Big J

It's at just about 500t/hectare at the moment. Taking 20% out every 2 years will keep it at that standing volume.

Oooh, ya bastard. That has to be sore. I can empathise a bit as I'm recovering from double patella tendonitis. Not torn, but seriously inflamed at one point. It's debilitating. Hope you have a speedy recovery. How did you do it?

I'm looking to try to bring it to the firewood market. It's dense, poker straight and if processed green, rapidly turned into saleable logs. The crazy thing is that there are some sticks that are too large for most processors. You up for a bit of eucalyptus #arboriculturist ??

The plan for that block is agroforestry. I've proposed putting pigs in initially (it's fully fenced already) to clear the brambles ahead of thinning. A 20% thin this year, followed by 20% every two years until such time that the decision is taken to clearfell. The trees are likely to make 40m within 6-7 years, which is a consideration. 50m inside 15 years isn't impossible. The stand is markedly shorter on the western fringe (probably 5m shorter than on the east), but because it's a fairly big block, there is potential for the protected ones to get rather large. Nitens doesn't coppice well, and won't do it at all after 7 years of age. Not sure what the plan was when it was planted. I think the issue is that they'll very quickly get impractically large. I'd be looking to coup fell and replant within 5 years I think. Start with the eastern edge, where it's largest, fell a hectare and replant. Repeat every year until you're all the way through the stand at year 5. That way you're always taking advantage of the microclimate afforded by the remaining trees. Well at least until the final year when you do the western edge, but then they don't grow so fast there anyway so it doesn't really matter.

There are 4.5 hectares of the stuff too! Standing at almost 500/t per hectare at the moment. It's the density at which is grows too. Clumps of 10-20 trees where they are all over 1/2t each. There are loads and loads of 1t plus trees in there. Some of the twin stems nudging 2t. This is a stand that didn't establish well either as it was planted in May 2010 and got mullered by the 10/11 winter.

Out with the family today at a eucalyptus nitens plantation today (I take them to all the best places!). It's actually a good laugh with the kids as they love the peeling bark and the ground is dry too. Anyway, this is the largest of the trees in the block. It's 47.5cm dbh at 10 years, 7 months. Around 25m tall too. The rest of the block averages that height and about 26-27cm dbh, but that includes loads of subdominant trees. Once thinned out, all the main crop trees will be 30cm plus. At 10 years old!!

Probably around 45cm top diameter on a 4.9m. I still have access to larger machinery for bigger trees.

I won't have a harvester as a low impact harvester won't work here. The trees are too large at stump, too coarsely branched and there simply aren't enough stands of first thinnings to justify it. I'm working closely with a chap with a 14t Harvadig. That's as low impact as I can go and be commercially viable here. I'll be able to extract 4.9s comfortably.

The Logbullet never had any issues, with it being 5ft wide. The Komatsu isn't so happy though. Even 9ft is too wide for a lot of them....

You've got some epic potential for synchronised Logbullet extraction drone footage

Perhaps, but it's going to a good home Staying in the UK until May 2022. Reducing the machinery count and specialising makes the move easier.

We knocked off £10 per machine hour, compared to what we paid for it. Seemed pretty fair, especially as it has the 44bhp turbo diesel. You can only get the 24bhp N/A diesel now due to the emissions regulations.

We're changing most of our machinery over winter this year to adapt to our workload. In essence, the very large forwarder (Komatsu 840tx), the very small forwarder (the Logbullet) and the forestry tractor (Valtra N92 with Botex and winch) are all being sold and replaced with a Vimek 610. A 5 tonne machine with a 5 tonne capacity. Low impact enough, but commercially productive. I have a lot of first thinning to do next year

Which one? We have so many! 🤣

Perhaps it's just recognising a track record of failure (for the common man) spanning 40 odd years, a misplaced sense of entitlement and a country ill equipped to sort out the mess it votes itself into. One interesting comparison is North sea oil. Norway is now one of the richest countries in the world off the back of it, has invested incredibly in its infrastructure and population and has effectively set itself up (within the current economic model) for life. What has the UK got to show for its black gold?

It's not a great country. Not even close. You'd have to be deluded to think so. It maybe was once, but that was many, many years ago. It's been a managed decline for decades, a decline managed by the wealthy, for the wealthy.

The UK has a culturally engrained status amongst many countries as being a hub of prosperity. I think it harks back to when we were a major collonial power. Also, English is the language most likely to be spoken by immigrants coming to Europe, so it's just easier I suppose. I really think a lot of them would have serious reservations about getting onto a RIB at Calais if they knew they were going to end up in Sunderland!!

I did say Northern Europe....

My sister in law is Italian. My other sister in law is Thai, though they live in Sweden. My dad lives in France, my mum is German and I've seen a fair bit of Europe and beyond

Also utter nonsense. Functionally, Britain is the poor man of Northern Europe. We work the longest hours, we are the least productive. We live in the poorest (and most expensive) houses, drive on the poorest roads, use the most expensive railway system in the world, have the poorest access to green space, have terrible employment rights (zero hours contracts, for example), have poorer parental leave, poorer tenant rights, some of the worst cancer survival rates in Europe, have a failing and increasingly privatised educational system and increasingly wealth inequality. Britain would do far better if it dropped the pretense of being 'Great'. It's exasperating listening to Brexiteers drivel on about recapturing the wartime spirit and how wonderful and utopian Britain is. It's almost as if they've not been to other countries.

Not a joke, but a very timely comedy song:

I'm not entirely convinced that that is the case, but I take your point

Pales into insignificance compared to the crap local farmers burn. Bale plastics being the favourite. I have no smoke from the flue and no odour either. I'd say it's burning fairly cleanly. I always also extra air when doing so rather than slow burning it.

That is very interesting. Always great to hear your perspective on all things combustion as whilst I regard myself as quite well versed, I'm not expert. Whenever burning something like nappies, I ensure that there is a good bed of embers and wood fuel as well allowing more air than normal into the stove. There is no visible smoke coming from the chimney. It helps that the stove is very large. I wouldn't do this with a 6kw burner.

I don't dispute that there are some unpleasant things in the off-gassing, but in the scheme of things I feel its better than putting it out to recycling/landfill. Nappies for instance , reduce to almost nothing when incinerated. By being able to burn some of our waste, it reduces our overall waste output by 2/3 over winter.