Spruce Pirate

It looks like it might be the great spruce bark beetle (Dendroctonus micans). It looks like a volcano hole in the bark which is one of the indicators of D. micans. Around here Scottish Forestry are very interested in hearing about these as we're in the pest free area for timber, I'm not sure whether the FC would want to know in your part of the world, but they very well might. Healthy trees can repel an attack from D. micans by exuding sap, but other, weaker trees in the area might succumb. The other spruce bark beetle is the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle (Ips topographus), as far as I know its only in the very south of England at the moment, but if it is moving north then FC will definitely be wanting to know about it. As far as I know Ips doesn't leave the volcano holes, but I don't know all that much about it.

Was that in at JCC the other week? Saw it in passing and noticed the winch but didn't get a chance to get a proper nose at it.

My in-laws had to replace the roof on their house in a CA. Cost a fortune as the council insisted that the correct slate was used to match the original. Probably depends which local authority you have to deal with.

The bleeds on your tree don't look like classic P. ramorum lesions, dieback in the branches often comes in from one side which could account for why only one of the stems seems in trouble. Was there any sign of dieback last year when the rest of the tree was still holding good, green needles? Is there any sign of new small shoots growing from the stem or stems? (epicormic growth) Are there any brown, dead looking needles being retained on the tree? If the tree is infected then it will be dead this time next year so probably better to get it dealt with sooner rather than later. In a commercial setting infected larches are served with a Statutory Plant Health Notification which requires the trees to be felled. This must be done within a certain timeframe, dependant on when the SPHN is served, but basically it is designed to have the trees felled before the fungus has sporulated to help prevent, or slow the spread of the disease. Machinery and equipment used to fell the trees should be cleaned and disinfected prior to leaving site, this includes PPE, boots, etc. As far as I'm aware, you don't need a license to move the timber, but a mill must be licensed to process the timber. I'm afraid I don't know the implications for a domestic setting, but I'm pretty sure the disinfecting part at least would still apply. The licensing requirement for sawmills is mostly to do with disposal of the slab wood and waste, so I'd think there may well be some restrictions on chip and timber being moved. You may well be able to access free advice from your local Forestry Commission or DEFRA office.

I only ever take hot water in the flask. Drink either black coffee or cup-a-soup at work, both easily taken in the piece bag and made on site. I've washed a few cups, but never the actual flask, nice, easy low maintenance.

Sounds like the old 365 compared to the 372.

Thanks for all the replies. First off, I've already ruled out a 462 from Stihl, it's an OK saw, but it doesn't perform as well as the 572 in my opinion. I had an extended demo of one a while back and it's good, but it's not a 572. A bit clunky and the rear handle has a tendency to fall apart. All you hardwood guys in the south might like them but I still think the Husky is better for softwoods which is what I do most of. I'm well aware that the 500i is 10cc (or almost) bigger in engine capacity than the 572, and that we possibly shouldn't be comparing them. They do however fall into the same niche when felling, at least up here they seem to, so they're always going to get compared. Maybe the question should be why Stihl had to build a bigger saw to compete with the Husqvarna? I'm still not sure whether to just go for the 500i as it's there (but might not be for much longer), or hold out until a 572 can be got. Decisions, decisions.......

Evening all, I'm looking for thoughts on 500i vs 572xp. I need to replace the 572 and not sure what to go with. 572 is a saw I like, it's cheaper and I've got plenty spares, but I can't seem to find anyone who's got one to sell. 500i is more expensive, thirsty, no spares but I can pick one up tomorrow. Each therefore has advantages and disadvantages. Looking for peoples thoughts as to each saw as I could always wait a while for a 572. Thanks in advance.

They're sometimes way, way, WAY out with their estimates. I looked at one a while back which was being re-tendered as they didn't like the original bid (only one contractor submitted a bid the first time, it was about £90k). In the end I didn't go for it as the job was too much of a ball ache and we were busy enough anyway, but I reckon the £90k was about right but also I think over twice what their estimate of the value of the work was. I seem to remember it went to negotiation after the re-tender with the amount of work being reduced. Point is, you can only put a price in for what you think the work is worth, not what someone else does.

Two things spring to mind with this, 1 - I never knew that, I've always just put it into reverse and driven backwards until it disengages and 2 - you managed to find a defender of a certain vintage with a working handbrake?!?!?!😲

It'll be fine.

