Charlieh

I did, although it was some one on there pointed me this way! only use AS as reference for when something needs fixing as there are to many idiots on there for any other constuctive discussions

last lot of vandals (homeowners) have done this and i have to look at it every day they are almost coronet cuts in some cases, think it will get rectified in winter though.

how far north west? Sandwood bay (up the road past kinlochbervie) is awesome and a nice walk to it, great for spotting dolphins etc in the surf, and one of the truely greatest beaches in the UK (well worth the walk),

I work for the wildlife trusts and this advice is so true each area will have its own policies on what it wants to see, might be best to speak to FC (if your wanting to take a more commertial approach) or come up with a plan or long term stratergy with what you want to see happen then contact people so you dont get lead down one path over another. You can then discuss with them how to meet your targets and fit theirs in as well

I used to do summer work on a farm in Micheldever! nice area round there. Very good pubs Charlie

at least no ones pointed out that for under £150 they could by and electric chainsaw and a ladder and do it themselves

Hi, not much direct help but i did a course run by the small woods association "an introduction to woodland management planning" which comes with a recognized qualification and is about £100, it was really interesting and made me notice lots more features in a woodland than i ever had before, also i would say Ben Laws book "the woodland way" is pretty handy to have for someone in your situation. link to the course: http://www.greenwoodcentre.org.uk/6JulyIntrotoSmallWoodlandManagement25-26October2008.php

genuine question here, as i think this kind of work is great in the correct environment, how come coro cuts all seem to be cut to create a nice even rounded shape to the tree? is this so new growth doesnt over balance on side of the tree? as in a natural situation its unlikely the cuts would all be even distance, is this just purely a risk reduction issue or aesthetics? as this is what normally gives away the tree has had this treatment would be cool if it had a bit more of a unstructured look to it

yes please, count me in. cheers

you dont need the assessments if you can prove you used the equipment before the cut off date. Unless you are doing contracting in which case i think you need it, you certainly need pa6aw for watercourse work irrispective of age. i think either repeated glyphosate treatment is safest, but if away from water you can use tordon22 i think. strimming just causes it to spread wider rhizomially (? if thats a word) i belive. charlie

good job none of you lot went to the CLA gamefair then! £20 per person per day and about £60 per night for a pitch for camping or caravans, now thats a rip off! but agree if shows like lamma can be free, then APF has no excuse, would be interesting to know how much FC are charging for the site, and how much per tree that is being felled in the harvester demos etc, cos i bet their having there £'s worth

it will be interesting to see what management they put in place or if it will be the normal woodland trust hands of after planting? which im not convinced about, i dont think it will benefit the species listed in the article unless they are planning to have quite a lot of glades and coppice management,

I have two spaces left on a PA1 safe use of pesticides course on the 18th August near Belper and one space on the 19+20th for PA6(aw) training, for knapsack use, the aw add on is for application to water so Ideal if your planning to do japanese knotweed control, river side stump treatment etc. this will be near Ashbourne If you are interested please PM me and i will send you more info relating to costs (its very reasonable!) Charlie

I recon we have just sped up a natural process, not just through using fossil fuels but through activities such as draining blanket bog, which are vital to be restored, Englands blanket bogs hold more carbon than all the forests of the UK and France put together and nearly including germany as well, Im sorry to say this but tree planting to sequest carbon is a load of rubbish, and a con, the same tree can be sold each year for the first ten years and then what happens when they are thinned, fell to waste releases all the carbon, firewood releases less than sequestered but not much and therefore if burnt the tree hasnt really served any benefit at combatting climate change. compared to wetland creation especially moorlands where the carbon is locked up for 1000's of years if not more if its functioning correctly. roll on artic winters, and tropical summers, (drys logs quicker and increases demand as well) in releation to trees it may be positive or negative, it depends on what you view the two options as, if maintaining the natural uk flora is positive then its a negative, but like wise a shift in species may be viewed as beneficial by some.

