johnnyalpha

I'm looking for experienced chestnut cutters to cut product and firewood across Kent. Must possess fisa/ 5 year update on chainsaw and first aid. Work will be paid on an out turn basis with experience of processing material a bonus. Work will be across multiple sites. At least two workers per team to avoid lone working. Please PM me for further details.

Hi, I am off on an expedition with some colleagues to the West Coast of the USA in September. We are trying to find some travel insurance that covers us for tree climbing whilst we are there. As we will be technically be undertaking manual work at height we will need travel insurance that covers this. Has anyone any experience of trying to cover this? Thanks

Thanks for the replies. It's around where I thought. It's only a small block so I've added the low loader fees on top for the forwarder which the client seems happy about! We seem to be doing best on cutting hardwood cord where the demand is obviously high. Just having a problem finding enough material to cut!

Hi, just wanting to pick a few brains. Been offered a good flat site with 150m haul distance for a 50% thin of a hectare of western hemlock. Extraction using a valtra and Botex and hand cut. It's in the southeast. Any ideas for cutting on tonnage rates. We do a lot of hardwood on difficult sites but don't want to put the customer off with a silly rate. Many Thanks

Here is a photo of the mixed oak, ash, birch pile. Cut by our apprentices. There are some larger lumps of oak in this.

As above I have 2 separate sites in Wadhurst/Hurst Green in East Sussex. There are approximately 25 cord at each site so approx 2 artic loads a piece. One site consists of oak, ash, birch and the other site is all hornbeam and ash. Cut in 7ft 6 and 8fts dependent on site. Pretty good artic access. Offers please

It's a 1997. It is ok mechanically it's had £9000 spent on it in the last year. A few glitches that are liveable with but it maybe worth having a look. I'd prefer to sell it as an all in one unit so I have space to put the new one in the yard. It'll be near hurst green hawk hurst from the end of next week so give me a shout and you can take a look if you like. It's the red tractor in the picture. Cheers

Our one will me up for sale in the next month or so! 11500 hours, Botex 560tl valtra 8150 with a euro 16 tonne trailer. We have just bought a new t172 so going to put a crane trailer unit on it. It's in hastings, East Sussex cheers

Houlbec Forestry are AAAC based in Hastings, East Sussex. We specialise in Infrastructure Vegetation Management and Eco mitigation. We are looking to expand our teams due to heavy contract commitments. This will be full time employed positions (4*) on an initial 1 year contract. CS30, 31 and aerial rescue are important but training can be given and rates of pay will reflect abilities and qualifications. Previous applicants need not apply. Please email CV to [email protected] or ring 07966670113.

Just a quick note to people running the new A530 Jensen. We had a major near miss today with the hub disintegrating on our chipper. It is less than 10 hours old! If you have an unbraked version have a good check!

The FMOC base unit is the main criteria. We have won works to undertake forestry ride mowing for the FC and this is a stipulation. Utility training to work on National Grid contracts will be provided for the right applicant. We are just in the process of adding a valtra T171 alongside our 8150 with Botex Crane.

Due to continued expansion we have a vacancy for a full time surveyor. Candidates will be required to undertake estate tree safety surveys and utility surveying as well. A recognised arboriculture and/or a PTI qualification is a must. Knowledge of BS standards in relation to construction would also be beneficial. Utility qualifications would also be an advantage but training will be given to the right candidate. Houlbec Forestry is a growing Infrastructure Vegetation Management company based in East Sussex. We are an AAAC and an equal opportunities employer. Please PM or phone John on 07966670113

Due to continued expansion we are looking to recruit an FMOC qualified tractor driver. Work to include forwarding, ground flail, hedge flail, fencing and crane fed chipping. Based in East Sussex but working throughout the South East on a variety of contracts. Houlbec Forestry are a rapidly expanding Infrastructure Vegetation Management Company. We are AAAC and equal opportunity employers. Please PM or ring John on 07966670113

It would be worth people taking a look at what Tecchie Paul is saying. We have been AAAC for five years. We had a poor audit on a commercial site and I thought that I'd bring our AA audit forward to see where we really were. The AA team came in and in a very supportive way showed me where we had slipped and where I was resting on my laurels! They gave us a pass with the need to streamline our systems! So I spent 2 days a week for 3 months doing what they suggested. They came back did a reaudit and we flew through! 6 months later, over £250k worth of additional work, booked till March 2013 and 6 new staff the couple of thousand we spent is small fry!! Many people slag the AA as being too expensive or too stringent but believe me it has changed our whole outlook in the last 12 months!

