Mark T

Tools as listed below, but basically get as many tools / spares in your toolkit as possible. As for hooks or tongs... used properly, 2 well sharpened pulp hooks will out perform tongs any day. They're suprisingly versatile when you know how to use and maintain them.

Here you go...

I'll try and remember tomorrow, hope its what you were after. Cheers!

MultiSAVER round the stem with the large end eye a hands width apart from the small eye on the prussik and run your climbing system through the eyes as with a normal cambium saver. Essentially you can climb up with this (adjusting to stem width accordingly) and a flipline. The multisaver just pinches the stem and creates an anchor point when loaded. I've used it a bit and it works well for me - not the quickest but then I see huge benefit in using a simple system which lends itself to self rescue.

Give one of these a go... veho muvi atom - Google Search You can pick them up direct from Veho on ebay, you can also get waterproof cases etc like the GoPro.

I've used both extensively, for me there is only one option... the swede's have it with a 346xp!

Nice find!

If its the same as the Pferd file then its not suitable for chains with a depth guage setting of 0.65", from memory they were set to take depth guages down to 0.8".

Hi all, Not sure if this has already been posted but... Just thought I'd draw your attention to the upcoming HSE funded Safety and Health Awareness Days for Forestry. The days are aimed at all involved in the treework industries and specifically forestry workers and supervisors. The days have 2 working scenarios (one forwarder and one chainsaw / felling) and have proved very well recieved in the past, attendance can be counted as CPD but the primary aim is to promote industry best practice and improve safety awareness. Tickets are free and include a lunch and refreshments. PPE is required (Helmet / Boots / Hi-Viz) as delegates will be on a live working site. Dates are: 24th March - Aberfoyle 31st March - Santon Downham, Thetford Follow the link for details of how to book: Tree Work Events Cheers, Mark

Nice one John... A technique that has been bastardized over the years due to a hysterical reaction to cut number 3. It's so important to use this system in conjunction with a bench... something that often gets forgotten. I've found a load of videos like these recently, anybody know how you can get films off VHS and into digital format?

Indeed!

Agreed, not ideal at all. Now that you ask... The splits were more like big tears tears / pulls and didn't present an enourmous risk to the operators as they were positioned in a safe area.

It's not a big risk because you will naturally be stood to the side anyway but I have seen very heavily tensioned back holds split before the cuts are overlapped. There is usually a blunt saw and nervous / tentative operator involved too!

I've seen plenty of folks fail to overlap the angled cuts, one benefit of the 'level cut' option is that as long as your bar is long enough you'll definately overlap the cuts. It isn't critical that the cuts meet exactly, a slight miss would have the same effect as a step cut.

You hold the saw at approx' 45 degrees which allows you to stand slightly more upright - therefore, head a little further away from the back of the tree. It works better when cutting from right to left. Its the recognised training / best practice standard these days but I think the technique originated from Scandinavian felling studies.

Body position, it keeps your head slightly further from the potential split.

Allow me to give it a go... For me its about how you control the centre of gravity, but essentially: - A small gob gives you more back-cut wood for the saw and any felling aids that might be required. - A smaller gob gives you more leverage / lift from the very back of the back-cut. - A larger sink on a backwards leaner can make everything just a bit more tricky - then again, on a tree leaning in the direction of fell it can help with pace and push the felled tree through neighbouring canopies. Hope that helps?

Apologies gents... you're absolutely right. I forgot to write P. ramorum - Phytopthora alone is a massive genus. Also TimberCutter, right again - Sudden Oak Death does refer to the North American Oaks and is a little misleading for the UK, but then again it is a widely used common name for the pathogen. I should not assume that everyone reading already knows that. Oh, and extra government funding to the FC and DEFRA to do more surveying / testing / research and control would be massively welcomed I'm sure. Not sure what you mean about AOD though Bundle? Phenom, Longleat is not FC land... it would seem to make sense that there was bio-security there though!

I'm open to offers but it looks to me like it's an occluded split on a hazard beam... if its that localised and on a lateral limb. The 'leakage' would likely be sap/resin from the wound.

The Phytopthora (Sudden Oak Death) outbreak is getting quite serious and is spreading quickly through the Larch population of the South of England and Wales. Early identification could help slow this spread, to this end, DEFRA / FERA have produced a practical guide to help all tree owners and those who work with trees. The Forestry Commission are putting a massive amount of work into controlling the desiese on FC land as well as on private woodland. Measures include helicopter surveys, on-site testing, lab analysis, foot patrols, mass felling programmes - hundreds of thousands of tonnes of Larch through the South West and South Wales are being felled with outbreaks being confirmed across these regions and into Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Hampshire. Are you keeping an eye out in the areas that you see? These documents could be essential... http://www.fera.defra.gov.uk/plants/publications/documents/factsheets/pramparks.pdf http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/WCAS-4Z5JLL http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/forestry.nsf/byunique/infd-86ajqa

Have you made representation to Husqvarna? Gary Philpot is the aftersales manager. I've been using husqvarna saws for years and never had this problem to such an extreme degree - used to happen a lot on Stihl's I trained with...

It could be that there are a lot of old mines in the Dean which makes putting a harvester in a no-go. Stacking as a cutter is pretty standard on shortwood systems, the big logs though can usually be left in the extraction rack as long as subsequent op's can be carried out. 10tonnes plus... and the rest!

Hi, What about qualifications, experience and insurance? What are you after in this respect?

Sorry to hear this Blake - I had a similar incident years back but we got to them before they could get to the kit! ! !!

Nice website, seems to work well to me... Just a couple of things though, they may have already been mentioned below... Did you mean to group the cable bracing in the Forestry Equipment section? Also, when looking at large sections I found it easy to miss the page turner at the bottom - may just be me though!