devon TWiG

I have been in this industry for about 30 years now and have never heard of someone being injured because a rope / harness / carabiner has failed .... we managed fine before LOLER came along, many items being older than 5 years ( especially harnesses ) , they would be replaced when either they become stiff / tatty / contaminated a bit damaged or we just wanted some new / better gear !!

Been a spate of thefts in Devon recently as well .... darker nights....... etc etc ..

On quite a few jobs there is plenty of ground work to do after the climbing is done so you end up doing both !!

was the middle in the middle ? ie did the tree have a heavy lean / unbalanced ? and a lot of reaction wood ?....

I have nearly always done that !! .............................................................................. In response to the original question ..... I have not really changed style to be honest , it is hard work, always has been and always will be you just become hardened to it to some extent , ground work and other aspects of the work are just as hard as the climbing .. though Hi abs are used more nowadays ....

I thought I was about the only one who does a lot of his own lowering !! especially utilising stubs and it works very well ( mostly ) .... generally though I get a lot less angry at myself and the tree ... but there was a lot of energy in anger !! I like to think I work slickly and efficiently , and have never really lifted big bits always cut it smaller ,bad backs put more out of this industry than falls and cuts ever will !! Still use blakes hitch , but on occasion if I have a long climb I use jumars/ cloggers done this 15 - 20 years ago ..

Unfortunately a "heavy crop " is often a sign of a last desperate bid to reproduce ...... I would suspect root issues are the cause of the demise of this specimen , would be good to see pics of basal area and surrounds , has there been recent excavations nearby ? spillage of something ..fuel ..salt etc , tarmac or concrete surface ? raising or lowering of soil levels etc etc .. I have seen a Yew like this caused by a large accumulation of grass cuttings at the base of the tree ..

Recently finished this hollow form ( burr oak about 9" dia ) which has been scorched , wire brushed and burnished and then oiled and am really pleased with the way it has turned out , a really tactile piece like ancient antique wood or old iron sort of surface to it ...will be doing a few more like it soon ..

It does not seem that long ago that footlocking was the" new way" does anyone still regularly do this ?.... Also to those of you who employ people have you switched your climbers over to srt because you believe it is better and more efficient and cost effective ? I have not tried it myself or seen anyone in action using it ( would like to ) as yet I am not convinced it is worth the cost of the new kit , ( very happy and proficient with ddrt ) and can srt be used for all jobs .. hedge topping , line clearance work etc

I feel that the price the customer pays for work is quite high for many jobs , unfortunately it is the high operating costs ( fuel , insurances , machinery , training etc etc ) that take so much of income that insufficient funds are left for a good wage ..and as long as the industry keeps attracting new staff then market forces seem about right ( although we would all like a bit more ... obviously !!)..

Myself and another guy I know ( who is a greenwood worker , pole lathe etc including tuition ) got talking a while ago about buying woodland , he had recently been out bid on a piece by some one who wants somewhere to use 4x4 's and was incredulous at the price woodland is fetching , when you consider virtually no one derives any income from such land ! after talking for a while I queried can you rent woodland ? many farmers own it and get no income from it ( self supply of firewood aside ) . I could do with a small area for firewood supply and storage , for myself and the other guy would like to coppice hazel etc for greenwood work and tuition and put up a crude shelter for running pole lathe carving courses and for his own work , we will start asking around , perhaps advertising for woodland to rent ... price per acre per annum to be negotiated , hopefully less than arable / grass land .. currently £ 70 - £100 ... supply of wood to owner part payment perhaps ...

There are lots of woodlands out there that are in need of " management " of some sort , and many bodies ( national parks etc ) like to promote coppicing etc .... however very few are willing to pay for it ! The question is can you make it self funding ? and the owner may well expect some remuneration as well , not easy but do - able in some situations , also onerous H&S plus other red tape / legislation make costs unsustainably high in proportion to income derived from such work .... however ..good luck !

Have you thought of doing "parquet " type of flooring ? it can be done to amazing effects using different patterns and a combination of different woods .

Recently finished this bowl , taken from an Ash crotch , showing nice figuring and a bit of spalting ( about 18" at widest point ) .. have a few more to finish when time allows from Ash and Birch as well ...

Absolutely superb creation there !! It is one thing being able to visualise it , but another to be able to do such a fantastic job .... this chainsaw carving has gone well beyond a tree cutter with a bit of artistic flair and plenty of practice to bona-fide sculpture / fine art...( do they include chainsaws at art colleges these days ? ) This being one of the best examples I have seen ...

On top of all this regulation to do with fitting ... to keep your insurance valid I believe you must have proof of the flue being swept at appropriate intervals by a qualified chimney sweep ....all this adds up to a rather costly form of heating , if you buy in logs and comply with every regulation .... Yet anyone ( qualified or not ) can repair the brakes, steering etc on their own car ,truck , motorcycle , bicycle etc ..funny old world isn't it ? ! ..

I often free climb ( lower in the tree ) especially in conifers , leylandii etc and climb above my anchor point ( rolling on to branch and standing on it ) , I use old climbing ropes for dismantling but not on heavy stuff , and if it is hot and I have a large log to ring up I do not wear chainsaw trousers ..... apart from that I pretty much do things by the book ..... mostly because it is how I do it anyway !!

Freediving / spearfishing , great place to live near the S Devon coast , I have a small inflatable boat and kayak to access the more remote spots ...

Like many things , producing goods is one thing , selling them is another ... marketing is a whole industry / subject in its self ! ... and is often costly , this needs to be in mind when pricing goods to allow for marketing costs . Sometimes you may happen on an opportunity to bypass a lot of marketing , I would of thought your connection with the boatbuilding is a good area to explore further ... most bespoke furniture makers I speak to just buy kiln dried wood to customers specs for immediate use for commission jobs so do not keep a supply of wood air drying ,also as others have pointed out imports are pretty cheap .... good luck ....

I am in my 50's and still climb ( not full time , but did for a long time ) and always used prussik or blake hitch and have no problems at all , think they are great , simple and beautiful ( just like myself ! ) It is rare to have to haul up 50 ft in one go ! if say after lunch I had a long haul , I would use a ladder and or get groundie to help , I have used a pair of jumars/cloggers on static rope quite a bit , and once was pulled up by a pick up on the lowering rope ..(.ahem !) ... yes it is hard work but taken in context to the rest of usual daily efforts , lifting wood , dragging brash , digging , stump grinding , starting big saws , man handling chippers , splitting logs , working on steep ground etc etc , it is not so bad !

Fishing / diving .... but like tree work only in good weather !

I found a clump of giant puffballs last week , took one to eat , fried a few bits in garlic butter , not a lot of taste to be honest , but wanted to try it , not exciting enough to bother again though !

I am trying to imagine how dumb I would be if I did not climb trees ? !

I drive a lorry quite regularly and often see truck / chippers on the road but rarely working I occasionally remove a few branches with the lorry and some trucks get badly damaged on trees as well . There may be lots of small firms around but many are 1 man bands with regular help but no real staff to speak of ...also productivity must be affected by red tape etc .. filling out forms , endless training courses etc which is another reason people do not want the burden of trainees ....

200-250 tons for 12 houses sounds very extravagant to me !!!