drinksloe

I'm still waiting on some must be nigh on a year now. Always meant to chase them up but never got round to it. Quite a few companies have asked for the A5 receipt to make sure my tickets are up to date.

If love to see real figures for exactly how carbon neutral biomass is. I'm with spudddog and think almost all green energy is 1 massive con. No one has mentioned the carbon footprint to get the trees to burner, most machines will be burning best part off 1000 litres a week, harvesters, forwarders, 360s for ground prep/mounding add in haulage and chipping. I bet ur better off just burning desiel in the 1st place The local boimas burner when it was originally built claimed it would only burn waste/residues, sawmill waste, brash matts and stumps +willow and no actual timber produce. Now burns almost 100% timber produce. Also the brain boxes behind it it never even thought to use its extra heat by product to heat the neighbouring sawmills kilns. Too them to years to have that brainwave.. In Scandinavia they tended to site them next to hospitals or small towns so everyone could benefit from the heat byproduct with district heating schemes. Wind farms are another big con, great on small-scale for ur own use, but useless at grid level. Allegedly carbon neutral too, but that's from when the blades start to spin. Wot about all the carbon building them??? I know 1 site harvesting almost 500,000T of timber, some produce hauled that far wagons only getting 1 load in on a full day, a good day they can empty and almost get back to site, full day driving for 20 odd tonn. Never mind the extensive road upgrades and quarrying work. To never include that in the 'carbon' credentials is just the biggest con ever. Some green energies are fairly dependant, tide or hydro are regular and can be fairly well estimated. Generally hydro is higher throu winter when more energy is required. If u added in some less intrusive ways to harvest river flows, artisan corkscrew or something

Althou a spare bar/chain does not work as well with saws with external clutches. I've vowed never to buy another small husky purely for that reason.

Has that video been posted on here? The boy standing on the end of windblow as his mate sevres it, tree stands up and throws boy into the pond. And it was a fairly slow steady release and also a fair lump off wood Rostand up, if that was shorter would off been quickier/more sudden U can also get side pressure/tension if it somehow got twisted round other trees as it fell. Seen trees spring meters to 1 side or other, if ur standing the wrong side very easy to get wiped out. At same time u have already accessed wether root plate gong to squash u and were the tension and compression is in the tree which could be side critical as well as vertical. Not rocket science but a lot to watch out for at same time and evebp experienced boys get it wrong but watch and feel for it mid cut Bizzarely wot most folk would think are the easiest trees, heavily leaning felling with lean and windblow u'd expect to be easiest but are actually the most dangerous

Does it need to be black popular?? Got some slabs of pop milled, good bit wider than 12" but some are 3 or 4" thick by 10ft, couldnae lift them out wood at 12ft. If u ever pass throu SW Scot u can have them for nowt. But realise with things now not going to happen for a while. Just not sure wot variety off pop it is. Even with the slope and ground conditions probably only a 2 min job for an experienced forestry cutter, but as someone said could've a costly mistake if u don't know wot ur doing. Ur 14" bar could do the job if only a 2ft butt, it's the experience that's needed.

I wouldn't entirely agree with the above with out seeing the tree. Yes it may only be a single but could still be bent round a tree to put unknown/seen side tension. Or on a slope where root plate could come down on top off u. Yes a single windblown stem can be a doddle but it can also catch u out if ur not prepared and looking out. In all likelihoods it will be easy but old be dangerous advice telling someone else that when they don't have ur experience or all the things u look out for as u approach stem. Not cut a lot of popular, infact very little ( althou actually milling a couple of windblown ones at moment, and still on root) but would brittle Ness not also make it more unpredictable if any tension on it?

Was just gong to mention exactly wot monkey had said. Cutting windblow is 1 off most dangerous things u can do, nowadays many forestry companies have banned hand cutting windblow, even single stems even if u have tickets. I imagine popular being brittle might be a funny 1 to cut even with experience.

Or just get used to pouring cans with no spout. U get used to it. Althou a bloody pain in windy day, esp for oil

Aye I store my combis in a plastic box/tray thingy to keep van clean and have cable tie a wee loop to hold my oil bottle up right in the tub. Thoose measuring bottles are right handy and fairly clean to use esp at night or in petrol station forecourt. I used to use empty 1 shot containers but was always messy with the residue in them. Ur bottles with lids would be tidier that way. I usually fill 1 Jerry can a couple off combis with 2 stroke then a 2nd with straight petrol. Always get in the habit of putting the oil in 1st so no matter wot icant use neat fuel. To easy to forget to put it in after.

