Gnarlyoak

Could try adding some Alder to your existing mix. Fast growing, does'nt mind the wet. Makes very good charcoal, which use to be used for making gunpowder, so a reliable burner.

Definately more like the BB than the DD model. Need to whip in the dipstick just to make sure the big end has't gone.

To be honest Hedgesparrow, if he has no tickets at all at the moment, then he would find it very hard to get into any tree firm. As a minimum most firms would expect you to have CS30/31 before they'd give you sniff off a job. Also he would need to have passed these before he even attempts to go for his climbing tickets. Once he has his climbing tickets it could another 2-3 years before he his confident & competent enough to be considered a half decent climber capable of handling most tree jobs in most circumstances. There is no fast track in this game, so he would need to be prepared for the long haul. If he is serious, then his best bet would be to gain his basic CS chainsaw tickets, then try and get into an already established tree outfit, prove his worth, willingness to learn and hope that they pay for him to take his climbing tickets to help him progress forward. Even with his basic tickets, without a proven track record of work experience arb work he probably could'nt expect much more than minimum wage to begin with (maybe £7 per hr) and even as a climber with 2/3yrs experience it may not rise much above £12 per hr. Working as a freelance climber, well there are probably a lot of skilled competent climbers on here, with years of experience, that are only making £120 per day (£15 p/hr). But you may not have work every day of the week, every week of the year, you've got all your kit, PPE, fuel, transport, taxes, other overheads etc. to be paid for from that. A good climber can make a living, just, but he won't be driving a Ferrari! He also needs to bear in mind that the colleges these days are churning out an ever growing number of wannabe tree surgeons, with tickets and qualifications chasing a finite number of positions. It is a very crowded market place these days, giving potential employers a lot more choice, but they in turn have more competition from other tree companies which means that payscales generally across the board are kept depressed. You only have to look at some of the threads on this forum that competetion for jobs in a saturated market can be fierce, even some of the college boys end up touting their services for free as a trial just to get their foot in the door. I'm not suggesting its impossible, but your son in law if he decides to go for arb work needs to be prepared that it can a long hard haul, for less than sensational rewards at the end of it. Wish him all the best for whatever he decides to do. Best bet would be to train to be a banker or senior civil servant, that way he can make life a misery for everyone else, whilst pocketing a massive anual salary and be rewarded for incompetence and failure with a big fat bonus cheque each year. I sometime wish I had.......... but then I hug a tree and feel better.

Great opportunity for someone out there. Great outfit to work for, in a superb location. Highly recommend to anyone considering this. All the best Damo.

Any kind of ad should'nt be necessary. If you're going to drink, don't drive. If you've been drinking, don't drive. There is NO excuse. Simple.

Oh yeah, obliterated my right ankle into 27 pieces on Thurs 20 Sept. Still not back at work yet, quack reckons another 5wks of healing. (9 wks in a metal frame, 4 wks in a cast, 6 wks in an air splint "moonboot" = 'kin nightmare) Nope, already started a course of stop smoking treatment and mentoring with my GP's surgery. Will power does come into it of course, but sat on me arse for 3 mths (and counting) with my leg in bits & nowt better to do, having the ongoing support and encouragement from the practice nurse is useful.

To stop smoking....... again! (if at first you don't succeed....) To not fall out of any more trees!

Are sure sure that you were'nt staring at a candle through your beer goggles Paul?

Our old world is dead. This is the new life in a parrallel universe. Same ****, just a different day!

Interesting vid. I would have to concure with Redmoose, the root ball does look kind off small on the video, and the shot of the hole after the tree is removed show a lot of severed main roots. How well do trees of this size recover when they have been transplanted via this method. Do you have to do much prepartion of the new planting pits, adding mulch/compost before the tree is plopped in. Do you use guide wires to help secure the tree in place whilst it re-established itself?

