woodyguy

Asebestos and glass clearly should not be ingested. Remember that the lethal dose of professional spray strength glyphosate is 40 litres (not mls but litres). You're probably more likely to die from water overload than the roundup! So tales of sales reps drinking a pint are probably believable.

Steve, please don't confuse opinions pieces like this with science. The person who wrote it has an interesting background but training in reviewing scientific research isn't one of them. Below is from her website. Personal History: Maddy was born in London many moons ago. From an early age, despite a city upbringing, she loved to play in muddy urban streams and sit under trees admiring the dance of nature. Every summer, Maddy and her parents and three older brothers would travel to the wilds of Connemara on the west coast of Ireland to Loch Corrib to fish, fool around in boats and cook over fires. She was also exposed to an Ireland that no longer exists where people only spoke Gaellic, no English, and still lived a life untouched by the modern world. That formative time in such a pristine and beautiful place was unforgettable. In true English tradition, Maddy was sent to boarding school from the age of 10, luckily to schools run by Quakers, who taught her many of the values she holds dear today, like social justice and corporate social responsibility, the benefits of ethical trade and of course to value and protect the environment. But, she didn't take education lying down, and ran away to Scotland at age 14 to get a taste for adventure (and get in big trouble with her parents). Later came an English degree at university and an increasing desire to be a writer. The passion for good organic food and an interest in protecting the environment was to follow, and soon afterwards Maddy's first job was to set up her own organic whole food store in Portsmouth, England. Maddy loves nothing more than a day outside working in the garden, or walking on the hills around her home. Favourite holidays always involve camping, usually in Cornwall by the sea and a good dose of body boarding. She has recently acquired a Sea Eagle kayak and plans to take to the water as much as possible, probably dodging the English rain! Current Projects and Other Fun Facts: Besides writing and publishing, Maddy spends as much time in the garden experimenting with companion planting, brewing stinky liquid manures, propagating fruit trees, growing as much fruit and veg as possible. She also loves planting wildflowers and bee- and butterfly-nectar-producing plants. She also swims and walks as regularly as possible, and likes to meet unusual and inspiring permaculture people from all over the world. She recently met Sepp Holzer, an Austrian farmer who grows citrus and other fabulous polycultures at 4,921 feet. Maddy's company has won many awards for good ethical and green practice. The most notable was in 2008, when Permanent Publications won the Queens Award for Enterprise for its “unfettered commitment to sustainable development internationally.” The Queens Award is said to be the equivalent to a corporate knighthood. Maddy had to take off her jeans, put on a dress and go to a reception at Buckingham Palace with the Queen and other members of the Royal Family. "Quite a surreal experience for an alternative publisher," she says. "But Prince Phillip and the Queen were very welcoming and knew about our work — and Princess Anne has a wicked sense of humour." Read more: Permaculture Pioneer Maddy Harland

Hybrid poplar of some description ie part balsam part black poplar

Katsura already has leaves on here in the midlands. Looks more like one of the acers.

Strange that we see no pictures of the injury, only a meaningless xray. Still wonder if it was an April fools??

Slightly better than the similar site to upload your tax return which cons you out of £400!! (No I didn't fall for it but many did)

Looks like it is legit (from the reporting). Thing is the xray tells you nothing. If I lay down and you put a chainsaw bar and chain over my chest it would look exactly like this on the xray ie no 3d information. This is very different from the iron bar in your head type shots you see. So he cut his neck with a chain saw. Is that really international news??

Even my logs that sit on a south facing verandha well under cover never get below 10% (with an accurate meter). Take a bit of the 4% wood and weigh before microwaving a few times. I'd be surprised it you couldn't get the weight to drop by more than 4%.

would agree with that or close relative

People keep posting that alder makes the best charcoal. I think they are confusing with Alder Buckthorn which was traditionally used. Alder is good firewood though.

Wow. I thought my 36inch mill looked a good size but this is massive. Really good use of the wood, would have been a shame to go for firewood. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Arthur, so I think we've established that income stream will not be enough to borrow money and service the loan. So its down to equity growth. So do we have any examples of people on this fairly large site who can say "yes I bought an 8 acre wood in 1992 for £32k and sold it in 2001 for £48k and then bought a 12 acre wood in 2003 for £60k and sold it in 2013 for £125k". That's what I'd need to see before I believe that I'm going to retire rich (or pass on untold wealth to my children) from my small woodland.

Well said Countryboy. You enjoy your wood and wouldn't be without it. But like me it is a lifestyle choice not an investment. You get firewood and put a lot of time, effort and money into the wood. So I'd encourage people to buy woods to enjoy them and sustain them for future generations. I see little evidence of people making substantial money from investing in small woods however.

Ok now I get what you mean. I think biologically you are referring to mutation rather than mosaicism (where the cells with different genetics are intermingled with each other within each structure). But yours is more poetic.

Very good! I'll try and make my questions in sonnet form next time.

Tony, now you've confused me. Why do you suggest that these trees are mosaics rather than grown from a single seed? Separate vascular structures that all share the same common origin/genetics was what I thought was being discussed.

The berries aren't poisonous (as others said). The seed within is poisonous but only if chewed. The lethal dose for a child would be many berries (nearly a gram of dried seed) and not just one. So the reality is that children are not killed by eating yew berries. I've got lots of yew trees in my garden and my children seemed to have survived to adulthood. If you want to cut it down then talk to the council first. From the looks of it its probably a lot older than your house so pitty to lose it.

As the owner of a wood I'd suggest caution. Yes small woods have gone up in value over the past 10 years. They may well go up further but.. It isn't a terribly fluid market. You are in competition with several on line sellers who buy cheap and sell expensive. Most wood will have prohibitive covenants on it. As firewood sellers will tell you, it is hard to make money from firewood. So yes I love my woodland and enjoy improving it and sharing it. But no I don't make any real money from it and my firewood could be gold plated for what it costs me. Small woods are to enjoy not invest. If you make a little money in the long run then that's a bonus. Or are there genuine experience from anybody on here who buys and sells woodland (like rental property) to make money?

I hate to sound unsympathetic but the tree has been there a long time and the pidgeons are a natural part of trees. I do understand as I have a tree about 3x that size outside my house and the pigeons are about 3x the problem. But they were there before me so I live with it and clean it up if it irritates me. But as to cats crapping everywhere.......

That's brilliant, thanks for sharing. Could have used it on Saturday when didn't have a winch.

No of course I wouldn't. It is listed by someone with zero feedback and a generic picture. The bids are nearly all from a fellow zero feedback person, ie being bidded up as a con. So this is a quick way to lose your money. But... Ebay can be a perfectly good place to buy chainsaws if you apply a little common sense.

Once you use it I can promise it wont stay as only one in your collection.

Thanks for sharing. Really interesting article. Not tried it with hardwoods but might give it a go this spring.

Difficult to get the scale but I'd have thought that if you squared it off and in view of how bendy it is, you'd be lucky to get a 3 foot long 4"x4" from it. Sorry to be negative but a fire place beam sounds a bit ambitious. Yes wondered about the Kingfisher.

If you wish to buy a wood to enjoy it and get a bit of firewood on the side then that's fine. As an investment its very dubious. Prices from woodland.co.uk are very inflated. They have probably doubled over the past 10 years but not sure that will continue. They buy larger woods and chunk them down into small plots with a big markup. Nothing wrong with this but not sure what the resale value is if you wish to sell on. Getting reasonable earnings from this sort of wood is highly unlikely as they will have many restrictive covenants. So buy to enjoy. The value might go up but it might go down.