10 Bears

I always get tingly feet watching anything like that - some times when climbing too. I think of it as a 'steady on' warning if I'm ever doing anything daft! In fact, I got it a little when watching this video Personally speaking, I thought the posh kid was an exceptional example of what you can achieve when you really put your mind to something. He was on top of the bridge just before doing the back-flip and was really battling with the fear demons. Then, he beat them, did the flip and was floored by an overwhelming feeling of elation and self pride. Or in the words of the Ukrainian, he sh*t himself. Doing free climbing like they did is not my idea of fun and I hope we don't get a rash off UK kids falling of buildings and cranes now that its been on TV, but that said, I have to respect their athletic ability and strength of mind.

Some logs, you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week -- delivered in the way she wants it. Well, she gets it. And I'll stack firewood, any higher than you men...

Thanks to everyone who offered to help or gave details of other people. This has been sorted now - thanks Howard, and my pal is very pleased with the results!

Not great pictures I'm sure you will agree (putting in the caveat just in case!) I would guess a Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera) - also assuming the sapling is a sucker. Best way to check is to crush the bud and have a good sniff... If particularly strong, it probably is a Balsam

Is that red van in the background the scabbard for the bar? That is a monster saw...

Now you just have to go and ruin my fun with providing the facts. Still made me laugh though. I guess Hodge, you will be telling me that the tooth fairy doesn't exist too.

No - its definitely a stand alone house, 2nd from the end on a row of terraces. The door on the left is for a corner property there, which is entirely separate. Without doubt, someone on here has a grudge...

I was in Kendal today and saw this firewood delivery. I thought it was an excellent way to teach the client to pay on time - or else! So, which one of you is responsible for teaching the old lady who lives there a hard lesson?

This is correct as the HA doesn't always have ownership of the highway, but a key legal tenet here is that a highway (as they are referred to legally) is not actually the physical road/tarmac/path etc. it is in fact the legal right to pass and re-pass along a predesignated route unhindered of obstruction. so, simply put, if obstruction occurs - even through the quiet onset of nature i.e. a trees growth, then the Highways Act permits the acting authority e.g. the HA, the right to amend the obstruction. An earlier point raised the issue about whether or not the landowner needs to be aware of the need for abatement. In fact, this issue was resolved in 1997 wherein the question of liability is simply placed upon whoever is in control of the land (be it owner, or in some cases agent/occupier) see: Sauvian, (1997) Highway Law, Sweet and Maxwell. Detail from S96 of the 1980 Highways Act states: "No tree, shrub grass verge, guard or fence shall be planted, laid out or erected... or if so.... allowed to remain in such a situation as to hinder the reasonable use of the highway by any person entitled to the use thereof" The reading of the same section also states the entitlement of the HA to carry out remedial duties as their statutory right under the Act. Interestingly, under S130 of the 1980 Act, the LAs have the same rights as the HA. Unfortunately - I have to go out now! If this raises some comments, Ill drop back in on this later....

If nothing else, you don't know what the client does for a job. I have heard tale of a tax inspector who was a bit of a git. Whenever he had a tradesman come round to give a quote for whatever work - he would always do the any discount for cash line. Unfortunately, he would also follow up with a tax inspection if any of the tradesmen took the bait...

Thank you all, they are all really great offers of help. I will speak to my pal and firm up some dates as to when he is available to help (he's a Glaciologist and spends a fair bit of time out of the country on research - but really wants to be around to help with this project) and I will contact you all back to see what is most convenient for whoever ends up helping with this. Ill be back in touch shortly. Thanks again...

Thanks - That's a very kind offer. The biggest I have is a Husky 372. Approx 70cc, 0.058 chain guage and will take a max 28" bar - so not the biggest saw in the world. I also only have standard full chisel chains and no rippers - so it may not do the best job on that score either, but is it possible that you have a suitable chain as well? (Sorry if being too cheeky!) Regards 10 Bears

Hello All, A pal of mine has felled an Oak and is looking for it to be milled on site. Unfortunately, I don't have the kit and an Alaskan I was looking to borrow has mysteriously disappeared! Estimated dimensions (from memory - as I've not measured it yet!) are 3-3.5m length and mid-girth of approx 70 dia. He just wants through and through, in the region of 2" boards. Access is awful, so it will have to be a chainsaw mill or something that can easily be assembled on site, but the work area is OK (on a flat limestone area). There is only the one tree to do, so the whole job will be done in less than a day. If anyone can help - or recommend someone in the area (Nr. Arnside) then please PM me and let me know. An idea of price would help too... Thanks. 10 Bears.

