corylus

I have approximately 5km of upland riverbank to ‘deal’ with, regarding riparian tree management. The river environment has been managed and modified to a great extent in the past. A return to a more naturally dynamic watercourse is only possible on some sections due to factors outside my control. About 80% of the trees are native alder with again the vast majority being of a similar size and age. Many show evidence of being previously coppiced. I am led to believe that in the past these riverside alders were ‘managed’, although the only hard evidence I can find is the visual apparent coppicing. I have for years believed that some form of management should be ongoing. I’ve always had the idea that every so often a few clusters should be re-coppiced. This should then be repeated on another few after say 5 years, so that over a period of 25-30 years the majority would be ‘re-newed’ as it were. A few would be left in their natural state to age normally. The background reasoning for this train of thought stems from (pardon the pun) various issues which I have noted whilst living here for the last 25+ years. Due to the nature of this upland river (234m asl falling to 176m asl in c5km) it can be very fast flowing when in spate and bank erosion is a serious issue. The riparian trees perform a vital function in reducing/controlling erosion. However they do not stop this entirely and sometimes fail when severely undermined. By coppicing and therefore reducing the sail effect I reckon this would reduce the amount that fail. Another benefit would be that light levels to the bank would increase and that other suitable species (the locally native willow, aspen etc) could then be planted to increase tree species diversity, with all its associated benefits. This should also increase The resistance to erosion. I also fear that an outbreak of Phytopthera would take out the vast majority of the riparian trees along this length, which would leave very few trees to protect the banks. There are believe other benefits but for the sake of brevity I’ll leave it at that. I have discussed the above with various organisations involved in this sort of thing locally and all seem very happy and think it’s a good idea. I need to write a management plan to present to our local National Park team (who are happy with the idea) to get the relevant permissions, but I can’t find any ‘dissenters’ who think it’s a poor idea or who have different ideas on this. There must be alternative viewpoints and/or ideas, mustn’t there? So any constructive criticism would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

And dimensions.....plz

Pix would be good. Ta

I’m looking for a tipping body to put on a Land Rover 110 hicap. Based in N Yorks. Anyone know of any localish manufacturers or any for sale?

This is for a Defender 110 hicap.

I’m looking to do similar. Also in N Yorks. Did you get sorted?

Cheers peeps for the replies. I wasn’t hopeful that I could store that long. I can get willow stobs (sorry I shouldn’t have used such a ‘local’ term but I’ve always known short lengths of wood etches that) fairly easily but these are very close to where I want to replant, lovely and straight, of local provenance and are coming out anyway. Oh well plan B.....

Because of our recent floods I have to carry out quite a bit of riverbank work. I have a willowy island to remove but also have a couple of areas of bank to repair that I intend to plant with these ‘harvested’ willow stobs. The initial works (next week or two) will be cutting the willow then removing said island. The bank repairs will be done toward the end of winter and then planted. How (if it’s indeed possible) should I store the willow stobs for that length of time? Ta in advance....

Can’t see a link?

For nowt[emoji23]

Doing a bit of removal on stone buildings and adjacent sites (ancient monuments) and hitting the odd stone or three (usually hidden inside growth before you start[emoji23]). Obviously this can cause a fair bit of damage to chain. I’m happy to sharpen normally but don’t relish taking a few mm off cutters on a more regular basis. (Hate sharpening in the field anyway) So any ideas on electric sharpeners? Thanks in advance

Some good stuff in there, thanks. But not enough on creating holes/cavities etc. Anyone else got any suggestions? Also noticed in one reply about not ring-barking as it’s better to let the stump rot internally (for biodiversity value). Can anyone expand on this?

41 pages eh......well I know what I’m doing this eve. Thanks?

I’m trying to find information/ideas on creating wildlife habitat in standing dead/ring barked trees. I’ve found odd bits on coronet cuts and drilling holes etc etc but can only seem to find snippets of information. I’ve also had a quick look around Arbtalk but as I’m not even sure of the correct term for doing this to trees I’m struggling. Any pointers? Thanks in advance.

If you had not even heard of tree sparrows what on earth possesses you to make the comment in your last sentence?