Puffingbilly413

Jules, This one has got me a tad confused now. It used to be the case that private gardens didn't require permission for felling (TPO, CA and planning conditions aside). But reading the new legislation I can't find any reference to gardens being exempt (and you don't mention it in your article either). Have I and most of the other tree firms up here been taking trees down illegally for the last 12 months?! Ed

Makes sense to me. Oh to have the opportunity for such a discussion. Sadly, radio silence is the norm up here.

Evening all, This one concerns trees on development sites that are protected via stipulations in planning conditions (ie not due to TPO or being in a CA). My question is when (if at all) do such conditions lapse or become unenforcable? It seems to me daft that a condition designed to protect trees during development can end up meaning a tree owner can't, for example, then prune or work on their trees without LPA permission in years to come. I've scanned the legislation (T&CP (Scotland) Act) and various circulars, plus done a search on here but can't find a proper answer. How long can LPAs use planning conditions to protect trees before a TPO is required? Is there a mechanism for getting them revoked? I ask for two reasons - firstly a client is asking and I don't have the right answer. Second, I'm tiring of searching for planning conditions (esp on recent new builds) where the tree detail is buried somewhere and often conditions were applied to plots (not the current postal address) and therefore in pin/haystack territory. My LPA places the onus on us to search, because they have to search the same system and have neither the staff nor the time to tell us what we need to know. I'm hoping Jules might have a view! Cheers, Ed

Hi htb - I'm based in Cupar. PM sent...

I second that. Let some Syc rings sit for a few weeks a while ago expecting an easy split by hand (I am my own log splitter). No chance. Took steel wedges and a sledge to see them off.

Looks like it's not saffron milkcap - no bruising green (if anything, the orange colour of the flesh seems to intensify slightly) and no orangey sap (no sap at all for that matter). Couldn't get any better pics than the original ones unfortunately.

Certainly a possibility having just done a quick search online for that one. Agreed that these don't look like routine examples but as they're emerging through a layer of stone chips and pine needles, perhaps that is having an impact on their form? I need to pop back over the weekend to remove the last of the brash, so I'll see if I can get some better examples / pics. Cheers.

Afternoon all, Was doing a minor crown lift on a pair of Scots Pine this afternoon and spotted a few different fungi within the drip line, possibly on the roots. Two that I've not seen and couldn't spot obviously in the guides are attached. They weren't there a few weeks ago when I went to quote, so they're fairly young, although some have been nibbled at. Sorry the second pair of images isn't great but that was the best of what was left. Any thoughts? Particularly keen to know if there are any likely decay issues. I'm guessing not as they dont appear within the main guides, but you never know. Cheers, Ed

Comparing the photos to images of colletia cruciata, I think that's the one. Thanks for the replies.

Evening All, A friend send me these pics of a tree in another friend's garden. I've no idea. Any thoughts? Cheers, Ed.

Can't fault your grammar, perhaps your spelling though. Sorry...couldn't resist. Anyway, an interesting thread and comments, so thanks.

Paul, Your article seems to suggets a lack of clarity when it comes to analysing accident statistics on the part of the HSE: ' There is no SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) code for accidents specifically in arboriculture, and despite prolonged lobbying from the AA and other sector representatives, the HSE claims it is unable to introduce this because the codes are tied to international standards. This means that while it is relatively easy to keep records of fatal accidents within the sector, it is much harder to maintain reliable data for the details of injuries. However, in 2018, HSE analysed RIDDOR reports for the period April 2017–March 2018 by searching for key words. Although heavily caveated as not being a comprehensive record, the findings were published in an open paper (AFAG 33/02) which was presented at the November 2018 AFAG meeting. According to the analysis, there were 117 recorded RIDDOR-reportable incidents in arboriculture during that period. Of these, 23 were falls from height, of which one was fatal, 6 resulted in fractured vertebrae, 3 multiple fractures, 5 lower limb fractures and fracture to ankle, ribs and wrist.' If the HSE cannot demonstrate that using a single anchor has been the cause of incidents, which from your article would appear to be the case, then how can these stats be used to change working practice? Were climbers at fault themselves; were people even climbing or just falling off wobbly ladders; were they not tied in when moving around the tree etc etc. Ed

Jules, Many thanks for the response - that's useful info. If it were a case of these packages not costing that much then a few niggles would be ok. but at the prices they're asking you would hope things would be more straightforward. I don't have previous autocad experience as you do, so I guess I'd be getting pretty frustrated pretty quickly. I'll have a look at QCAD - not seen that one before. Cheers, Ed.

