credible data on the drying time required using an insulated structure and solar to dry green Hardwood down to 20-25%. Seasonal I know with Solar. Can you comment? Thanks
  9. Yes, that seems the case. It appears that some retailers who signed up for the higher tariff of 8.8p/kWh before 1st July 2014 can make kiln drying work, even though there will inevitably be those who complain that it burns too quickly.
  10. If that is the case, perhaps those who have invested in Kiln Drying systems are finding sales are falling? We only ever hear of wet wood issues.
  11. Incredible - people have moaned for decades about being delivered wet wood - finally they are given a quality consistent dry product and they continue to moan !
  12. Your can always stop drying at 22%.
  13. 6.8p / kWh now and likely to be down to 6.2p by April 2015.
  14. I am inclined to agree. Air drying the bulk of sales and use your own small kiln with no RHI just to react to seasonal demand. Most firewood retailers would have enough dry waste about to fuel the kiln for a limited time.
  15. I think fortunately you got in early on the RHI with the higher payments - now that the tariff has dropped and will decrease further over time, the capital investment required to recieve the tariff may make it far less attractive.
  16. How many tonnes do you air dry annually ?
  17. That's impressive nick and up to 15" down to 25% in 12 months, must be a breezy site with plenty of sun!
  18. How much roughly do you air dry?
  19. Sorry, massive firewood cubic meterage output. I assumed you had a kiln as I guessed you processed 2-3000 cu m of firewood annually. Had no idea you air dried that amount?
  20. I know what you mean - perhaps it is just so much easier and more efficient to kiln dry, as you are dealing with such small amounts of timber at any one time and can have a massive meterage output on a very small footprint?
  21. Ah, more usefull data thanks. Without a RH stat and associated extraction fans, the fan speed settings to give the required frequency air changes are all down to the individual's experience. I expect you spent many hours checking RH levels in prototype kilns before arriving at the settings you use today. I suppose if you are in your 20s' buying an Australian or American style of kiln with programmable humidity control and associated drying schedules, insulation, heat recovery etc etc. and a hefty price tag may be a worthwhile long term investment, that said I am sure 'most' UK kiln packages are very much hit and miss as far as efficiency is concerned. Without the RHI incentive can it ever be viable to kiln dry firewood for sale?
  22. Air drying is ideal for those that have the space, capital to invest in containerisation, undercover storage, stocks of roundwood and associated processing costs. The kiln dryers can instantly react to demand with little yard/storage space and minimal capital. Enviromentally not great, but how many profitable businesses are.
  23. Ah, more usefull data thanks. Without a RH stat and associated extraction fans, the fan speed settings to give the required frequency air changes are all down to the individual's experience. I expect you spent many hours checking RH levels in prototype kilns before arriving at the settings you use today. I suppose if you are in your 20s' buying an Australian or American style of kiln with programmable humidity control and associated drying schedules, insulation, heat recovery etc etc. and a hefty price tag may be a worthwhile long term investment, that said I am sure 'most' UK kiln packages are very much hit and miss as far as efficiency is concerned. Without the RHI incentive can it ever be viable to kiln dry firewood for sale?
  24. That's interesting - I am surprised at the short drying times at such low temperatures 50-55 degrees and 45-50 degrees at the far end, with up to 12" logs also. I don't doubt your figures as I expect your container is insulated and or course you have the Rolls Royce of chip boilers. Have you a view on optimum stillage spacing between crates horizontally and vertically for optimum air circulation?
  25. Yes 24 hours a day running.

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