Cool rinse & spin in the washer will get the crap & most of the water out. Then hang it out in the open to dry naturally, ie: shed, garage etc & not fastened up in your kit bag. Even if your using it again the next day after a rinse & spin it will be better using it damp rather than mingingly wet & filthy from day before. Tumble dryer is a no no.

That'll be long queue.

Yes some species of butterfly, such as Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood, Brimstone and Clouded Yellow, do hibernate as adults during the winter. If you find any just leave them in a cool, dry sheltered place. Don't keep them anywhere warm, because if they fully wake up they will die without a source of food.

Any chainsaw that won't start usually gets call "F'kin piece of sh....... " just before it gets launched!

If you read the paragraph underneath the clip, it states that it is FAKED!!

An amusing video demonstrating the handy work of a disillusioned employee with a "Bah Humbug" attitude to the festive season. I suppose with his P45 as his Xmas bonus he'll be looking forward to the search for a new job in the New Year. Creative Christmas Lights | Kontraband

Chalara fraxinea rolls off the tongue so much better than Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus! From Wicki "Chalara fraxinea was only the asexual (anamorphic) stage of a fungus that was subsequently named Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus." This is what the sexual form of the fungus looks like. A search for "Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus" brings up many wordy scientific research data/material from all over the world. Here is a link to what currently been posted about this fungal disease on Wickipeadia: Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Can you possibly provide more details on this. Any recommendations or guidelines on transport and disposal of infected material?

Is chalara fraxinea a Japanese import? Found this article on the Beeb's website, new research seems to suggest that ash dieback disease may have originated in Japan or Korea, where the same fungus seems to co-exist with indigenous ash tree species. Also has some sketchy details on research being done in Poland, where the current strain of the disease affecting Europes ash first appeard 20 years ago. Here's the link: BBC News - Ash dieback: Chalara fungus 'originated in Asia' Please feel free to move if posted in wrong thread.

I'd say hang on in there Chaldean. Tis but the start of winter, and if you believe the media we could be in for another cold one. I'd expect things to start picking up from mid-Jan onwards as existing supplier stocks start to decrease and customers shake off the post Xmas blues and start stocking up if the weather looks like its going to stay cold. By the end of Jan, expect the firewood forum to be full of people looking for more stock!

Anne Summers. Perhaps! Or maybe you could make your own..................

Believe the Romans were responsible for introduction of some trees from the near continent when they invaded. So...... Sycamore and Sweet Chestnut circa pre 100 A.D. as a starter if this helps......

Ye Godz. Me & my still healing ankle will second that. Concentrate on one task at a time & make sure its right before you make your next move or start your next action.

Just wanted to express my gratitude and appreciation to Justin and his team for their excellent customer service and fast delivery of my recent order. I have just ordered a load of new kit and PPE to replace what was damaged following my bad tree fall accident back in September. Most of the kit I replaced was sabotaged by the paramedic or the A&E doctors who had to cut me free of my harness and PPE apparel to treat my badly broken ankle. But they did give me lots and lots of morphine, so I'll forgive them. I am grateful to Justin, who generously agreed to price match all the items I wanted to purchase, to save me having to place multiple orders with different suppliers offering the cheapest price on the items I wanted. But the best thing in my big box of shiney shiney new gear, was of course the Stihl 2013 calender. Cheers guys. Kerching! Now all I want for Xmas is for the Orthopeadic Surgeon next week, to tell me that I'm fit enough to return to work next month.

I'm quite sure there is an element of that, and don't doubt that a number of the trees may need to be felled due to lack of maintenance, but I can't believe that there is no other option being considered other than to fell 200 trees in a single park. It just feels as if the bean counters have taken a blanket decision at the behest of lawyers trying to mitigate any future claims against the authority for bits falling off trees. Truth is of course I do not know any of the details behind the LA's decision, it just seems a bit excessive based on one tragic accident. Given the depths that we know the H&S police are more than capable of plummeting too, gave rise to me making a sweeping statement in a knee jerk reaction kind of styley!