daveclark890

Thanks buddy. I am really looking forward to it. At present I work in a computer network room and I dont get to see natural light from 07:30 til 17:00 mon to fri and all the air I breathe is through an air con system. I hate it because I have always been a very out doorsy person and need the sky above me! I am also looking forward to actually having an end result after a hard days graft! In the IT world there is no actual result and it never feels like you achieve anything! BRING ON THE TREES!

Thanks guys. I know the felling thing is kind of anti to the forestry preservation type work. There are a couple of country parks near where I am moving to in May. I will need to speak to them to find out who they sub to for the cutting. I do get a grant from the forces to pay for 5 years of higher or further education courses but I also have a family that I need to support so would need to be working and doing either distance learning or night school!

@ Treemon: PM sent, thanks for any help you can throw my way.. Pretty scary coming out of my cosy little world into the real world! @APBell: My Brig at 20 Bde was a RGJ. Good guy to work for. For my sins I am a scaly but always wanted to be a Poacher. (My local boys). Nice to see other ex green meanies floating around.

I am just about to get out of the British Army after 10 years and have trained up through my CS30/31, just completed my CS38 and doing my CS39 in June. I will be available from the begining of July for any work in the Midlands.. preferably around Corby/Kettering in Northamptonshire. I am mad keen to get working and am willing to start at the very bottom and graft! I love being out doors and I love a proper days graft any offers then please get in touch. Thanks Dave.

Hi guys, I am sure this has been up a million times but I am looking to get some qualifications in Forestry Management and would love to know where you guys would start?! I am in the fortunate position that I am about to leave the British Army and have a grant for further and higher education for a few years so will be able to get most of my course paid for. I am hoping that when I leave the army I will be able to work at a local Counrty Park as a Warden/Ranger type but really want to get a big qual to go with my tree felling and climbing quals. Any tips/advice/pointers are greatly welcomed and sorry again if this is a repeat topic. Thanks. Dave.

My stuff arrived today. Complete climbing kit ready for my CS38 course at the end of March. I was really impressed with the service. They phoned to say there was an issue with their comuter system so payment was stalled, they then called to tell me that a 3rd party was delivering the last component of my order on Monday and my order would then be shipped. Today my wife signed for it. A DAY before it was due! Thanks for the stuff HB, there will be more orders winging their way in future!

I have done my EFAW course but as a serving squaddy I have also done team medic course which deals with amputation and severe bleeds. I think the risk from injury by a saw should have a seperate course. I know it would mean more cost for employers and less working time for employees but I guess people would rather have a safe crew who can deal with situations than have a guy bleed out on a site.

. My dogs are both sprockers and the bigger one seems to be a brown springer!! No idea where the cocker bit went:lol:. As you can see from the pic Ollie is chocolate and white, his mum was a working springer and was liver and white and his dad was a working cocker that was golden. We have no idea where his colouring came from. Love him to bits though!

Try looking on the Arborist Equipment - Tree Surgeon Supplies - Climbing Accessories website. They have trousers of both sorts. The difference is that Class C has coverage all round your leg as opposed to the Class A which only cover the fron of the leg. The levels are then the speed to which the protective material has then been tested ie 18/20/24 meters per second. I would suggest that Class C are, although pretty warm, are the better option as they offer higher protection.

Here is my mutt. Ollie the Sprocker. We were hoping for springer size and cocker mentality but we got cocker size and springer mentality. He is totally mad but I would not be without him.

I passed my 30/31 with flying colours even with the dog and I am a confident enough person that if the dog had been in the way I would have said. And yeah I grew up not far from a wood in Lincolnshire that had both birds and dear that were hunted and I used to beat at weekends for pocket money (reckon I probably would have got more from poaching but hey) so am aware of the wrathful game keepers. I just love my dog and want to 1) have him with me more (my camp is a dog free zone and I work in a concrete bunker) and 2) he needs a lot of exercise (he was supposed to be springer size with cocker mentality, He turned out cocker sized and springer mentality!)

I am going to be heading that way in the summer, where abouts are you guys looking at working? Just trying to guage the employment probabilities? I will have my cs30/31/38/39 by the time I get there.

The dog was wandering round when the saws were quiet but when they started he walked off into the woods and only came back when the noise stopped! It was a little off putting bearing in mind it was my assessment but he seemed happy to just plod off. I am hoping that my sprocker will enjoy being out and just run around the place cos he loves being out in all weathers!

When I took my assessment for my CS30/31 the assessor had his dog with him and it was just running around the wood where I was doing my felling. When I leave th army and am actually doing arb work full on I would love to have my mental mutt with me too. Do you guys take your hounds with you on the job?

Buy a dog to live in the car! An angry terrier should do the trick. Used to take the jump plug cable off my old escort, they may break the window to nick it but it wont go anywhere, and if you buy a gun, when you hear the little 5h1ts doing it you can blow parts of them off so they wont do it again! Sorry your having to take extra precautions. Society is in a mess!!