Arob

Maybe it could be a new section for classifieds? Or the 'Talk could somehow cross pollinate with a woodworkers forum such as UKWorkshop - The Site For Woodworkers to develop the market for such things?

I've been looking to give it the benefit of the doubt but that was a disgrace. Where is the health and safety; not some interfering guy with a clipboard but the guy with half an ounce of common sense in his head? No discussion as to how they could fell it; where the gaps were, where it could get hung up, no mention of escape routes "we have to be very aware of safety, not tripping" was the apparent advice available to the viewer, no winch on site...i wonder if they had any kind of risk assessment? Putting a programme out on national tv it would be a great opportunity to provide a good example rather than describing seemingly anyone as an expert without having the common sense to actually check their credentials, then ballsing it up and making out it's all fine whilst trying to hide you mistakes. On the voiceover the guy says (of the second stem), "...but the trunk has remained straight - so it could fall in any direction" such a statement is nothing short of misinformation. So in summary, what a cupboard full of mugs.

Hey WD i understand what you're saying; it seems like treework from a parallel universe where money isn't an object, i made some similar comments myself about 'Jimmy's Farm' (turns out he too found extra funds from somewhere), just pulling you up so we can have a good fact based moan.

You say that as if it is a fact - in which case how do you know that? Clearly, what he is doing (tv work aside!) is not 'economic' according to our governing 'economic' system but the series may well go some way to reveal this state of affairs to a wider audience. Clearly Mr Penn decided to start making this programme with very limited practical experience, having met coppicers with years of experience and rare skills i'm not too keen on the way that he is presented as being 'a woodsman' given his inexperience, however, as noted on another thread on the matter he does have the courtesy to describe himself as a 'wannabee woodsman', and so yes it has it's faults and bits of it do grate, but it's not all bad. Whilst i might prefer it if the programme were less about him and more about some of the people he meets, it appears as though he will be getting some of his failings pointed out pretty plainly in the next episode.

Who knows, could be a few reasons, one being access beneath - the tree seemed to be close to a footpath. Another may be that if you're allowing limbs to decay you're increasing the physical and temporal hazard, (by which i mean you've got a wider spread with branches and top, and these branches will decay and fail over a longer period of time - so you'll have to be careful for ages) plus you reduce sail area. Anyone interested in the concept from a general habitat perspective might enjoy this related thread http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/tree-health-care/440-coronet-not-coronet-now-question.html

Then it can be ring barked. From the ground.

Dunno, still haven't managed to read the article! As has already been pointed out the latest thing which is declared safe is typically shown to be a bit dodgy further down the line, presumably they must've done some basic LD50 tests to get it on the market so i wouldn't bother worrying about it if you're still alive, suppose you could forward a copy of the article (if you get a copy ) to your former employer to remind him to be a bit more careful. Apparently it can prove lethal - lots of Indian farmers have committed suicide by drinking it, not sure of the quantities they've ingested, but rather than as a result of leaky Evian bottles i think it's because they've been shafted by contracts which, amongst other things, prevent them from saving seeds to replant the following year Vandana Shiva: From Seeds of Suicide to Seeds of Hope: Why Are Indian Farmers Committing Suicide and How Can We Stop This Tragedy?

See Product information at www.ecoplug.com

Anyone got a copy of the article in the OP yet?

Glad to hear it, thanks for putting me right Andy.

Bugger, just found a third thread http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/general-chat/49112-tales-wild-wood-bbc4.html ! Just followed the link to his website ROB PENN where i see he describes himself as a 'wannabee woodsman' hopefully i've jumped the gun and we'll see him pull it out of the bag yet!

Based upon your synopsis i can be bothered to read it, however it seems to cost 35 Euro to do so. Do you have a copy?

I disagree, i think you can make amazing programmes about skilled craftspeople - did you see Monty Don's series 'Mastercrafts?[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H00CeiBuml8]Mastercrafts Wood episode - Woodland Workshop selected clips 2010 - YouTube[/ame] That was fascinating as it showcased real skills as practised by real skilled people and demonstrated exactly what makes them skilled jobs. It also involved the participants really getting deeply involved and committing themselves to learning a new skill, it's a much slower burn and involves genuine respect for their craft. Whereas this just seems like mediocre tv featuring a hobby for someone with a media lifestyle, to describe him as a woodsman (see programme info) is laughable - have you seen him swing a billhook?! Budding woodsman maybe, he certainly seems to have an enthusiastic personality so good on him for having a bash, but woodsman? Really? This style of programme is all too familiar - Jimmy's Farm anyone? First he fails in his efforts to run a small pig farm and goes bust, no shame there - ..it happens, but then he has the cheek to show up on a programme featuring couples who want to get away from the rat race (and win the chance to run a smallholding for a year) and suddenly he's acting like he's a flipping expert on farming!

Have just realised we've got 2 posts on the go. Over to http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/general-chat/49150-bbc4-woodsman.html

Maybe you and Rob could do a job swap - and we could make a film about you writing reviews for a living?

So what did you think of it?

Having read this article on the relationships between real and artificial trees i wondered if anyone had made any observations of their own?

Back on topic, perhaps this is the ideal spot for a link to this remarkable video Greening the Desert II: Greening the Middle East on Vimeo

Just a quick post touching on a couple of side shoots on this thread. Firstly i'm a bit puzzled by Gerrit's comments on Armillatox, there appears to be a degree of innuendo but it's all a bit vague, however i've successfully used Armillatox to treat Viburnum actively and prophylactically where honey fungus has been identified. To my small mind it's equivalent of using antibiotics. Secondly, with regard to the apple tree, i agree with Alec that the tree is probably not in terminal decline, providing it has been well pruned and is not moving toward biennial fruiting due to neglect, it is most likely just hungry. On a fruit pruning course with the Northern Fruit Group we were advised to use chicken manure pellets or a standard fert such as growmore at recommended rates in late winter around drip zone, and so far so good.

+1 Can you make it happen Andy? Or maybe an arb personality of the year award?

It's a repeat, so some of you might've heard it already, but heard this radio programme last night and found it rather entertaining.

Please allow me to differ Greening the Desert II: Greening the Middle East on Vimeo

The panel fence doesn't look too old and appears to be above a large concrete base - if this is relatively recent then trenching near the tree will have had an effect, similarly alkalis from the concrete are likely to have a negative impact.

Get your popcorn out