Storm Damage ?

[splodger]

we lost are oldest tree on the 23rd
an old holm oak - not only our fav tree and the one we were trying to save - but also home to a swarm of wild bees
i've put a small nursery hive next to nest - but unlikely that bees will move to it just yet - at least the nest is safe for the time being - but the tree trunk is not fully on ground, so more movement expected - then the basdgers will be able to reach nest
really sad to lose the tree - be even worse if we lose the bees too

[Rod Taylor]

Hello from East Sussex. Has anyone else lost many trees to the current wet and windy weather. The count is up to 12 large Conifers so far and several assorted broadleaves brought down with the domino effect. All but one were Western Hemlock with the root balls ripping out of the soft ground, but one Douglas Fir shattered the lower part of the trunk and came down with the root ball and soil looking untouched. These were on top of the numerous Douglas Fir branches that get ripped off in the swirly windy conditions.
The water level in the soil is so high that the rocking of the trees is pumping a sandy silt up to the surface until the roots loosen enough for the root ball to rip up, some of which are remarkably deep. There are tell-tale signs of sandy silt on the surface by some more trees that still look well anchored but I wont be surprised to see these blown over on my next visit. Fortunately all trees so far have come down into the wood without causing any damage, and the caravan that was in the wood when purchased some 8 years ago is still leading a charmed life as it is under the Conifers and is still unscratched but surrounded by debris.
Hope other members woods are in more sheltered positions.

[oldclaypaws]

Prior to buying my wood, I had a bid in on 14 acres of local mixed deciduous / conifer, with a fine stand of mature Douglas Fir, all maybe 30-40cm+ diameter and 80ft tall.

Glad I didnt get it, at least 100 of them came down last week. Someone has a lot of tidying to do.

[SimonFisher]

We had a mature beech tree come down in our Hampshire woodland on the Friday after Christmas day, taking out our deer fence and blocking the public road for two days till we became aware that it had happened and had someone sort it out. This is how it was left for us after it'd been cut up.

The forester that did the work for us reckons about five tonnes of wood which I've now moved elsewhere in the wood - to avoid anyone stopping at the roadside, snipping the fence and helping themselves!

No real help from Frankie and Peanut moving it ...

... though Frankie quite liked running back and forth with me on the dump-truck which I borrowed.

The rounds/rings from the main trunk were about 800mm (32 inches) diameter and between 80 and 120kg. I could only lift them after splitting them into quarters using wedges.

So was I thinking shame, big old beech tree ... or wow look at all that firewood and I get to play on a dump truck

[Wendelspanswick]

It's a Dumper, a Dump Truck is American for a tipper lorry.

[oldclaypaws]

Nice pictures and post, surely summarising what woodlands are quintessentially all about- dogs and logs. £50 says mine does bigger poos than yours. Rubes weighs 9 Stone and would make quite a good tractor for dragging out wind fall. Who needs horses when you have a black bear?

[SimonFisher]

It's a Dumper, a Dump Truck is American for a tipper lorry.

I've no desire to start arguing over semantics - I got to play around with a big boy's toy that I wouldn't normally

The term dump truck was used by the person who loaned it to me. According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dump_truck, the difference between dump and tipper is more to do with road versus off-road use rather than UK versus American terminology!

[oldclaypaws]

I've never gone to the 'throne of contemplation' after a good Ruby Murray and done a 'tipper'.

[Dexter's Shed]

so are we now having a "my dog is bigger than your dog" poll

[oldclaypaws]

Chinese? Seen them on Ebay for £2/kilo with complementary soy sauce. They can be dangerous and take your leg off if you don't have some training before using them.

Mine are quality Japanese, built to drag a 3 Ton log out of the wood effortlessly, or rip your arm off if they decide to go for a rabbit when they're on a lead.

Have noticed recently we now have zero Deer and Squirrels in the wood, which is great. The scent of the dogs keeps them away; smart move, vermin. "Furry and in my wood? Make my day, tufty!