woodyguy

Slightly concerning that you're describing tennis elbow and RSI which are two entirely different things. Tennis elbow used to be treated with steroid injections but research shows that they make it last longer so they are not generally used now. I'd ask whoever is suggesting doing them some searching questions before you consent.

Yes they're easy to kill with any strength glyphosate but its hardly worth it as they pull up so easily and that makes sure they don't set seed.

Turn lots of sweet chestnut but not had a chance to try horse!

There seems to be a lot of confusion around about oils and finishes. Danish oil isn't extracted from squeezing Danes but is a mix of vegatable oils and varnish ie a thin paint. So more layers build up the thickness. BLO isn't boiled but has heavy metal additives to speed up the setting and yes it is totally different from raw linseed which basically never sets. Tung if bought as pure tung does cure over a couple of days but most things labelled as tung oil finish don't have any tung oil in them at all but are varnishes. So people are comparing oils eg pure tung, BLO, with varnishes eg danish oil, liberon oil etc. If you're going to use a wiping varnish like Danish oil, then I prefer to make my own as its much easier, cheaper and more reproducible to make your own. This link is a good summary if you want to learn more. Oil Finishes: Their History and Use | Popular Woodworking Magazine

Remember that most finishing oils such as liberon aren't oil. They are a mix of oils and resin ie a very thin varnish. So you can't really compare them with pure oils like BLO or Tung. They give a high build finish that is harder. Easier to make your own with 1/3 each of BLO and Tung oil and Polyurethane silk varnish. Alternatively use phenolic varnish but the result is similar. This gives a lovely oil type finish with four coats needed. BLO or Tung on their own take forever to cure and aren't that tough.

Don't forget at least 4 felling wedges to keep the cut open.

Beech can leaf up very late when planted bare root. I had one last year that I didn't bother replacing and then leafed up in July. Be patient and inspect when you reorder in the autumn.

Bernie Ecclestone owes £1200 million in tax but is allowed to only pay £10million. The fraud rate for benefits is 0.8%. I know who I'd rather go after!!

Sorry, the OP. Seems that soil issues are probably the last reason that these plants will have died.

That looks great. I might try one myself. Thanks for inspiration.

How will a soil sample help if its honey fungus? Few causes of established plants dying that have anything to do with defects in the soil.

Dont use a tri blade but get a mulcher. If you cut off a 10 foot bramble with a blade, it then dries into a 10 foot piece of barbed wire that will wrap around your legs for the next 3 years. Mulching blades are excellent and cut into 4inch pieces that are harmless. I cleared 3 acres of dense head height woodland brambles with a mulcher and it was a delight. You can also dig them out with the blade which you can't easily with a tri blade.

That's beautiful. I love turned burr

Looks pretty good. I'd have been proud to do it.

Looks like the big rowan I cut up the other day.

Interesting post. Is is the next DED? Well English elm is a clone (in each locality) so there is very little genetic diversity which makes it incredibly susceptible to disease. Ash however is much more varied and it appears some trees are resistant. But ash doesn't sucker in the same way as elm. So elm continues to exist but not as large trees (few exceptions). So ultimately will recover (as it did in 4000bc). Ash presumably will be largely wiped out but will leave a few larger resistant trees that then become the predominant population. So in 200 years time, we will have lots of ash, just different ash. The political angle is difficult. The sheer denial and delay in any action, meaning that we swung almost instantly from it not being a problem, to being too late to do anything, suggests cock up not conspiracy. Comparisons with F&M are interesting. The countryside was shut down for months, millions were spent on compensation, billions was lost by the tourism industry, untold heartache for farmers destroying herds - all to protect an export meat market worth less than £100m. So yes, politically they're idiots who react to the media in illogical and inappropriate ways. Not sure what that proves though.

Looking forward to it if you remember!

Really not trying to be ackward, just interested. I suppose its hard when a response to something everyday like gravity is the same response you would get to something less common like moving ground. Guess the tree just grows (as you said) and the nomenclature needs to recognise that and not pigeon hole things.

I've just put 35 up in my wood. Used a length of galvanised fence wire with a fencing staple in the top back of each side of the box. Goes around the trunk and then cut and wrapped around through the staple. Once a year when you empty the muck out of the box you just re-position it slightly so it doesn't bury in the bark. Cheap and very easy and totally secure.

I get a lot longer life from a Stihl blade than an Oregon. The quality of the steel feels better to me when sharpening.

Now I think I understand what you think I don't understand (might have got lost there!) But in your final paragraph you're still defining reaction wood as a response to something out of the ordinary. So the off centre pith in most branches in response to gravity, isn't reaction wood? Cause obviously gravity isn't an abnormal circumstance.

Not sure if I understand you Jules. The problem with that definition is that it describes reaction wood only as a defence against something unusual eg sliding down hill. In reality any tree branch coming out from the trunk will have unequal growth rings in response to gravity. So although it can be a defence, it is also a normal reaction to normal things like gravity ie how the tree grows everytime.

Looked more like a poodle than a tree!

Now don't get me started on Tesco...

I think the data sheet that found out how many mice you had to feed what dosage to before 50% died is pretty reliable- hence my calculation. I'm not a fan of Monsanto but the science behind this product is pretty solid. So I wouldn't particularly trust them but I would believe the data sheet testing data. Taking a nihilistic view that you can't believe anything is not a stance I find helpful to lead a rational life.