Paul in the woods

I've got two of the 800mm bisons and find they work well. They stick in ash and oak ok as long as I hit the logs at the right angle, more parallel with the top of the head rather than the tip of the spike. (It's a bit of a dark art). I've not spiked my foot yet, but often think I will one day!

If the damage was low down on a healthy tree I would say it was done by deer, or other animals, rubbing. As it's from a dead tree it could just be bark dying off or being pulled off by things such as woodpeckers looking for food. There's been quite a few threads posted about Rowen dying off, worth a search if you're interested. Fireblight was one suggestion that might be worth looking into.

Food of the brimstone butterfly caterpillars, and brimstone means sulphur which is an ingredient of gunpowder...

If hedgehogs are about they can use the pile throughout the year. Hibernating, resting during the day and nesting.

A quick google will show you pics of droppings to see what might be there. If it is rats I doubt just clearing the rotting pile will get rid of them as they will be in the area and burrowing in the ground etc. If you're worried about rats best get rid of them by trapping/shooting/poison and get someone in if you don't know what your doing. I'd also look at steps to stop rodents getting in your van if you're worried about that. There must be van forums that can offer advice, I gather peppermint oil may work. Burning rotting brash in situ will kill all sorts of wildlife, frogs, toads, beetles etc.

It may depend on your local tree rats but I've not had greys go for saplings, more young trees 20+ years old. It can be useful to know what they go for, not just natives, I would avoid planting some trees unless you can guarantee long term control. Although I try my best, last year various things cropped up and the greys did quite a bit of damage - they move in from surrounding properties where they are not controlled and actively fed. I have seen some suggestions to plant something they love as a sacrificial crop. What I have found is as follows. This might change, damage can be quite variable year to year. Other people may have different experiences. Trees badly affected, some trees almost completely stripped. Hornbeam Oak Beech Sycamore Field maple Other maples such as silver leaf. Bird cherry (Not every year but some years quite a bit of damage to some trees). Trees sometimes attacked: Hazel (just the odd branch on the odd tree among many hundreds) Trees left be: Ash (mostly, I've had a couple with a bit of damage) Cherry Lime, small and large Alder Blackthorn Hawthorn Goat willow Apple (I could be tempting fate with this). Pines etc. (If I was planting up a new squirrel proof woodland I'd avoid things like Scots pine as it offers too much food and protection for the greys to hide in before moving out to harm other trees.

Easy for you to say. This last couple of months the air flow around here has been very wet. Quite a bit of almost horizontal rain in all these storms. Having said that I've been pleasantly surprised that logs a couple of layers down in an uncovered stack have still been about 20% moisture. If only it would stay dry for a few weeks.

Not much to be added with a photo, the motor looks like the one shown but was covered in a dark powdery substance until I cleaned it off. As said, I've been more than happy with my domestic Stihl chainsaw that's done probably 100 times as much work, so I wouldn't dismiss all their tools. Just puzzled by the early death of this one. I don't cut many hedges so a top of the range pro hedge cutter would be overkill. I've been looking at several other premium domestic trimmers and most seem to have problems of one sort or another. May end up with another bare Stihl unit, as I have the batteries, and ensure I only use it for short periods.

My domestic Stihl hedge trimmer hasn't had much use in the 3 years I've had it and failed to run the other day with three flashing red lights on the battery as the only clue. A bit of googling suggested stuck blades or a failed motor. Blades removed, checked and work fine. Took it into my local Stihl dealer and the service tech gave it a check over and it does seem to be the motor. A bit of wiggling on the motor shaft can get it to work for a few seconds before it fails again. He said the magnets can work loose (I note similar comments about some of Stihls other battery stuff). This seems logical and dismantling the machine at home I've noticed quite a lot of black sooty type material all over the motor and motor housing, I assume this is material worn off the magnets? Has anyone else had such a failure? This machine hasn't done much work and I did notice some dark residue around the air vents when it was used, just wondering if it was something I could have foreseen and got fixed under warranty. I can get a motor for £85 but as a new machine is £150 it probably isn't worth fixing. (Part Stihl HSA 56 4521-011-5000-B which seems to have been superseded). I'm now wondering if I should just buy a replacement as I have batteries and chargers or buy a different make. I note the Stiga battery trimmers have a 5 year warranty.

An image search shows this up, if its any help. https://www.plumbingspareparts.com/700-gv-invicta-wood-burning-stove-baffle-plate-1120.html So, it looks like a baffle for an Invicta stove if you can search on that. It looks quite complicated to me. My stove just has a folded piece of metal that sits on two bars at the top of the stove. My concern is you can put it in the wrong way round, hence suggesting trying to find instructions, even just for a similar stove.

Well, it's got you baffled! Do you not have the stoves instructions, it should tell you how to fit it in there. If you don't have them they may be available online. A stove id would also help.

You can only sell 2m3 a quarter. I'm not a fan of using the exemptions myself as I don't want to be felling in Spring or Summer. Personally, as a small woodland owner I found my local woodland officer useless and not interested in processing my felling licence, expecting me to make use of my exemptions. I gather other woodland officers are far better so it would be worth trying to see what your one is like.

You could try speaking to the local woodland forestry officer. Are you planning to thin, clear fell or do something else? I am sure you've done this, but check it thoroughly for squirrel damage.

Have you tested the split face of a freshly split log and pushed the pins in a good depth? I've burnt some ash with obvious dieback and not noticed much difference. I have often found ash takes a long time to season though, it may be one of the drier woods when felled but then takes along time to shed it's moisture.

It's not the clearest picture but my first thought is velvet shank, Flammulina velutipes. There's some good pics and info here: Velvet Shank WWW.WILDFOODUK.COM Capable of surviving being frozen solid this fungi can be found throughout the winter and is a tasty find when there is not much else about.