To make it interesting you could start with a question - how many feet per second would a projectile have to travel to cause significant damage to this (insert melon/pig/cow/politician etc.)? Have all your guns covered up at this stage if possible so those in the know dont have an unfair advantage at guessing. Get some answers from the audience, in type of a sweepstake - and offer a small prize to the closest eg the still bleeding heart of the pig or similar. Have 10 of them write down their answers on a piece of paper as you need to control how many get involved in the demo. This will be their raffle ticket. Then reveal what guns/options you have, and leave them on display to build anticipation. The discussion could build up in this sort of a fashion - Step 1: Discuss projectiles and basic ballistics. Demo: Start with a daft propulsion for a projectile eg throw a stone at the target and explain that was 10 feet per second etc. Knock any bad answers out of the sweepstake. Step 2: Discuss propulsion systems eg powder/charge, compressed air, rubber! Demo: Fire a catapult at the target. Explain the feet per second. Check for damage - discuss if minor damage is shown. Knock any bad answers out of the sweepstake. Step 3: Discuss shooting safety eg back stops, clear line of sight, 100% certainty etc. Demo: Fire a .22 rifle. Explain the feet per second. Check for damage - discuss if minor damage is shown. Knock any bad answers out of the sweepstake. Step 4: Discuss legal issues eg FAC, ammo control etc. Demo: Fire a decent rifle. Explain the feet per second. Check for damage - discuss if minor damage is shown. Knock any bad answers out of the sweepstake. etc. etc. until you have covered all the important stuff and built up to: 1. A winner in the sweep stake, and 2. You have managed to get the big guns out and cause loads of damage! I think that would keep them interested - particularly if like in the other post you can end with blowing up a cow with a bazooka!

The RFS is being regraded I believe to be more like a 3/4 as in its current format its too hard to be a level 2. You could contact RFS for further information on this, but I am told that this process is happening right now.

Ive used this place in the past: Weasdale Nurseries - Home They are based in Kirkby Stephen which is not too far from the borders so you could presumably visit. They of course do mail order too.

Very impressive. I once saw a fully loaded forwarder trailer go over an edge as steep as that. It made more of a mess at the bottom though!

Sycamores are a fantastic tree in all respects - you don't have to hide behind it just being your opinion. They are highly valued as timber, support a significant range of biodiversity and look majestic in the landscape especially when in veteran status. Too many chop-happy-saw-monkeys like to chog them down just because its a sycamore and for no other good reason which can only be species genocide by the ill informed and uneducated. What else will fill the gap left from the devastation of Elms and the potential impact on Ash? Its time people dropped unrealistic and unsupported prejudices. And yes, they do make good firewood...

Hmm, I agree with the comments above as you have a couple of interesting points to consider. -What has been sprayed in the fields? - Waterlogging is a problem - and can being in containments from unknown sources if the water level breaches boundaries - What issues are being harboured in the Elms? My primary thoughts are it could be some form of airborne spray from the fields - but obviously this will depend on exactly what was sprayed. Any droplet cloud wouldn't necessarily move across your property in a single curtain of particles. There would be a degree of turbulent forces that will 'ball' the droplets into smaller groups/particle clouds and they will deposit at different points in the garden, which explains the apparent random selection of trees. I also think that this potential event has been compounded with the waterlogging causing additional stress. As for the Elms, well, I would have more concerns that these were a source of a problem if you started to mention fungal fruiting bodies so perhaps they are not the issue right now, but one to watch for the future. I would find out of the farmer what has been sprayed in the last 2-3 years, in particular find out if there has been any boom spraying of fertilizer or herbicide and exactly what was in the mix. There would be no way of appointing blame of course, but it may give you the answer that you are looking for, and you could advise him that there may be some drift problems when he is in your end of the field. Please bear in mind that this is all guess work, with only a little information via the internet and is the best I can summarise right now. Hope it helps.

Could you provide a bit more information about what has happened on the ground and in the local area (if anything): - has there been any flooding in the last couple of years? - have you had any loading on the root plates? e.g. delivery of soil? - has there been any trenching works nearby? particularly along a bordering fence line? - is there any airborne pollutants getting to site? eg from farms, building sites, factories, salt spray from a motorway etc. - have you applied any fertilizers or nitrogen to the lawns? - unusual weather, location and exposure is also a key bit of information, but that has been asked above Now, more obvious questions about what you may have seen in the garden: - is there any signs of fungal fruiting bodies either on the tree or ground near to these trees (could be now, or check back to winter) - are there any other signs? eg insect bore holes in the stem or leaves, necrotic bark slough etc. - is there any composting at the base? I'm sure I could come up with a few more questions once Ive got the answers to these, that should give me a chance at working this out - however at the moment there isnt enough information to say.

Well, this is in fact dependent on where you are and the whims of your LPA. A more detailed overview of the situation regarding tree houses (play houses) is provided by a specialist company in this sector: - The structure must be less than 4 metres high to the top of a ridged roof if it is to be beyond 2 metres from a boundary. If it has a flat roof the maximum height should be 3 metres. - The structure must be less than 2.5 metres high if within 2 metres from the boundary - The playhouse should be 5 metres away from the dwelling. - The playhouse must not be sited between the dwelling and the main highway. - The playhouse does not have a floor area in excess of 30 square metres. If the playhouse has a floor area of more than 20 square metres it should be 1 metre from the boundary. - Platforms above 30cm need planning permission. Source: The Play House Company Now that gets us back to the issue of the over 30cm needing permission - so lets consult the Planning Portal via this link which supports the information given above, but what it doesnt do is stipulate a tree house, which is why we need to know the individual views of the Planning Officer that comes to visit as simply they will tell you their interpretation of the regs. Further investigation of the Planning Portal again suggests that decking or platforms in the garden are subject to planning dependent on certain conditions: - The decking is no more than 30cm above the ground - Together with other extensions, outbuildings etc, the decking or platforms cover no more than 50 per cent of the garden area. Source: Planning Portal And is you want some media coverage on the issue, you could consult the Telegraph, who ran the story "All tree houses need full planning permission" So, based on the limited information given in the original query, and assuming that the tree house is to be situated in England and all other matters considered... You're almost right.

The law changed about 18 months ago as someone alluded to earlier. Its now any 'raised platform' including garden decking, will need full planning permission so this tree house will undoubtedly fall in to this remit. From reading the other comments, its fair to say that generally people don't understand what a Conservation Area is for - so Ill summarise briefly. - A CA primarily protects the buildings (often also listed but not always) and the genus loci of a specific area - Trees inside it are not automatically TPO'ed. However, work to them is notifiable to the TO with 6 weeks notice - A tree below 75mm in diameter at 1.5m from the ground can be worked on - but its good practice to informally notify in any case. Anything over the 75mm is protected by the terms of the CA (not TPO'ed) as felling/damaging/altering them would affect the nature of the CA itself Installing bolts into a tree is wilful damage and is therefore prosecutable. Erecting a tree house will change the nature of the CA and to do so without planning permission will also attract the interest of the planning enforcement team, and is also therefore prosecutable. So, don't touch this work (even on stilts!) until all the appropriate permissions are in place as though you are not the owner, you are the professional carrying out the work so are by strict liability, committing the offence if you carry out the work. The owner would also be prosecuted.

Another route is to request a RSPB officer to visit in the presence of the TO and let them make the call - liability for you averted. However, if there is imminent danger to life or property the birds do not have priority irrespective of the Wildlife and Countryside Act and you would not be prosecuted assuming you have the witnesses as I describe above or other suitable evidence e.g. photographs etc. You will have executed the actions of what is considered a 'reasonable person' in terms of the law and hence would be protected from wrongdoing.

I agree with you, but you are missing my point. I wasn't suggesting that the industry only needs shiny fresh faced kids with a stack of tickets and nothing else. The useful trained students are not necessarily the ones with the stack of tickets. The useful ones may actually be able to ID a tree, or write a report if needed, perhaps understand the difference between soft and simultaneous rots and know the significance of them, understand the implications of a tree being TPO'ed etc. which is all valuable information that they get from college (and on the job of course). Further experience and using their recently acquired tickets can come with the passage of time. What I am opposed to are the type of blokes who decide one day in the pub that they will get a felling ticket and have no idea about anything else ie Tree, yes its got green leaves on the top, Species? - yep, Its a tree definitely, they attend 5 days of training on how to operate a saw on the ground, and the following week they are a 'Tree Surgeon'. Yes this is an oversimplification, but this is a forum and Im not trying to write an essay about this myself. I'm near a well known college that does a lot of trade with short courses and I have seen this very thing happen, so I know what I'm talking about. You may have a different experience than this, but my opinion will not change. A stack of short courses and no other training is not the way to encourage a professional industry with high standards.

I dont think the problem is the students with knowledge coming out of college - the industry wants and needs them (or the decent ones anyway) as the industry leaders and skilled grafters of the future. What's not needed are the blokes that do a weeks short course on felling, and maybe aerial rescue at a push, and they go off setting up as bona-fide tree surgeons when they know absolutely nothing else but chop it all down! The industry needs to put a stop to the 'do a quick short course and you're away on your horse' avenue into work and surely standards will improve further.