David oakman

If this is to rude don't answer but what sort of illness? I had a shock this year i had 3 months off work i could not walk i had blood poisoning in my leg and it went through my body until it shut down in hospital for 8 days in a bad way a shock after never having a day off in 25 years

If you don't mind me asking where do you work? yes my job is hard work i am the only woodman with 187 acres of woodland and a400 acre park not to mention all the hedges and hedge trees that go with a 6000 acre estate.

Ihave been beating most of the week last one tomoz. Got my new tractor well new to me LOL. I am still felling spruce. then i am going thinning.this will interest you the plantation was poplar and they all fell in 87 gales, replanted in 89 mixed broadleaves and never been thinned not even cleared of elder and bramble. the agent said it is a rubbish wood but it is a lovely wood at least the owner likes it as well. most of the plantations were planted in the 70s and have still got tubes on and the bark is soft underneath. but it is to much to do for one man. your holiday sounds cool?

In one of my woods are some overaged hazel the retired gamekeeper planted them 60 years ago icut one but it did not shoot and just rotted away what a waste. Is it my age or is being a woodman very hard work and makes all your bones ache.

Interesting that you as a woodman are trapping here the gamekeepers do it for me they use fen traps on a ramp it seems to work well they tell me how many they get but they might be telling porkys.

Is that a one week course including assesment or is the assessment at a later date.

Is that you in your picture? hedge laying do you do much of that it seems to be making a bit of a come back well prince charles likes to do some.

It is all down to money. the estate where i work used to have six woodmen now there is one me and all the costs have to be kept low as they wont spend money on woodlands. They just rely on grants it is a shame and i would be the first to say but it seems to be the way of the world david.

Just interested.

JUST UP the road from me, i presume you are at otley do you know luke taylor?

Lee unusual to see someone who likes opera. My son plays double bass for the nationl youth orchestra and is going for his audition for the royal college of music tomorrow.

many thanks andrew.

Merry christmas mate and a happy new year.

Nice bit of Elm Ben. I had a huge Ash pollard with a big goblet come down last week and i have got the trunk sitting in a meadow waiting to be milled up well if i get time LOL

Nice job. I am thinking of letting the local school around one of my woods it has two ponds and loads of wild flowers including three types of orchid.

No i do not climb, i do most of the tree felling. all the roadside trees and the climbing work goes to a contractor. i risk assess the trees and if i pick up on any defects i tell the agent who then gets some quotes and a contractor. a long chain of command as i could get lots of people off of arbtalk to do the work and they would come a lot quicker.sometimes they say yes to work sometimes no last year i had a climber in to deadwood a 600 year old oak which has a nice low crown.

No i have a quad and two tractors that is it. I would like one but if i could choose i would have a toyota hilux to deliver firewood in and get about the estate.

No i was going on saturday but i went out counting orchids instead. yes i have a new tractor with a loader it has a bucket and we are looking for a grab. Are you going to haughley park this weekend?

Not at the moment i have got to change the flails and the roller broke so am having anew one made, get this bomford wanted £600 for a new roller can have one made for well under 200.

Not so good this week with snow and rain. Then on friday i had to go and cut out an overgrown footpath what a job a nightmare. The council used to trim footpaths but now they say it is the landowners job to keep footpaths clear, i have got 33 miles of footpaths and bridleways. How do you get on with footpaths on your estate? you sound happy in your work?

Same here there is no money for woods department and when i do get some halfway through the year it gets shifted to a department that has run out usually the building maintenance department.

Sorry to hear that, as i said to you before i am only here because of the shooting. you sound a bit like me i would rather be doing something than nothing. i hope work picks up for you in the new year.

Sorry you won't know luke taylor if you are not at otley. where do you go or are you doing your basic chainsaw somewhere like BTS training. yes i am the woodman at Helmingham Hall.

Thanks for the info on the 026 i have been looking at it can't grasp most of it yet. the parts list will be very handy just quote part number brill many thanks.

that was a good link you posted on the woodmans choice i liked it a lot did you say you had been on one?