Paul in the woods

It does self seed all over the place so I would have thought it would be hard to tell if it was planted deliberately. At least it's not a bamboo.

I'm surprised by some of the comments as I didn't think it was that unusual for some neighbours to just be complete irrational g*ts, surely an experienced arboriculturist comes across this from time to time? I once had a neighbour wait until I went out one day can climb over the fence and fell several small trees in our garden. Thankfully I was renting and quickly moved on. So, my sympathies are with Lily. It does sound mostly a boundary dispute, which AAHP seems to have answered well. However, I can see the dodgy neighbour trying to use the TPO app as an excuse to cut the tree and claim the council has given him permission. I know the planning process allows someone to put in planning for property the don't own but would any permission make it abundantly clear that you must own the land before progressing?

The .GOV guidance seems clear. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tree-felling-licence-when-you-need-to-apply#selling-land-with-a-felling-licence Selling land with a felling licence When you sell land covered by a live felling licence, any remaining felling permissions automatically transfer to the new owner (or other person with sufficient legal interest in the land). The same is true of any restocking conditions attached to the felling licence. Any conditions that have been engaged by previous felling will become the new owner’s obligation to comply with. Equally, if the new owner undertakes further felling under the licence, they will be bound by any further restocking conditions that are engaged. Enforcement proceedings for non-compliance with felling licence conditions can be taken against whoever is the owner of the land at the time that the conditions must be complied with. This may be the original licence holder or any subsequent owner of the land. Whoever is the owner of the land at the time of non-compliance with the licence conditions may be served with an enforcement notice under section 24 of the Forestry Act 1967. An enforcement notice places a duty on the owner to comply with the conditions of the felling licence. Non-compliance with such a notice is a criminal offence, for which you can be prosecuted. An individual may be served with an enforcement notice, even where the previous owner undertook the felling, and neither the previous nor current owner have ensured compliance with the engaged conditions. Further enforcement notices may be served on any subsequent landowners.

With my 352, so a similar saw, it doesn't have anything between the bar and plastic case. The gap between the oil hole and the chain channel can block so I give it a good clean and blow out. It's only a small saw so you don't get a great oil flow but it'll splatter a bit of oil from the top of the bar if tested.

It's a bit of a guess, so don't rely on it, but I still think it might be a slime mould. They can start off spongy and get firmer as they age. Something like Lycogala flavofuscum might be worth looking at but I'm guessing. Photos of Lycogala flavofuscum · iNaturalist United Kingdom UK.INATURALIST.ORG

Did you press them at all? A guess would be a slime mould and they would be squidgy/spongy.

You can twist in either direction. I'm surprised people still use heat or other substances on ticks these days as that goes against all advice which is easy to find. From the site linked in the original post: Lyme Disease UK Online Support - How to Correctly Remove a Tick LYMEDISEASEUK.COM If you find an embedded tick in your skin it's important to remove it as soon as possible, but just as important to remove it correctly.

Down here in Devon we get ticks all year round, you just get more in the Summer. I've had a couple this year and they've all been the tiny nymphs, one in my belly button and one somewhere where it is hard to see... They can scuttle off of me onto my OH who hasn't been outside - so worth checking everyone. I gather if you get them off quickly (24hrs?) then you're far less likely to get Lymes. I have found those tick twisters quite good at getting the tiny ones off, I don't pull but just twist. Worth mentioning again don't burn, freeze, squeeze, smother, show them the Mail; but pull/twist them out by the head to stop them regurgitating into you. I find special tick remover ideal.

Not me, I don't like using tree guards. I can't remember if you're posted up other squirrel damage before though, worth getting their numbers down if you have time.

Of all the trees on my woodland hornbeam is the one most likely to be attacked by squirrels. I only had a few trees and they have been the first ones each year to be stripped and most have been killed. I'd guess once the bark has gone the wood has split in the dry weather we've had in the last month or two.

Let us know how you get on with withholding council tax, I thought it's basically a wealth tax and has no link to the services you may or may not get. I don't think legally you can withhold it but I'd love to be proved wrong. If the missed collections are down to illness or breakdown I wouldn't mind. We got to the stage where we had half a bag of refuse a month, the rest was recycled. Then the council stopped our recycling because it was too difficult for them (they bought bigger lorries that don't fit down narrow country roads). Everything now goes to landfill but they also made the refuse collection very difficult for us and often don't collect it for over a month. They do seem to have an endless number of staff and middle managers who can come up with poor excuses though. At least our money goes somewhere.

Sounds like ask bark beetle, if you peel off some bark you may see galleries but no damage to the wood. They are very, very common and will not harm anything else.

When I first saw the story there were several social media posts by people posting old photos of their children standing underneath the tree. If it was old and prone to dropping the odd branch I can see why someone would want to cut it down. I wonder if it had been fenced off and a notice put up would that absolve them of liability if someone had climbed over the fence and been injured by the tree.

I was thinking more along the lines of "one man's pollard is another man's unfinished job."

I deliberately didn't mention ethics, the link from the SD shows some are happy with it whilst others hate it. I've seen enough people shoot over the years to know it's not just a simple matter of calibre. My comment on surplus ammo was in regards to the cheapness as there's not much cheap stuff about any more. I load my own so it's not an issue for me, well not until I need to buy some more primers and powder. I'm aware of the differences between .223 and 5.56 and that's another area where FEOs and forces will differ, some will list .223 & 5.56 in your ammo table, others will only allow what the rifle is listed as. You can buy 5.56 that is sold as safe in a .223 but not all is.

The current guidance states you can be granted 17HMR for fox. I know some forces may be reluctant but you could argue your case... Can you still get cheap .223 milsurp? Down here it isn't cheap any more, and I wouldnt use it on foxes.

Looks like cherry laurel, the leaves give it away.

To be Hügelhedging you'd need to plant it on a mound with buried stumps, logs, bodies etc. I've planted some goat willow cuttings/rods/logs horizontally this year as I've left a few rods laying about in the past when plating rods normally and they've grown. I didn't bother nicking the bark at all as they tend to root and shoot from any buds. I planted mine in a small trench, partly to keep them moist and partly so the horizontal scion doesnt become a trip hazard in future. Mine are just showing their first shoots after planting a couple of months ago. I water occasionally in this dry spring weather.

If you're working on someone elses lawn do they really want rid of them? I've persuaded a few people to keep them as they are good for wildlife, plenty of bees on them at this time of year and in a week or two our lawns will be full of goldfinches sidling up to the seed heads.

Cabinets can all be in the same place down here. If I was starting again I'd have three tall cabinets with no locking tops as I find they don't hold enough and are awkward to get stuff in an out of. I'd have one cabinet for FAC, one for SGC / air rifles and one for ammo. Along with a wooden compartmented wooden box for powder.

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.