Why not just pour the oil in straight out the 1l measuring bottle into combi?. Just don't see the point in pouring it in to all the wee bottles, just extra work. I used to use an empty 1 shot container but now far easier with those 1l measuring bottles and just keep topping it up from a bigger/cheaper can. Treated myself to a husky can a couple off years ago, 1st time ever I've had a can with auto fill caps and can carry a plug key/file. The auto fills are crap and I flung them away after 1 month. Do like the tool holder design but don't like it being orange pita filling at night with head torch, be better if clear, but still going well after 3 years. Still got my original cans must be over 20 years old now, original old round type from Clarks, only problem don't hold agile or p!ug kry, but still going strong. Always have atleast 1 full spare combi in van.

Must admit still doing quite a bit of larch work, most of he proper big private estate woodlands have a lot off larch in them. Most estate forestry plans have went out the window as there trying to keep on top off the larch. Must admit when a long time since we put up the bio hazard signs, just the usual forestry warning signs Be a real tragedy when no larch left in this area, was driving to 1 estate larch job mibbee a month or so ago and was absolutely stunning in the dawn sun all the different colours. They have 1 or 2 harvesters almost full time on larch. I think the FC fly over the area in helicopters every August time ( or every 2nd yr) looking for dead larch and then send the letters out to landowners telling them to get them cut if in the control zone

All the info should be onFC websites, I forget the proper terms now but think under diseases pages. 1 exception will be sw Scotland where they have given up on licences in the diseased zone as long as timber stays within zone. Think also stopped,/calmed down on larch felling in that area to fell outside the area No idea if other areas have been written off.

Must admit I thought that would be the case, was just a daft idea while typing if they were getting ripped out anyway. I think the daughter doesn't want the work with the trees, not that her father does much he's a lazy bugger. I've seen that video that stere posted before but only watched it admiring his skills. Watching it a bit closer now I'm I right in saying there cypress trees? Also surprised he cuts the leader of them, I imagine u wouldn't do that with a for or pine

Won't be anywhere near ur scale Matty, quite literally just a few scrappy corners Got a bit off ground under power lines too that's good for nothing else ( not sure wot power company will say about that thou) Hopefully if I could get 50 away a year would be all I'm looking for if that. Just a wee hobby and a bit extra money. A landowner 2p mile down the road used to do a bit but seemingly hes ripping up wot's left of his crop this spring. I work my dogs on that estate but been a longtime since been in his christmas tree fields. His daughter is meant to be taking over the estate. Think he was charging 50 quid for his smallest/cheapest trees. Would 5-6 ft trees transplant ok if I could get my hands on some? Wot type of soil are u on matty that nordman won't grow? Still got a lot off home work to do yet

Alright. Just wondering if many folk have any knowledge or experience of growing 'proper' Christmas trees. Got some wee scraps of ground and thinking might work planting a few Christmas trees. Just thought might be a wee bit extra for Christmas in a few years time and use up some ground that is off no use to anything else Just wondering wot folk think are the best species? Area is in SW Scotland and about 250-300m, some is decent free draining soil althou 1 place is wetter soil. I see all sorts are mentioned nordman, Frazer, Grand firs, etc plus some more normal tree species Scots and lodgepole pines. Wot sort of spacings do u plant them at, standard 2m or larger 3m matrix? Is there much management? Trimming and shaping the trees

Just thinking about it there stacking firewood. Do u think each mound would roughly take a similar time to u planting 3 or 4 soft woods in similar ground? So divide wot ud expect to plant in a day by 4ish? Atleast it looks decent going, not throu a brash matt althou that white/Molina grass can be pretty church gong slicing throu sward. Never know might be 1 off those jobs that seems hellish but when they into it not so bad, but could go the other way too. Will the trees have to be tuned/spiraled and staked when planted? Trying to think but years ago u never mounded tubed and staked trees

Aye I think the only way will be to go out in similar ground and dig a few mounds and time urself, try some different methods of digging etc and add a fair bit on. Just guessing but I imagine u could do a few more than 150 a day. That's only about 1 every 2 mins on a 6hr day ( know most planter boys like to be home early) I would gues just 3 deep cuts with spade and flip it over shouldnae be too bad but will get well sick off it pretty quickly. Nothing worse than tied in too a bad price and have acres to do losing money all the time when u have other work that pays to do. I mind years ago the fencers I worked for occasionally got a job stacking tyres on new rubbish dumps on the packed clay. It was a shitty job, always slippy ground and soaked from the stinking water in the tyres, not too mention the wires. Seemingly loads of companies done it once and never again, we done it for years as boss only took enough to cover our digs and we got the rest made right good money in it.

