bearfodder

Not sure it's much help, but it could be fun for a climber....i was told last year by a Spaniard that she wanted to become a climber because they're always looking for people to work on Sweet Chestnuts...mainly for harvest time I imagine. Could be worth exploring...? Good luck and don't forget to update us on your progress!

Hi, I'm looking to see who's out there. My pal and I work round King's Lynn area. We run a fairly small operation, we both have our own insurance, and ideally, I'd like to meet another self-employed (pref with own insurance) arborist/tree worker who we could call on during busy periods or for bigger jobs. Experience is preferable, but as long as you're not work shy or lacking in common sense or initiative...then I'd like to hear from you. Interested? Please PM me =)

Good idea, thanks!! =)

Yes, they do for an extra £15-20 on top of the 2x£30 payment (test & card)

Has anyone got a spare booklet; Health and Safety and Environment for Operatives and Specialists. I'm going to book myself in for the test, but I'd like to see precisely what I'm going to be tested on, and I just want to make sure I don't fail the idiot test. Also, I've been told I could do one for General Operative or one for Working at Heights? Is it worth doing the one for working at heights?? Thanks!

Well done to some of you for thinking of the ladies! I might now have to think twice before sewing the crotch in my trousers next time. It really is time to try the she-wee.. In case it goes horribly wrong, it's probably best to practice in the shower without clothing, or else in might be option D as an accidental choice

Well, as a woman only A and D are an option.... add more options for females!

Mangroves! Haha..I'm laughing now.. =D

I felt the same about planting 'natives', but I must admit on reflection, I have difficulty with this on many levels. Plants themselves are travellers, and humans are one means by which they travel. Is anything or anyone truly native?? Personally, I'd champion diversity, favour 'natives' but don't limit your choices without full consideration - unless it's Japanese knotweed! Plant food trees (people and creatures) - more nut and fruit trees, but don't forget the conifers! I like to look at Crawford's work on Forest Gardening. I'd also love to see more farming with trees. In summery, I think your quite right to be thinking ahead and to imagine how one could attempt to be self-sufficient. We're beggars to the whims of madness (world markets and over-consumptions) so keep it simple; food, fuel, timber, medicine, and community. If you want to help solve world problems, the best place to start is in your own back garden, and to always question everything! before I go from waffle to rant...I'd better stop! in short, More trees! I love Sweet Chesnut, and so do the animals- YES, please do plant more =)

Wow, thanks Alec! That was my first post =) Yeah, pictures would help - i've been thinking about buying one for about a decade...reckon i might just do that this year! Forgot to say too...I don't live here, just on holiday - my dad lives here but he's not much of a gardener. So yes, the fruit trees are largely decorative, but i was hoping for some crop. I have done quite a few things I would have ideally done at another time of year (like pruning!) and I would have preferred to have done more over a longer period of time, ie gradually. I thought it was only really the pear and apples that would need to be propagated by cuttings (if they wanted tasty ones)...never thought about the cherries! It's on a hillside and the 'garden' is essentially in two parts. The top bit is largely a plum orchard...which i've thinned out heavily (I left some old ones which i dead wooded) and I left more to be thinned out in the future - it is a little more exposed than the other bit. The other bit (the most interesting bit!) slopes downward into the forest and is quite well sheltered from the wind. It gets good light in the summer...but this bit has the most diverse selection of trees. Once i removed the brambles, clematis and dead trees...there was not a great deal left except for tiny saplings and a few older trees (on these I pruned out dead wood, clematis and reshaped some of them (pear, apple, plum and one healthy walnut). To be honest, I wanted some fruit but I'm more interested in ensuring retaining diversity of tree in this section...and a lot of these trees are tiny a spindly, and on a steep slope...I was largely worried the winter would kill them, or the undergrowth will simply out compete them. Does it sound like i'm helping them?? I guess, you helped me realise, I'm mostly worried about the wee saplings on the steep slope... I'm beginning to suspect I should now forget the stakes and leave nature to do her thing????

Hoping for some wise words! (I'm an arborist by trade, but looking to gain more fruit and forest management experience) I've been working on a long ago abandoned fruit orchard and small wooded area. Trees present are plum, cherry, dogwood trees!, walnut, turkish oaks, hawthorn, elm (ulmus minor), quince, apple and pear (plus one 5 inch high lime and a 2ft high ash). I've taken out most, though not all, moribund trees and dead trees out (but left some standing dead-wood). The false acacia's were taking over, and apart from two false acacias along the perimeter, they will be persistently removed. The question, shall i stake all the saplings - even if they are only 2 ft high and very skinny? The winters here are harsh (lots of snow, wind and rain to come soon!). Some of the trees are on flat ground and some are on a steep embankment leading to a gulley into the forest. Because they have grown amongst a lot of undergrowth, they are feeble and very thinned stemmed. I wondered if i stake them, are they liable to snap under heavy, potentially drifting snow. Or, would it be better to leave them to be flattened by the snow, in the hope they will 'spring up' and self-right when the winter subsides. Also, another potentially silly question; people lyme the stems of their fruit trees. Should I do the same? If so, at what high? Any reflections/lessons gratefully accepted!!