Crazy Cutter

Ash dieback will hit you hard the same as it is everywhere else in Europe.

Fair enough but why do you want to bother coppicing with this on your horizon? Coppicing will just encourage faster infection.

Makes no difference on conditions. Side shoots are very small, multiple growth points. Looks as though life has been sucked out of them. I had some similar from a nursery four years ago before this came out. Planted in my hedge at home now have fifty gaps all dead.

With something like ash dieback disease you are wasting time and money. Tree planting in General is the cause of some of these tree diseases movement of plants around the world not good. Tree planting in a forestry sense no longer economic and less so with the future with no planting grants. Grow what appears naturally.

We are finding the disease has been here a lot longer than everyone thinks but for some reason has shown no symptoms for years. Your plants do not look good. It's not all about diamond lesions it's also general appearance usually twisted growth and a bulbous primary bud where the disease went in the previous summer. I just see it pointless to be planting these trees when it will wipe them out. We have so many diseases that I am now pretty much anti planting anything.

They are all infected, all small diameter with a twisted top. Felled my first one yesterday that that had the rotten black core like slime useless as firewood. Fell quick do not leave standing as they rot so no good as fuel.

We'll off can you show me a normal ash in norfolk Ian?

Could you show some close ups please they look infected.

I just would not do anything to your ash yet. You mention ash dieback, I understand it hasn't reached you in the north west of France in the same way it hasn't really reached the south west of England. It will reach you and will be very visible. Your trees being nursery stock I presume are most likely to be infected first with probably 100% losses. Please be in no doubt this disease is bad, we are now riddled with it here in Norfolk. I have felled another 9 mature trees this week alone along side roads. Our trees here seem to have been affected first in 2003 but have only showed signs within the last three years. I have not seen a healthy ash last year full stop! Our understanding from the Danes seem to suggest that trees will not recover from this disease only trees showing no signs to the eye will live on. A visit to Dorset in October showed me how our ash used to look but the signs were already there wherever I looked.

Can you not use green? An air dried beam will cost a fortune due to years of drying. It will still be green inside and will still move when put into a heated building. Movement and cracking is something that was always accepted, the oak being used within a year of felling. Green builders suggest that heating is low for at least two years after fitting.

Count the rings?

From personal opinion the ripping chain is a far better option. I have found when using standard chain it will leave very noticeable ridges on the wood which becomes more and more noticeable as the wood dries. So much so that I have been back to a customers to plane a fitted oak beam. The standard chain also dulls a lot quicker.

Did I not say $200 within five years? This price will not stay low for ever.

Not a bit of it, yes sales are slow for everyone it seems but the installers I talk to are as busy as ever. Just look at a small town and count the stove cowls? Someone has got to supply them And when OPEC does get bored or those at Davos force them to watch the price of oil rocket. $200 a barrel was mentioned yesterday within five years and as for the price of cord. There simply is not enough wood being produced in this country and with most countries sending their timber to China there is going to a huge battle for who has the wood.