U often see that now esp with these new eco/continous mounders u tow behind a tractor/crawler. I don't understand why ploughing is out of fashion but mounding is in, esp on new sites, a local engineer who still makes/refurbs forestry ploughs reckons in the future could be a problem on some sites off half the roots constantly sitting in water in the hole where the mound was taken from

I dare say it might depend how much other work u have on or how much work u do for that client ( don't want anyone else getting foot in the door) But I imagine it's the sort of job that could go either of 2 ways Far easier than u imagine and u and lads make cracking money at it Or the other way far harder, rained/misted off or snowed out and a financial disaster Is it a sizeable area? Atleast u have decent enough access which is not always the case for some of the native sites. I'd imagine be easier just with a sharp spade giving it a good heel in to cut ur 3 lines for the sod, saves u bending down just as much and a better angle for levering sod,/mound over Is it not true that unmounded trees overtakes mounded trees after about 5-7 years, althou have higher establishment losses. With vegetation like that I doubt if have much out competeing the trees if u can keep the deer and blue hare off them

Do trees not grow anymore if not on a mound?? 😀 I wouldn't imagine the vegetation is going to grow that quickly to out grow the trees looking at photos, looks fairly high exposed poor ground. Is there a spec for the size of the mound?? Think I'd either stay well clear or stick a mega high price in, I'd be putting in a price to include Argo/transport. Bugger walking up steep hills just to get to job site, getting to old for that. 😉 Worked a few cutting sites where I hired my Argo to boss far more civilised with squads of men and long walks esp with all gear ( saws, petrol, tirfor etc) and the time saved walking in and being fresh on site, covers Argo hire

Is mway spec not usually 6x3 posts rather than square?? Atleast it always was in the past.

I'd tell ur mate to get a 2nd and 3rd quote, esp of more forestry type cutters( fallers) rather than ARB contractors. Be a hell of a work sectioning and rigging that down and if a squad of boys to pay. I think ur asking for big trouble felling a tree that size with little experience off big timber. How much is his house worth??? Great it goes well but u only have to look on u tube to see clowns demolishing houses with trees far smaller than that. Even experienced cutters have trees going wrong, it happens if u cut enough.

Aye it's a fair size stick alright. Gob/gub isnt an acrynmy but just wot we call the face cut, I imagine as gub/gob is slang word for mouth in Scotland/eng While a genuine 6ft butt on a soft wood will be fairly rare in UK, but in commercial forestry anyone cutting oversized edge trees will be knocking trees with 3-4ft butts ( althou that's often after had the toes/buttres flares taken off, if u included them could be a lot bigger) and 100odd ft tall as normal everyday We were in a good stnd of Norway last year where harvester taking 5x4.9s off a lot of the trees, so that's 25m and tree still 30-35cm dia While most UK trees are smaller most edge trees will have a decent lean and heavily wieghted over the woods boundry and ur usually trying to pull them and branches inside the boundry fence Wot was the 8k price for? Climbing and sectioning down or straight fell or cutting whole tree for firewood? Possibly some unforseen difficulty not noticed in photo or due to tree species. I would approach the tree differently if Sitka or Norway spruce compared to larch and completely differently if Grandis Fir. So possibly ur man has seen things or knows how that timber falls that wouldn't occur to someone in uk? Would u not be better asking this on an American forum? Will have a better idea of the timber and prices. I would imagine a good wind from the house side would make a straight fell a lot easier might not even need wedges/jacks or lines. Dunno how often u get a strong wind from that direction

I bought 4 pairs of Oregon foirdland a while back as very cheap, must off been end off line. Surprised how tuff they have been as material quite soft, esp for forestry work as snedding softwoods is hard on trousers. Althou 1 forester calls them Frankenstein's trousers as that many down up rips in them. Protection is untoyched Have really thought about getting someone to put 1 big patch over the thighs. Must admit I've just modified my resin catcher/hi Viz vest, Was sick of constantly having pockets and phone charger socket full off sawdust, so stuck a big patch/strip right along the front to cover my pockets. And a big skirt at rear I cut out off an old waterproof jacket, so I can sit down without getting a wet arse. Both working well.

Just to add no one's mentioned prevailing wind direction, or other wind directions u might get occasionally. A nice wind can be ur best friend or worst enemy, blow tree away from cabin or on to it. If possible I would be planning work around the wind. If ur wedging that tree alone it could take quite a few, wouldn't surprise me if ur a stacked 7" k & h type wedge just to get it plumb. And if any wieght on it will be hard work just knocking 2 hi lifts in. I'd agree with silver above get a pro in, if it's as easy/simple as it looks in photos, straight fell with wedges and jack I imagine it could be on deck in 20mins. Don't imagine cost too much, but if more complicated yes it will be more expensive but equally prob not a job for a hobby user. Just be aware even snedding ( taking branches of stem) a tree that size can be dangerous, branches could have some tension or compression on them, be like tightly wound springs. Plenty of cutters had sore shins, balls or faces with branches springing up at them. And being on a slope means it could easy roll as well. Big timber can be dangerous even when on deck. Sometimes handy when hinge holds at least u know stem won't move on u.