Highland Forestry

The forwarder is about right, but the skidder looks a tiny bit overpriced to me..

We've got around 3ft of snow and more in places round here... No work for us untill it all buggers off. We stopped work on the 22nd December and all I have been doing since is emergency call-outs. We've been at Inverness, Dingwall, Wick, Helmsdale, Lairg and everywhere inbetween cutting trees off rail infrastructure, but last night a Stobart Rail freight train de-railed in the next village so I fully expect we'll be called in to cut trees to free the carriages an the loco. Other than that we're forecast snow up til the 17th, and no sign of it thawing out between Not going to be the best month money-wise

£65-£70 a day if you are providing saws/fuel etc for a beginner/less experienced and £85-£90 for a seasoned worked I would say Andy... or thereabouts. Depends on the work though.... if it's day rate cutting then it's not so bad as you simply have a margin you work to in your pric for the job/day rate for the job but we often have to work on a piece rate which works out best for everybody, and I prefer to be on a price per ton as the lads get paid for what they produce and not for time spent blethering or drinking tea.

I have to take the head off my pole saw and put it in the back of the ranger at an angle, but it still sticks out the back a bit which then requires a bungee rope to hold the hardtop door down..... I think a roofrack is in order.

Many thanks Rich! That's exactly what I was looking for mate.. I see what you mean about having a bit too much slack, but I take it you can use as much or as little as you like.. I can see that the VT would work really well on a frictionless system with a cambium saver or art pulley etc. Looks like you guys had a fun day... the weather looked a bit grim though! Thanks again, Matt

You too Jamie, I trust you had a good one?? Happy new year to you and yours. You're right about the snow... starting to get beyond a joke now. We've a fair bit on the books and some of it is on deadline, dosent look like i'll get through it all in time though. This snow will knock us out of action for at least another week I think. Having said that, call-outs have gone bonkers so I cant grumble completley. How's things over your way? I was hearing that Tomintoul had been completley cut off at one point and the snow out towards Echt was causing major problems.

Had a similar problem with mine a few weeks back... it was the throat plate all bent up and distorted with a build up of soot and residue on the upper side... new plate cost me £22 and she's burning a good'un again!

Great news!! Congratulations mate!!

Well that's it guys, 2010 is here.... I always get a great feeling on new years eve, it's like a fresh start and a new beginning. Here's wishing all of you a Happy New Year!!

Was drinking this last time I was out..... nice stuff, good over lots of Ice!!

Hmmm, 2010.. going to be an interesting one for me.. Priorities have changed somewhat over the last year, and I now face additional responsibilities. in 2009 I dropped from 12 guys down to 7 and have managed to keep most of them going.. work has often been day-to-day, job-to-job rather than having a full book, and the overdraft took a serious hammering early in the year. I'm happy to report that work is coming in quite nicely just now, and we should be busy untill at least mid-february and with two LTC's to work on throughout 2010 I hope we can keep busy throughout the year. I learned quite alot in 2009... looking to bring in more work was often like getting blood from a stone but somehow we got through it. For what it's worth, I dont think the dark ages of the recession and down-turn in work are quite over yet, and it seems to be very much a case of survival of the fittest just now. Don't let your guard down boys. Here's wishing you all the very best for 2010!

Don't I bloody know it!!!!!!!!!

Another lamb to the slaughter!! Just kidding. Good luck mate.

Mozza - really we've had nothing compared to what we usually get.... last year we had about 2ft fall in one go and was up to near 3ft in places... Everyone is saying that we're not getting the snow they used to get but it's enough for me!

I'm heading out for round two tomorrow on the same site!! Havent got much of a choice to be honest... gotta keep those pennies coming in. We're due another dump of snow tonight and some flurries tomorrow too, hopefully it wont affect us too much. Hows the firewood going?? Did you get your machine fixed??

sabre toothed hare?? lol!

It's basically crown lifting and pruning works to allow for tractor clearance as well as for a new fenceline installation. Some of the trees on the job could do will fell/replant but at the moment we are working to quite a shady spec which is determined by the laird.

Thats along the lines of what I had in mind..

I'm teaching Lexie to navigate arbtalk at the moment... then we're going to move on to invoicing.. Looks like we're having a snow day tomorrow, got two contracts to work on, one is tree work another is thinning ontop of a hill.... dont want to send anyone out if it's going to be dangerous... 1.5ft is normally our cut-off point.

How many seats has your van got Dean??? bloody hell. lol

lol.... I always feel that we dont get enough, so whats new??? We didn't have to work in those conditions, but we decided to push on as we were still warm/dry... I have a policy, work till you're wet.. then go home. We actually called it a day early as our ropes were icing up. Couldnt get the friction hitch to bite.

Just a few pictures from yesterday's job.. remedial work. Many thanks to Alban for all his help. When we started off the snow was not that deep on the ground but it came on strong over the day and through the night... we've alot more to come according to the forecast too.

I can completley understand that stevie.. other people taking or recieving credit for work you did is bloody annoying! Strange times we are living in..

Lyn Ed .. Considering all the, hand outs, grants, tax breaks and farm payments, stewardship schemes, setaside allowances etc that farmers get I would say it's not out of the way to spend a wee while every now and again clearing a road or two!! If I was a farmer, and had the kit sitting in the sheds that could do the job and the local roads needed cleared, I would be there doing it, thanks or no thanks... it's a moral thing!!

Yep, have to agree with you there Andy.. The blame culture has really put paid to alot of things that used to happen within a community.. As for the farmers helping out in snow and gritting etc - they would probably want compensation from the council these days... farmers do nothing for nothing it seems. I hate the idea that you could live next door to somebody and never have a conversation... What has the world come to... it's all very sad really, and mostly all to do with 'liability' it seems.