Thanks for all the replies so far, I'm leaning towards just getting the Halfords. Reviews are as good as the likes of the Sealeys cost is a good bit less, lift is more or less the same. John, I'm pretty good at making sure something is properly supported before going underneath it, but I know what you mean about always being the odd time you do. I'll try and be better all the time.

I thought '87, or the aftermath, was the reason we had tickets in the first place! Nothing quite like getting pinched when the cut clearly "should" be opening! I'm not sure a pole-saw is actually all that handy compared to knowing what you're doing and how to do it! A course will only take you so far, if you do the ticket then probably best also to get someone who knows a bit about it to give you a hand when you start off. Single stems are relatively straightforward, but complex multiple blow can take a bit of working out and two heads are better than one. It's not impossible to learn as you go if you're doing relatively small simple stuff, but you still need to take care and be aware of all the tensions, side and up and down and that even small trees can have a lot of force stored in them and even small root plates are HEAVY. You can learn a lot from assessment schedules, FISA guides and YouTube, but better to do a course, get advice from someone with experience or both.

I had my dad's trolley jack on long term loan while he was abroad for a few years, then when he came back I had to return it. Boo-hoo, suck to be me. I've got by for a good while using bottle jacks, but recently used a trolley jack again when there was one available which has reminded me how good, and useful a tool they are. So, I'm in the market for a trolley jack of my own without having to beg and borrow one. Needs to lift 3 ton, that should be plenty of safety margin as realistically most things I want to jack are only about a ton or two. I saw one in Halfords the other week which was fairly cheap, Machine-Mart have a few at varying price points, specifications seem similar. It's not going to get that much use - I cut trees, I'm not a mechanic - anyone on here got any recommendations? Do I just get the cheap one, or is it worth spending a bit more money?

Already done!

Sorry, that was meant as a joke, I didn't really mean for you to go to the trouble of creating a poll.

Shouldn't this really by a poll?

I got service parts from gardentractorspares.co.uk. All ordered off their website, delivered straight to the door, just had to figure out which part numbers I needed.

I'm another fan of the Husky pole pruner. Miles better than petrol versions that I've used, plenty power and battery lasts pretty well. Storage and transport is an issue as it's a bit unwieldy but it's no worse than a petrol version. I have managed to bend the shaft by dropping stuff onto it, but it still works which is something that the petrol pole pruners I've used don't always manage.

Happy New Year to all. A friend of mine is looking for someone with a Lucas Mill to do some milling of large timber in southern Perthshire. Anyone on here interested or know someone who might be? Logs are apparently around 5 ft diameter and up to about 12 m long. Haven't seen them, haven't seen pictures of them, don't know about access but I can find out if anyone is interested in the job. Cheers

I think there are two types of people when it comes to PPE. 1. People who believe PPE is there to protect them and that it is important to keep it in good condition to ensure that it does it's job. 2. People who believe that PPE is a bit of an inconvenience but put up with it because it keeps other people, who have clipboards and checklists, happy and enables them to keep working. If you are a type 1 person you will retire the helmet, if you are a type 2 person you'll keep using the helmet and hope that nobody with a clipboard and shiny shoes notices that it is damaged.

It's called a nurse crop. Lodgepole is particularly good as it helps, I believe, fix the nitrogen in the soil, particularly peaty, heathery areas which Sitka often struggles in. Lodgepole will keep up with the spruce in the early years, I don't believe it has any benefit protecting spruce from the weather though - spruce are pretty hardy. Sometimes it is planted in alternate rows (haven't seen this in a long time) or in intimate mixes 1*1, 2*1 or 2*2. Lodgepole is currently out of favour due to red band needle blight (DNB). It can be a nice tree if you get the right provenance, or it can be an absolutely horrible tree if you get the wrong provenance. It is generally out-competed in the long run by Sitka, giving a self-thinning plantation which can be beneficial on steep ground with poor soils where doing an actual thinning can be costly and coutner productive by opening up the crop to windthrow.

Reading this a thought has occurred (this doesn't happen often). In light of recent blow from Storm Arwen, or whatever it was called, there has been a lot of trees cleared from roads, both public and private. Now, many of these trees are not technically dangerous, and therefore not exempt from felling licence, and in some cases many more than 5m3 will have been cut. Should these be subject to a licence? If so how can roads be cleared in a timely manner? Public roads could be covered by the Statutory Undertaker exemption I would think but do we now technically need to wait for a licence from SF before clearing tress from a private road?

Thanks all. Looking into Ulefones and Otterboxes.

I'll Google Otter Box as I've never heard of them. I'm assuming it isn't anything dirty.......😏