Paul in the woods

Well, I agree it's a beefsteak fungi so you could cook it rare. It looks like a very young one so more of a veal steak?

Our wood burner is in our lounge and we often cook on it and boil water etc. For the kettles we just use ones we've collected over the years, stainless steel and with a flat bottom that sits directly on the top of the stove. We use our normal saucepans which are stainless steel and have a flat bottom. I've have often used a deep baking tray, covered in foil, to roast potatoes and other vegetables, works well for us. Our stove is fairly old so don't worry about the top but it can get a little dirty from oil splashes etc so if you've got a posh stove in a smart lounge it may not be for you. In an ideal world we'd have a range in the kitchen but we don't.

It depends if you have someone who likes shooting. I seem to have cleared them from the patch of woodland around our house by baiting an area and shooting any I saw over winter. The problem is they move back in quickly if large areas aren't cleared. I've done the same with lethal trapping with my other patch of woodland, cleared them all one year and had no damage (and a good nut harvest) but the next year some returned and the year after back to a fair bit of damage. I've also read reports that the pine martins are not the great saviour that has been touted and remain a bit sceptical of proposed contraception plans. With the cost of living crisis you would hope more people would be eating the little "tree kebabs".

I can understand not wanting anyone shooting on your land. I shoot and trap mine and I've found if you can get the numbers down you get much less tree damage. I doubt foxes, badgers or cats will take a healthy squirrel. If you live trap grey squirrels you still need to cull them. With regard to the trees. Mature oaks have established when there were no or less squirrels about. The problem these days is that there's a very high density of squirrels and in many places virtually all young oaks will be severely damaged. In years to come I can see far less healthy mature oak trees about. As said, squirrels seem to like the trees when the canopy closes, in my woodland the trees are about 25 years old. I had hoped the squirrels would only damage the same trees and for a few years that did seem to be the case but sadly this year they've gone for some not the untouched trees. It's also not just oaks, they damage beach and have wiped out the few hornbeams I had growing.

Yep, grey squirrel damage. Looks like it was done last year as the bark has started to heal although in my experience they return year after year so there could also be fresh damage. The dead tops may not be down to drought at all, just damage. Tends to happen as the young trees grow and the canopy closes.

Who dropped the litter, the public? Anyway, you might have some luck with the Magic maps if someone is claiming grants on any of the land. https://magic.defra.gov.uk/magicmap.aspx

Well, I didn't bother to mention the vegan logs were not woodsure accredited so possibly illegal to sell now... I actually liked what they were doing, I expect you would pay far more for bbq woodchips imported from half way around the world.

I think it is getting quite common to see vegan on all sorts of stuff, I picked up a bottle of bubble bath the other day and that has a vegan label right on the front. Funnily enough, I expect the logs to not actually be vegan if they are anything like mine as all sorts of things like to live in, on and around them.

I hope their bark is worse than their bite, even if all calls are logged. (No, not heard of any fines yet although I'm not sure how you would know. Still see people selling small loads/bags with no woodsure signs).

Yes, just a bit older. From a foraging point of view the top Chicken of the woods would be far more tender than the bottom one which looks a bit past it.

They'll make too much noise every Sunday morning.

You are lucky. We must have 1000s of trees and they regularly set nuts but the greys, jays, mice, voles and the odd dormouse get through most of the nuts. Controlling the greys does get us a harvest. I'm currently planting more hazel out, grown from the largest nuts I can find and the odd bag of cheap Kentish cob nuts from the shops. This year's looks good for a harvest where we live.

If you have any growing nearby, perhaps in hedges, they should help cross-pollinate.

With my trees there was an area in a young woodland where the young trees had died off, so a bit of a clearing that needed filling. I did learn that there was probably a reason why the other trees died, the soil was probably panned and needed breaking up, but the apple trees have gone mad once established. As for birds you get.them everywhere, I think it's more the lack of disturbance that allows hungry critters to settle and nosh away.

Yes, I tend to think there is a critical mass you need to get to. I've had the same with soft fruit as well, once you get enough plants then you stand a chance of getting something.

Yes, I planted about 25 apple trees in my woodland and there are several more growing about the place. I've found the same, birds such as jays hammered them along with squirrels and even voles. I have managed to pick some ripe apples when the trees produce a decent amount. Controlling the squirrels helps. So I think once your trees reach a decent size and produce a good crop you should get some.

I don't think having a patio so close to the tree helps and I've had a lilac tree did on me. However, is there a chance it's had weed killer sprayed on it or something similar?

Or, to put it more politely, you say you've had problems in the past so I would have contacted them first and discussed the matter before placing the order. Skylands post here and seem one of the more helpful companies you see.

Firelighters are the unnecessary spawn of the devil. Dry kindling, which last year I mostly just collected up when splitting logs, and a couple of screwed up pieces of paper is all you need. I use both bottom up and top down methods depending of what size logs I've got.

If it's a stump puffball then it's growing on dead wood. http://first-nature.com/fungi/lycoperdon-pyriforme.php

They look like old puffballs, possibly stump puffballs, or could be a type of earthball. Hard to tell as they seem very old.

Grow ivy up them. On a more serious note, if the trees are dead and covered in ivy they will eventually fail/fall. Perhaps fairly quickly depending on tree and location.

I see your bat and raise you a common lizard. We get loads of lizards scuttling around the log piles and one made it in to the pile by the fire. First I knew was a lizard wandering around the living room. Popped safely back outside. When I eventually get round to making a permanent log store I'd like some way of adding an area things like hibernating butterflies would prefer as I'd rather not bring them into the house as I doubt they survive when put back out. I'd also like to add somewhere for birds to nest, we had pied wagtails raise a brood in the log pile next to be the garage this year, thankfully they fledged before the stack fell over.

What's the answer though eggs? I could do with a new set myself, I was also wondering the other day if drain rods could be used for drey poking.

I always wonder what they smell like, fresh cherry wood smells different to alder and very different to something pine. Not sure how you describe the smell of fresh cherry, almost a hint of almonds?