Hello From The North

[James M]

Hello all,

I think I'm registered on here twice but my password never made it to me last time, my fault.

We live in Newcastle, but have had 12 Acres of mainly Sitka Spruce in Scotland for about a year and a half now. Thats close on 16,000 trees! It's a wild and lovely place. We can get there in about 2 hours.

Our plan is to thin, as it's 20 years old and mid-rotation, and then fell more aggressively to bring on some natural regeneration, supplmented by broad leave planting. The thinning and rack cutting has already started. Our kids and grandkids will see the benefit - we just get the exercise as we do the work ourselves, well me mainly, my wife just watches the lizards.

This isn't my real job, but I never thought I'd ever be a position where my mind would drift off in meetings thinking about the best angle to sharpen a chainsaw link.

It's great when you think about it.

Regards,

[John H]

Hello James.

Sounds like we are in a similar situation, but we have a 4.5 hour drive to our woods in Wales. Our spruce ranges fron 30 to over 50 years old and we also have some very large douglas fir fron probably the 1920's. How are you moving you thinnings? Have you managed to sell any as firewood?

I know it's totally uneconomic, exceedingly hardwork and as long as you don't have to do it every day, it's great fun.

Another Bank Holiday coming up must mean another trip to the woods!!

[James M]

Hi

Going slowly with thinning, as you know! take a lower branch off a sitka spruce and it's twice the height and twice the width you are. Plus it's like fighting in a bag filled with mad hedgehogs. I use more neat TCP that 2 stroke when I'm cutting, and that's with the welding gloves and other kit on.

At the moment I'm brashing as I go, opening up access on foot between the rows first, taking out poor trees as I come across them. The trees have started to thin themselves in one or two places.

After a while you have to stop and just go back and concentrate on cutting up the brash into little bits otherwise it just blocks everything. It takes forever.

And the Gorse, dont get me started on that chainsaw killer - still it burns well.

Haven't sold any firewood yet, I will in the winter when what I'm cutting now has had a chance to dry out.

I'm also building a storage shed, which is distracting me from the tree work. I might slab some of the larger logs for siding for that - I have a home made chainsaw mill I welded up for £7.00.

Can we post photos on this site? I'd be happy to put some up of my efforts.

[greyman]

james,

If you have a blog you can post a link to it on the forum so that people can follow the link to the pictures if not you can go to the 'about us section of this site and use Tracy's email to send any pictures you have with suitable notes to cover.

By the sound of it I am glad I 'only' have brambles in my wood - gorse oooo er now thats one prickly critter!

Love and Bananas,

Greyman

[tracy]

Love to have all photos from all of you to add to the site! The more we hear about what you are doing the more interesting it all is. I can see we need more information on plantation issues...