Tree Surgery and Fencing CSCS come under BALI now. You have to do a one day ROLO health and safety course as well as touch screen. No other health and safety course counts even CITB. Just another scam to make you pay more for a course that is really very basic! I've just had 10 lads go through it and its directed training funds away from areas where it could be better spent!

I had a good go to! Lot of torque, good balance and no flat spot like the 201t! I offered to buy ten off the stand as our lads are hating the 201! No avail but supposedly with dealers late October! Think they have really missed a trick not having them ready for the show! I'm holding out till end of oct then may have to go the stihl way just to keep the teams going!

CITB is the construction industry training board they award cpcs for machines and cscs for trades in various colours due to skill levels. You used to do a touch screen test for the cscs and you had your card. A basic understanding of h and s all you needed. This allowed you onto construction sites and was bolstered by your NPTCs etc. Since last year so I'm informed BALI have become the scheme administrators for the landscaping, arb, ecology and fencing fraternity. They now give you a Register of Landscape Operators card once you have done the touch screen test and their specific h and s day. This is where another scheme organiser has jumped into make money! It's all backed off the National Highway Sector Scheme which most people on sites seem to ignore! So instead of it being a simple hours test we are Now having to put 15 staff members through a more basic than our standard health and safety courses to renew our cscs. That's a cost of £3000 which in the past would have cost around £600! I would prefer to spend the money on skills advancement for our teams rather than pole hopping. We spent in excess of £20k on training last year so the cost isn't the issue it's the retreading of old ground and not broadening training and experience opportunities!

It's not that I'm against certificates but it's the multi layering as Tony says. I hold A degree in Forestry and forest products AA tech cert CITB Site Supervisor Controller of Site Safety Network Rail IPAF CS 30,31,32,36,37,38,39,41 NPTC chipper, stump grinder, brush cutter UA 1,2.1,5 Basic Electrical Safety Competence, National Grid Persons Unit 10 Supervisors Signing Lighting Guarding NPTC thorough examination of arb equipment 3 day first aid as well as others I also own and run a successful AAAC yet I still have to take a basic health and safety test day to renew my CSCS. My teams are very similarly qualified and that's what irks. That there is always another hurdle and someone wanting your money just so you can go to work

Undo the battery terminals clean and then tighten them back up. You may need to wiggle them a bit. Ours always does it so that may fix your problem Cheers

Hi We are in need of Surveyor/Permissioners who also climb/undertake works so that they are able to accurately put man day allocations to consents. The candidate must have First Aid Unit 1 and 2.1 Utility Arb BESC National Grid Persons Driving License Preferable CS38,39, NRSWA Unit 2 Unit 2.1/5 We are an equal opportunities employer and proud to be an AAAC Please contact John Allen 07966670113

Is it me or are more and more people jumping on the H and S band wagon and making the cost of operating more and more expensive? I went to renew our teams CSCS cards today and am now told that we now have to do a ROLO 1 day Health and Safety Test. The fact that even our basic team members all hold PTS, EUSR, UA1, CS39, Chipper, Unit 2 Signing Lighting Guarding, First Aid we are still going to need the ROLO card. Even holding CITB Site Supervisor 3 day certificates isn't enough! So my rant really is over what is happening with testing and certification? HSE as far as I understand having spoken to a Principal Inspector are expecting 5 year refreshers so why are the UA tickets on 3 yearly cycles? It does seem to be becoming a job for the boys and forgetting the need behind the training and assessment which is safe, competent staff who have a respect for the environment, people and equipment they use. Any one else having the same thoughts?

Hi Rob, Yes stan did his plumpton placement with us. Haven't heard a thing from him since. Must be 3 years ago! He lived in a commune community and didn't have a phone but I may be able to dig an email address out Cheers John

Hi Nick, We met up a couple of years ago. At the time we missed out on the contract I was expecting. However at the moment we are absolutely chock a block so if you need a few days on a self employed basis give me a bell. Our teams are booked a good 2 to 3 months ahead at the moment so pelnty to crack on with Cheers John Houlbec 07966670113

We have full time positions for ua qualified climbers with besc and preferably national grid persons. This will be an employed post. We undertake various works outside utilities including rail, construction, highways and environmental mitigation. Please pm if interested. Immediate start. Thanks