Big J

Done - good luck!

I went to a Forestry Commission Scotland led Bio Fuels demonstration day at Arniston House on Thursday and it was interesting to hear their take on the RHI. I was left feeling slightly uncomfortable about the whole matter as the overwhelming spin put on the whole scheme was one of financial gain, with sustainability secondary. I really do feel that such schemes should be promoted for their intrinsic value and sustainability, rather than because there is a lucrative grant available for it. I think that these grant schemes promote a boom and bust style economy - what happens when the scheme runs out and all these people being paid thousands a year to heat their homes are suddenly penniless? What was very useful about the day was the reminder about the different efficiencies of methods of burning. Open fires should be banned, for reasons of air pollution and terrible efficiency (10%). Good stoves and boilers will run at 70-90% and they would represent an excellent utilisation of our resources. Regarding the future of the FC, I'm ambivalent about them. They are pretty hopeless at commercial forestry, not great at regulating felling (some very dubious 'thinnings' at various sites locally, all sanctioned by felling licences, and all have ruined the woodlands), cost the state quite a bit of money, but they are getting better at the amenity stuff. If the ownership of the woodlands were to change, I would be keen for them to stay out of the hands of the large charities as they don't really do forestry. Speaking to a representative of the National Trust for Scotland at this demo, he informed me that their trustees don't like to cut trees down! Perhaps community ownership would be the way forward. If a village owned and managed their own woods, they would take more of an interest in it and it would become self sustaining, both economically and for the benefit of local people and wildlife.

Additionally, the truly comedy thing about the sawmill is that it's sat in the middle of about 900 acres of good productive spruce. However, the timber that is felled on site is sold elsewhere, and all the sawlogs milled at Beecraigs are brought in. Utter madness!

My best example of public sector inefficiency is the local council sawmill up in Beecraigs country park. Visiting it one day to see their operation I was amazed by the level of machinery (huge Stenner and enough secondary kit to fill the 20 by 30 metre shed) but stunned by the lack of productivity. The saw operator said to me that they just produce enough to stay open, and no more. All that equipment, 2 to 3 men operating the mill at all times and only producing around 3 cubic metres of posts and rails a day. A good woodmizer operator would easily do twice that for a fraction the cost. I used to be very left wing in my younger days, but I'm not sure that we know how to operate this enormous bureaucratic machine we call the state anymore. It would be fine if there was a decent work ethic, but all to often, people end up in a public sector job because they can't function in a commercial environment. There is an old adage that you never get fired from the council, just reassigned!

Whilst that is very true, I'm sure that 500 year old Oaks fall into the 1% category that we no longer harvest.

I have huge reservations about cutting down ancient trees, especially when they pose no risk to anyone. Here are my criteria for what constitutes a justifiable fell: * Timber tree - whether it be for firewood or lumber. Upper end of perhaps 200-250 years old. Beyond that, it's an ancient tree and needs to be protected. * The tree is dangerous - if it's threatening a building/road/public ROW etc. If the tree is ancient, consider measures that don't involve felling it, such as heavy reduction/pollarding etc. * Site clearance - if a tree is ancient, the site should remain an ancient woodland, otherwise previous criteria apply. There are more, but in almost all instances, I would struggle to live with the idea of taking down something that old. Perhaps I'm in the wrong game, but I think that we have a responsibility as professionals not to pillage woodlands for the sake of a quick buck. Jonathan

Part of the difficulty with the employees of the state is that it seems to be so hard to get rid of useless staff. I recall an instance where a teacher at the school where my mother in law worked was given a glowing reference so that they could get rid of her. She was a terrible teacher, but they had no physical way to fire her. There is a popular consensus that the state carries quite a few of societies more useless characters, and to some extent that might well be true. However, what can you do with them if you can't fire them, and they can't function in a competitive corporate environment? I should stress that I believe this useless minority to be just that - a minority!

Recent trip down to the south coast and back with a very heavy trailer (2.6 tonnes). Got 22mpg with the trailer fully loaded, and then about 26mpg on the way back with it with perhaps 400-500kg on it. Pretty impressed really, though the 190bhp does seem pretty necessary when the total train weight is over 5 tonne! The mileage of the truck is approaching 6k now and the engine seems much happier - feels quicker and is certainly more efficient. 30mpg plus is very easy, even when driving fairly quickly.

Depends on how long it's been dead I suppose. If you catch it at the right time, it can be quite interesting as the whiter timber bands into the darker richer stuff, but over time it will all eventually go white and uninteresting. My experience only though!

Yep" If anything, it's even worse. Dead elm can just be very white and grey.

sawmill | eBay UK If it's of any interest to anyone!

I got to the end of my tank with 33.5mpg showing (some really heavy towing at the end dropped my mpg a bit). What frustrates me is that the indicated mpg is always out by about 2mpg. Actual mpg for the tank was 31.3. Either way, I'm doing an epic all the way to the south coast and back tow (circa 900-1000 miles) so we'll see what Mr Navara can do with 2.6 tonnes hanging off the back. One suspects about 24mpg!

With logs up to 24 inches, might be worth separating the firewood from the butts for sawmilling. Oak is commanding a good price up here at the moment - we went to see some nice straight trees up near Perth the other day with a professional timber grader, and the average price for the batch was £130 a tonne, including the lower grade fencing and beam quality sticks.

Hard to know what I would plant for a firewood crop (perhaps with the aim for some final crop sawlogs). I think it would be somewhere in the region of 40% cherry, 50% Ash and 10% Oak (dependent on site obviously). I would progressively thin the cherry and ash out to leave a final crop of perhaps 60% ash and 40% oak. I do love cherry as a firewood and as sawn timber, I must say Jonathan

Nice work on the Wendy house, and may I be the first to say, epic wood stack!

Great photos Tom. Absolutely love Peebles - we there on Friday swimming in the Tweed at Neidpath Castle. Jonathan

My experience too. Quite a bit went through my first kiln when I wasn't as sure what I was doing. It all came out straight, unsplit and at the right moisture content. It must be the single easiest timber I've ever had the pleasure of drying. Nice milling by the way mate - very clean finish (a credit to your sharpening and steady hand on the mill). Jonathan

Stunning pictures as always - very envious of your position as a 'tree hunter' of sorts! According to wikipedia, the largest Douglas ever felled was 142m, which sadly makes todays specimens seem small. Whenever I see the old photos of the loggers with enormous felled trees, it pains me as such trees won't exist again for hundreds of years.

Glad to hear that it is reshooting. In a similar vein, I was disgusted by this news article this week: BBC News - Eighteen birds beheaded in Wythenshawe Park, Manchester Do you ever feel like we need a Running Man style game show to take care of people like this?

Regrettably, we aren't going to be able to make it this weekend. Damn shame too as we were really looking forward to it - have fun folks!

Thanks for that Dave - glad to hear that things are going so well

Dave, I was just wondering how your recuperation was going? Jonathan

Or, continuing the habit of a lifetime! This is one of the marvellous things about having a monarchy (as in a non-elected head of state) - you need not worry about reelection, or indeed the possible repercussions of your actions. So you can clearly just say what you like! I do think that the public feels a genuine warmth for the cantankerous old sod - open the Daily Mail, see a Prince Philip story, smile wryly and think, what's he said this time....?

There is only a little over 2.5 cubic foot of timber in that log. If someone is offering you £100, snap it up because it's a lot more than most people would pay! It's the low diameter that limits the value as it's too small to mill and limited for turning too. Jonathan

That would have been a beautiful log - shame that it was cut into discs. I milled a stunning cherry a month or so back that is currently sat in my kiln: