Tilia

Thanks for the heads up! Ha, well, think I'd have to get a new valve then! I've used 365's at work, they're great but I'm looking for something smaller, lighter and easier to handle for myself - I found using the 365 for smaller stuff is using a sledgehammer to crack nuts.

Glad to join you all! On a serious note, as an arboriculture student it's a great way to learn by watching and reading the tree health threads that appear on the forum. Next action is to go out and find the various fungi for myself!

Jeezo! Some of these pictures of the rhizomorphs are amazing, I've never seen anything like it. Especially spread out on a Land Rover! I've read that the largest living organism in the world is an Armillaria species in Oregon, and a quick internet search revealed this: Strange but True: The Largest Organism on Earth Is a Fungus: Scientific American Pretty amazing stuff. PS. I don't comment on the fungal threads you lot post (there's certain common culprits!) but I'm one of those closet mycologists who reads them all!

I think if I didn't have such a tight budget I'd go for a 346xp - sounds ideal for what I'm wanting. Most of the work is unpaid but do have a part-time seasonal ranger job - the saws at that work are better maintained. It's more for voluntary work, where it feels like there seems to be no time to sharpen saws (it's turn up and go, other folk don't seem to care about saws being sharp). I think after college I'll still be working in conservation, but with more of an arboriculture slant... so would be after something a bit bigger than 40cc. However, I also think that people's consensus about saving money until I can afford a 346xp is maybe the best bet. It's probably correct that spending £300 on a 435 would be good at first but after a while I'd be wanting something a bit better.

So would people say no to the Husky 435? From what I read it's an "all-round" saw, which sounds vague but made me think it would maybe stand up to the job..?

Right, I'm an arb student but also a conservationist, I've commented on a few threads about new saws but have decided to start one to see what people say. I mostly use chainsaws for smaller stuff - scrub clearance, rhody bashing, felling small trees (15"). Having said that, doing arboriculture will expose me to bigger trees. I've got a budget, probably around £300 or so. People have been recommending either a 346xp or MS260 second-hand - but is second-hand a bit of a risky option? The other alternative I'm thinking of is a Husky 435 - I can find a new one for around £250. But is this going to be powerful enough to fell small trees? Has anyone any experience of using it? I could always borrow a bigger saw to do bigger trees (more than 15"). Like I say, this one will be mostly for 'conservation' work with fairly small stuff. Most the charities I do work with have bigger saws, but it seems pointless to use a bigger one for smaller tasks, plus I'm sick of shared saws always being blunt when you go to pick them - with my own I'll know it's always sharp. So in essence... new 435 (less power, 41cc) or second-hand 346xp/MS260 (risky option of used saw, wear & tear, etc)?

The bottom one is a bit like cauliflower, but has the same porous texture as the first. I'm guessing that now the branch has dropped that the fungus will eventually die off, seeing as the surrounding conditions have changed..?

Not sure that they'll properly class as 'dessicated' but I found some old fruiting bodies on an oak branch that had fallen recently. They're fairly dried out though. Haven't a scooby what they are but then again I'm still learning about all these fungi. Can't figure out whether the bottom photo is fresher fruiting bodies of the same species, or different - it appeared more as a mould-type covering as opposed to the lumpy but more distinct conks above. Sorry for the ex situ photos - I was being taken for a walk by the girlfriend's springer spaniel and it was getting dark, so had to take a few specimens back for better photos! They're quite porous on top and have a strong mushroom smell (not surprising!) Any ideas please?

I've heard certain poplar species can do quite well this way, but I'm not sure which ones - might be worth looking around?

Ok, so it's looking like a choice between a 346xp or a MS260. What's the 345 like? I know of a second hand one that's going relatively cheap, but I'm not sure if it'll be right for the kind of job I'm in, when compared to the above two makes...?

Askham Bryan college in York's not too far away, though I've heard some worrying reviews of their course. I did mine in Yorkshire with Andrew Morton Training, he was quite good and may be running a course in North Yorks, and TK Forestry near Huddersfield have got a good rep too. Don't know if they are too far away though...

AV = anti-vibration, right? Is the Stihl quite bad for vibration, or just not as smooth as the Husky?

This stuff scares me - I get a bit of tingling and pains in my wrists (especially left) and have done since before I was using machines (although chainsaws do make it worse). I've heard that better arm strength is helpful so I'm working on exercises (no, not that way!) with those wrist exercisers you can get. Other than that, I wear a.v. gloves, take regular breaks and am looking at getting my own chainsaw (at work it's shared chainsaws, more often than not they're blunt and so vibrate more). Although it's kind of comforting to see that others get it too. Especially since I'm in my early-mid 20s too! I guess if it continues this operation might be a good idea, it doesn't sound as scary as I thought it would, and it's good to hear people can go back to tree work after it (as long as they're careful). Also, it's nice using hand-tools to save on chainsaw use and enjoying a more hands-on (and quieter) way - being up a canopy and pruning with just a silky is a relaxing way to work!

A lot of people seem to like the 346xp - I think I've commented recently on another thread where you were singing its praises! Roughly how much is a second-hand 346xp likely to set me back? I've heard that the Stihl 260 is roughly equivalent, any comments on the relative pros/cons of260 vs 346xp?

Hi Shanks, Thank you for that information. So it's running well for you then? Does it have enough power to fell small trees or is it just really for cross-cutting?

So you'd all recommend the 346xp? Someone I work with recommended looking for a second-hand one to buy, mainly for conservation work tackling smaller trees and scrub clearance - they said it's powerful enough, but comfy enough too.

Is the 142 not a little lacking in power though? I'm just curious - I'm looking for a little saw myself, I work in conservation so am looking for something that will handle small trees (15" or thereabouts), scrub clearance and rhododendron bushes, stuff like that. I was looking at the Husky 240 but thought it might be a little too underpowered. But if you're saying the 142 does well, perhaps a 240 isn't too shabby either...?

I'm only just getting into the fungal ID world in the past year or so, and so Maybe I'm looking at it too much as a beginner. But what I would find really useful is a guide to the commoner fungi, their effect on the tree (rot type, agressiveness, etc) and also notes on similar fungi (so that if something is not right ID-wise we could then go and research the others that look similar - be it common ones in the same book or uncommon ones not described in the book). Perhaps a simple key using tree species could be made (e.g. "certain colour/shape on this certain species - go to these pages") But whatever you decide I think it would be an admirable thing to do, and from a newbie point of view it'd be great to get an accessible volume with the accumulated knowledge that people with a lot more experience have to offer, including personal observations.

I'm liking this thread! (Well I am an ecology graduate now getting into arb...) Are any of the lichen specific to certain trees or do they appear on various substrates as long as conditions are right?

Hmm. Closest I could find is Flammulina velutipes (velvet shank) but it doesn't seem quite right... what do you think? Right time of the year for it I guess!

Ah, thank you David, I'd looked at Pleurotus in my book but the photos seemed slightly different, however now you mention it and having looked at a few other photos of it I can see that now. Thanks for your help, that's another set of photos I'll label for future reference! Is there an identification key for the Fungi Directory, or is it a case of look through the photos?

Hi folks, I'm still relatively new to arboriculture and I've found some interesting fungi on a walk today (2nd January - working off the Christmas gluttony!) I've looked in the trusty Manual of Wood Decays by Weber and Mattheck but couldn't find anything that fits the bill. If anyone can give me a bit of help ID'ing these it'd be greatly appreciated. All these were found on a young but not-too-healthy-looking horse chestnut. The first three photos are of the same fungus, and the fourth is entirely different. Also saw an interesting canker on a mature oak, any ideas what might have caused it? Thanks!

Depends who you are doing it with...? If they're hot on the subject and expand a bit on the ideas then its definitely worth the money. I did mine with the Scottish Agricultural College and got a really knowledgeable tutor, learnt a lot and really enjoyed it. In fact its probably the day I began to seriously consider getting into arb, and now I'm a full time arb student!

Thank you to everyone who's given me advice, it's encouraging to see so many people interested in the same thing and willing to help out someone relatively new to it!

Will do - there's plenty of country parks, nature reserves and a few arboretea around so I'll get in touch. Thanks again for the advice!