The avantgardener

Don't forget that there is a section on 'Pole Rescue' so practice your spiking, you can either climb above the injured candidate, set up an anchor point and bring them down yourself, or use a third man who could be the Assessor to bring the candidate down with a belay system.

The cut is called a 'Huntley' Hinge, I suspect the reason there is little footage on the web is due to it being an old technique that is rarely used anymore, I demo it now and again. It was primarily used when hand cutting softwood to set up a bench tree. With some softwood a wide sink cut would suffice, the hinge being strong enough to hold on the stump and take the impact of the next trees being felled onto it. Some softwood, e.g Norway Spruce would break off the stump when impacted by the next tree and would become pretty useless. Don't see much of this technique used or demonstrated any more because mechanical harvesting has taken over the majority of softwood cutting.

The shape of the skittles in the last photo look superb, just sent you an email about a little project you might like to do.

Hi Will, the roadside firewood business is a difficult one with lots of ways to work even harder than you have for even less. Market flutuation/timber values, extraction costs, weather, your own cutting speed? With your woodworking skills I would look at buying small pockets of quality chestnut and create bespoke fencing and gates, with the view to installation also.

I have done a lot of felling there over the last few years, thinning out the collection to make way for new species, a lot of planting in the experimental plots out the back of the office. You think you know quite a bit about trees until you work there a lot and realise you've still got quite a lot to learn!

Greencut where there for a bit along with others, Gristwood and Toms do it now.

I work at Bedgebury quite regularly, the storm damage removed one of the triple stems forming the head, a visual inspection from the ground seemed to show internal decay and they where getting it inspected, I can find out tomorrow the result. If the tree was a single stem it would be a stunner, as it is it's pretty ugly, it's a straight fell if I moved one wooden bench too. If it needs to go I hope they let one of the Bedgebury guys Julian do it, he's put the years in on site and is very capable, just doesn't get the chance as everything gets subbied out.

I have worked two types of Forestor machine ( vertical/horizontal band) both great machines, old and still running. The vertical is static and situated in Bolton, Lancashire, the other is mobile and owned by Nick Hilton, Woodwise Forestry, Heathfield, East Sussex.

I have been in the industry for twenty years and can honestly say that Scott Fraser is the best I have come across in the Arb sector. His knowledge of equipment and best practice is off the scale, I also think he delivers as a trainer due to his extensive and ongoing commercial industry experience, training you for a future in the industry and not just to pass a ticket.

If you are sad, just remember the world is 4.5 billion years old and you somehow managed to exist at the same time as David Bowie. RIP David

I was over in Somerset earlier on in the year doing my Assessor Training. On a narrow road heading back to my digs I kindly moved over to allow a contractors van past and ended up completely bottomed out in a drainage ditch that was obscured by the long grass, the contractor carried on without even stopping, left me high and dry with no phone signal. The next vehicle along the track was a tree surgeon. He had a go at pulling me out with his tipper before heading off to get his brother and tractor to lift the front end of my truck out of the ditch and out of trouble. I only had a tenner on me but they wouldn't take a penny, I was totally stumped and they went out of their way to help me even after an hard day at work. One of the guys was called Andrew, Somerset Tree Specialists (I think) based out of Langport. We often just hear about the thieves and scrotes in our society and this gave me a great feeling knowing there are still good people out there, if the boot was on the other foot, I know I would have done the same. Thanks guys.

Maybe the "radical" bit is that Stihl have managed to make the new Ms362 as reliable and usuable as the old Ms361 instead of the bag of shite that mine is.

Scott Fraser is the best Instructor for Aerial Tree work in your area by a country mile in my opinion. He has a training centre based at Lamberhurst, Kent/Sussex border. Should be easy to locate on the net, scottfrasertraining should do it.

Hi Hooch, The first thing I would do is have a chat with the Instructor and get your point across and let him respond, if your not happy then speak with LANTRA. The dogs tooth cut is definitely on the LANTRA small tree felling course and should have been covered. When you say the felling cut was taught using a pushing cut I assume you mean the pushing chain, what is wrong with this? I use the pushing chain to do most of my standard fells because it is more comfortable for me and therefore safer and I achieve better accuracy this way, I use the pulling chain sometimes also, good to be practiced in both, especially when felling Chestnut Coppice. Do you use the pulling chain to perform all parts of the cut for a Split Level or a Danish? I don't. The site should not be left in a state though, the Instructor should be setting an example/ industry good practice etc, your guys should have pulled him on it at the time and cleared up the what they had felled to the spec. Be interested in the Instructors response, keep us posted.

I did my Windblown Ticket on Scott's site last year. It was mostly over stood Western Hemlock and in a real tangle, great training site. He has Chalky White over to instruct the course , Chalky is the EV for NPTC and Lantra and so trains the trainers, best in the business IMO. Good enough for you?

After my initial problems with getting a quote via my dubious server, I received a phone call from Arborisk first thing this morning. I was pleasantly surprised to find the person on the other end new exactly what I was talking about! After a detailed discussion about my work, employees, tools etc I have now got a cover that I am confident will be worth the paper it is printed on, adaptable too, add ons without huge fees, quite handy when you are self employed and the goalposts can move considerably one month to the next. Very efficient and professional.

Been trying to get an online quote, tried a dozen times now and can't get passed page 2! The estimated income box at the top remains Red whatever I put in it, and then won't proceed. Any ideas?

Thanks for your input guys. I have had good success using the same spraying method timing wise using Glyphosate, think I will convince the landowner to forget about the stump treatment and let me get on with it in the Autumn.

What's the best Herbicide to stump treat Rhododendron Ponticum? There are dry ditches and watercourses in the woodland so are there any effective treatments that are aquatic safe?

Hi, PM me and I will help you through the pros and cons.

They generally go through it in order but they can also ask you to respond to a given task that you are carrying out eg You get a tree hung and can't get it down without a winch, What is the procedure to make the work zone safe and who needs to be informed etc They generally will tease the answers out, you will know them if you have read your workbook.

The Assessor isn't there to catch you out so relax and talk him through what you are going to do on each fell, that way, you get things in a clear order in your mind, then just do it, easy! You should also remember that your trainer/instructor wouldn't let you do the assessment if you weren't up to it, good luck.

Most of the felling I do now is Western Hemlock etc removal on ex commission plantations that have been bought up by The Woodland Trust to favour the hardwoods. That, mixed with lots of coppice rotation. Used to a lot of mass planting when I was up North 10's of thousands each Winter, not been doing that for a while. The only planting I do lots of now is experimental crops and specimen stuff at the National Pinetum.

Hi Rob, I would like a 15inch Light Type for my Husqvarna 550xpg with two Stihl Micro Chisel Chains please.

Still waiting to hear from Haix. The seller has put a claim in for a replacement pair, nothing yet, wearing my 2 year old pair of Meindl till then, thankfully it is great weather, hope I get something sorted before the next wet week, will keep you posted.