Jules, An old post I realise, but are you still getting on ok with PT mapper (assume you have the pro?) and do you pay the extra for the support element they offer? I like the look of their packages but have yet to try them other than in their free trial version. It's for 5837 work mainly I would be interested in it for (albeit not exclusively). Cheers, Ed.

I've used this site before for my 372 and 268. Seems to have most saws. https://www.manualslib.com/manual/835150/Husqvarna-362xp.html

Interesting to see that the Proceeds of Crime Act was used as his house had gone up in value apparently as a result of the increased light.

I've shared it on Facebook, Mark. Unlikely it will head up Fife way but you never know, someone might see it and have some info. I've quite a few muckers in Kent. Hope you get it back. Bastards.

Mytting was on about burning large quantities of pine re having to sweep the flues more often. I guess this would be true for any wood with a very high resin content. But in reality, apart from the colder parts of the UK perhaps, I don't reckon on people needing to sweeop their chimneys more than once a year. Maybe twice if you burn a huge amount (of any wood). But people will see what comes out of the flue when it's swept and be able to gauge what is often enough for their burning habits.

Aye but not all the book is about the wood - stoves, saws, stacking etc take up a huge part too. The book loves birch (as do I, it's burning in my stove right now) but also discusses softwood as a fuel source (as kindling, 'kitchen wood' and also as a main fuel). Indeed the dude who builds the big arty ring piles does so ordinarily out of pine or spruce, because that's what he can get (he's in Norway). I suppose all I'm saying is that there is nothing wrong with burning softwood. It works, and in certain circumstances can even be advantageous. But you'll have to load the stove more often and split more wood.

True - drying mostly just covers 'wood' as there is no difference in the process is there. Pine and spruce drying is referred to, albeit briefly, on p47. He also mentions combining softwoods with hardwoods in the fire to help prolong burn times on p48. People's enjoyment of theg crackle of conifer woods in their stoves is covered on p49. He even cites an example of pine being used as a main heating source on p50. On p56 he states it is better 'to have a mixed stack of hardwoods and softwoods that can be used according to the outside temperature' ie softwoods can be burned more intensely without making a building overly hot. You said 'nothing' whereas actually there is some info there.

Andy - I was really just pointing out that your comment ' I’ve been through the book extensively, there is simply nothing there promoting the burning or drying of softwood' doesn't wash. There are many references to the drying of wood in general and to the burning of softwood in particular. Pine, of course, is just one example of softwood - Mytting also covers spruce.

Yep. P60 - Mentions it as kindling, smaller wood to keep kitchen stoves burning more controllably and as a source of cheaper firewood due to the demand for birch pushing its prices up. P61 - refers to small pines making good firewood. There's also discussion of older softwood examples having higher densities and making for a good source of firewood. All of these discussions cover the need for softwood to be well dried. So pretty much as Mark B said really.

Pages 60 & 61, specifically.

True enough. What I was driving at was that there's little point (in my view) of expending energy on kiln drying logs if they are not going to be stored in conditions that will keep them at that level of moisture content. Unless these conditions can be provided by the end user (or the internediate seller) then the only person that benefits is the original supplier in that they can turn around wood quickly without necessarily needing to hold larger stocks on site to meet demand. Also - and I know a moisture meter is not mega-accurate but my air dried logs here in rainy Fife are showing around 10% some of them currently. Dried and stored outside but generally speaking open to the wind but no so much the rain. But I can leave them there to dry for as long as I need (I think 2 years for what I'm burning at home now), which is not a luxury all have I suppose.

Yep - was in Lidl (or possibly Aldi - can't remember as we've got both) today and noticed their bags of kiln dried logs in the entrance way. In plastic bags and loads of condensation on the inside. No way they are going to be 'kiln' dry. Plus they work out about £450 a tonne if you add it up...