did Jim'll fix it for you to get you a new saw? it looks mighty shiney and still has the labels on the bottom! or is that one that sits in the truck getting polished

Not sure if anyone has already posted this, so i will anyway. http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/phytophthora-ram-kern/index.htm straight from defras website: Defra, the Forestry Commission and the Welsh Assembly Government are seeking stakeholder views on the management of the two plant diseases Phytophthora ramorum and Pythophthora kernoviae. This joint consultation aims to engage with all those with an interest in the sustainability of plants and trees in the wider environment, in managed gardens and woodlands, on private land and in commercial trade. The closing date for comments on this consultation is 10 October 2008.

there is some fantastic walking up there if you get up onto the top of bleaklow plateaux great views on clear days. I worked up there for a bit on the moorland restoration. also if you do get up on the moors, seee if you can spot any of this, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloudberry the leaves look like redcurrent leaves on the floor, its the tastiest berry ever! (but quite rare) i recon the walking will be great if the weather holds,

where abouts in the peaks you going?

never have so many white transit vans ever been seen in the same place at one time (not even fords factory!) still have my doubts about some lots there being kosha, who the hell sells off well used full tool boxes, but yes the prices are proper cheap! oh by the way i had a 6x4 trailer of these guys they are well made imports from holland i think tows fine with the atv on at ......well faster than you need to tow at! and tracks well doesnt bounce, http://www.ntta.co.uk/buyers_guide/results.aspx?CompanyName=255

about 1.5-2hrs work and 7days waiting for parts as the order got mislaid! stripped it down cylinder hone new piston and rings checked everything else over back together fired on about the 3rd pull and was spot on,

seriously i wont send any of my tools to the local stihl or husky dealers. I DONT TRUST THEM! (probably less so than sellers on ebay) They tried to get me to scrap an 020T i was doing up as it was knackered, needed about £200 spending on it apparently, got the bits i needed for £45 (genuine stihl) and fixed it up, and i know for a fact its still going strong! I think dealers are just a bit to keen to shift units rather than provide proper maintenance. It will have cost someone as this is a FS420 (predecessor to the FS 550 its the same engine and many parts are shared) and although its getting on a bit for occasional semi pro use its ideal for what i need it for on brambles and bracken, but yes i am very relieved its going! once more we have scraped through and got a bargin, maybe the next one i will get burnt on.... (wife in back ground: there isnt going to be a next one )

right an hour and a half after i started i have had the strimmer down to component parts, it turns out that it wasnt the piston that was siezed as i first assumed! i stripped the clutch and everything right back and there was a small (1mm x 5mm) peice of metal that had wedged its self between the flywheel and the crankcase, thus stopping everything turning, stripped her down quick blast with the cylinder hone to clean things up stick it back together and it fired on the 5th pull, I have to say given the looseness of certain bolts i still think they recon they sold me a duff strimmer, just need a new set of piston rings and a missing e clip and we are good to go she sounds pretty meaty as well!

oh well the piston is scored quite badly, looks like they knew the score as the spark plug was loose and several of the bolts including the exhaust ones were pretty loose (so had been out recently) further inspection shows a clogged airfilter so i guess they have just run it and its leaned out to much, problem is i cant get the cylinder off as it the p+c appear to have welded together! time for another phone call!

suppose i had it coming, i get quite a bit of kit of ebay, as normally i have a good idea what im after and only bid appropriately with some caution, well i bought a big stihl clearing saw the other day with a knackered gearbox, but sold as running. got it today engine is solid spoken to the bloke and have agreed to have a peek inside to see what the damage is and either return (i pay postage ) and get money refunded or meet half way on new parts either way im seriously hacked about them lying in the listing, also as i now have very very very strong suspicions about them being a machinery dealers (although they deny this quite badly i have cross checked emaill addys and phone numbers and somethings not right) what would everyone else do? should i just return it and demand the refund? i know even if i get a new p+c for it its still going to be cheap for what it is. oh well of to the workshop to see what the damage is! good job i had a free evening