Highland Forestry

Reading this thread with some amusement ... Not meaning any offence to anybody at all but up here we get a fair bit more snow than most places in the UK... What you've had down in kent is nothing... We still work in the snow, my lads were still out thisafternoon on a thinning job ontop of a hill in blizzard conditions, we were still doing tree work and my pole squad were still felling.. The roads dont stop flowing, cars and vehicles are not left abandoned... It's the same as any other day, just a bit nippier and a bit more tedious work.. however, if we didn't then we would have whole weeks with no work at all which just wont do. I've seen both side of the coin, and I have to say things seem alot more sensible in Scotland rather than England... half an inch of snow in England and the whole country shuts down, schools close, people banic buy at tescos... mental! John - that is an amazing picture mate.... you should be proud of that.. very very nice.

Owain... Farmer Ben mentioned that he had been back and seen gignger hair a few posts back.. The shape and form of the teeth is different from a badger. More dog like

very sad news, heartfelt sympathy to his wife and children.

lol! It's a fox mate... if it's not a fox then it's a dog with ginger hair!! Either way... look at the teeth.. they are canine not mustelid.

Ahhh, I know troston farms very well indeed... Small world for sure - alot of my family are still about in Honington.. did you ever go down to the pub much?? Cockfield hall..... I take it you met DH then... very nicegentleman, good friend of my grandparents. It was never that I had enough of suffolk.. I just fancied a bit of an adventure and to see some nice sights in the highlands... came up to do a 25wk contract and never quite made it home..

Ben - we used to go lamping and shooting foxes all over the place mate... mostly not far from bury st edmunds but also out toward lavenham and also round ixworth thorpe and a bit more over by stanton. Could habe been one of ours but I doubt it... moved to scotland 4 yrs ago now. Where abouts in suffolk are you?? I grew up in Fakenham Magna near Honington and then lived in Cockfield before heading north.

I think you'll find that's a fox, and most likley put there by the keeper. We used to hang all our foxes in trees when I was keepering in Suffolk.. Crows etc will come land on them to feed as they rot and present themselfs for a shot whilst on the rounds. The fox was probably shot last harvest time bolting from the combine and hung in the nearest tree or snared on the fenceline. Simplesaw - yours is deffinatley a badger mate.

She's a fair stick David.... You have to let nature take it;s course though I suppose. She would make a lovley table though In all seriousness - it's a shame to loose such an old but there should be more to follow in her footsteps..

Get a treemotion

Ok, see what you mean... Well, if it helps, personally... my main ground saw is a Stihl MS260 with a 15' bar. I also have an 038, a 180, a 200T, an 046, a husky 281xp and a stihl 880, but I still use my ms260 more than any other saw. Spend good money on boots... you get what you pay for with boots in my opinion. I use meindl airstreams and have had absolutley no problems with them at all, and generally spend 10hrs a day in them most days of the week. Trousers are another one, I use stretch air but there are loads of types, if you're starting out may be an idea to go for a cheaper pair of husquvarna or SIP etc... you can spend as little or as much as you like on all the above but deffinatley with boots and saws you get what you pay for. I think you should have a wee chat with Mr. Jones (Jonesie)

Top out of a scottie here... cost: zilch! Wanted to get a Noble fir this year but havent had time. Just as an observation, I was in homebase at the weekend getting some bits and pieces and noticed that the nordman firs they had were £35 for a 6ft tree!!

I wouldnt bother getting everything just now mate... go on your course and see a few bits of kit in action and make your own decisions about pros and cons - you'll get side-lined here onto the stihl v husky debate and a million other cans of worms. If you're booked onto a practical course, the pre-course hand out should include a list of basic kit you will nee dto have such as saw trousers, boots, file kit etc. If you want a full list of kit required to be a tree surgeon then I would suggest you have alot of homework to do - the possibilities are endless. Good luck!

ahhh wow! That's a brilliant idea!! Think I might have to do that for mine.... she's only 3 days old at the moment, so wouldnt appreciate it to be honest but it would be nice to have a tree growing with her so to speak..

Hi Mike, I'm based up near Grantown on Spey/Aviemore area and may have some opportunities coming up shortly. Could you drop me a line with your full contact details please if you're interested. Matt [email protected]

wow. Lots of replies. My misses and I have read through them all a couple of times, and we would both like to say a big thank you for all the kind words. Mum and baby are both doing fine, the birth itself was an epic emotional ride for all concerned and both have been given a 100% clean bill of health. Glad to have them both home now and we're looking forward to a very special christmas this year

Thanks for all the well wishes guys... Yeah, she truly is amazing. From the first moment I looked into her eyes I could feel my heart melt.... Everybody had told me before the birth that things would be changing in a very big way, and i'm starting to realise now what a special and beautiful thing childbirth really is. Priorities in life have shifted somewhat over the weekend - things that seemed important to me last week now fall lower on the list. Thanks again guys.

Well guys... Sorry I've been so quiet on here lately.... been very busy with work and even busier this weekend. I would like to formally introduce you to the latest member of the Highland Forestry team; Please meet Lexie Eliza Daphne O'Brien. Born 11th December, 12:58pm. 6lb 6oz.

The ideal tool for the job is a purpose built forwarder.. They do have thier drawbacks as already mentioned on this thread but if you want a machine that will do the job properly.. timberjack forwarder on eBay (end time 14-Dec-09 21:59:31 GMT) This is the best forwarder i've seen on ebay for a long long time. Tractor and timber winch is another way to do it, but bear in mind you need an operative and most likley a labourer also, and winching can be a slow process, especially over stumps and through rocky ground. The valmet that is on ebay at the moment is cheap but needs alot of money to get it up and working, as well as a new computer and mini levers etc.

That seems pretty unprofessional to do that after starting a job IMO.

In my experience it burns long rather than hot, but leaves very little ash - its alot cheaper than coal and burns nicely mixed with wood. Buy a bag at any local garage and try it !

Peat and Birch - two absolutley beautiful smells! Dont burn much peat to be honest but we do get the odd bag in for a change now and again.

Tomintoul Peat Products - 01807 580719

Very sad news...sorry to hear about the death of anybody, let alone a cutter.. Does anyone know any more about this case? What was a cutter doing on a timber lorry? Again, and it's been said before, but yet another reminder that the job we do is serious, and the consequences of mistakes or accidents can incur the ultimate price.

You're mileage bill would be interesting!!

Cheers Paul!