The 'Today's Job' thread

[Russell]

Im lucky enough to have the E10 to drag the old chassis out and put the new one in. I think it must have saved a fair bit of grafting.

 

[Russell]

How far back to you want to take the clock back and reset it? The landscape has changed massively over the years from the iceage to now, some of it done by us, some caused by natural climate change.

It depends on who 'these people' are you mention.
It's about making money. The landowners get paid and have the trees planted on their land.
Why is the Government giving out money? They'll be making money out of it somehow.

This is my take on it, it's from my thread:
"You'll remember I said all of this was forest many hundreds of years ago now, then we cut it all down, now we're being encouraged to plant trees there again by means of a grant. If you look at some of the pics you'll see many young trees in the background (Paid out at circa £10k per Hectare incase you're wondering). But i'm looking at how much we've dicked around with nature over the years by changing it's habitat. We should be looking after it, not cutting it down and changing it. Different animals need different environments so one day we're telling them all to piss off, then later on we're trying to get them back. I came across a load of frogspawn the other day laid on the grass as it had nowhere better to go. We've got moorland birds trying to nest and we're turning the fields back into forest ffs.
I could do with a few £K in my back pocket believe me, but i'm not here for the money. Forget your Government grants and whims.
I plan on turning this land into a sanctuary for all comers. We'll have a bit of everything for all: A bit of a lake, some evergreens for the owls and others to roost or nest in and some moorland for the Lapwings, Curlews, Oystercatchers and for the owls to hunt on. Meadow flowers too.
Then i'll get a covenant put on it so when we're gone it'll be protected for the future."

It's a highly complex topic and one I don't know many absolute facts about so I can't talk at length about it. Nor do you know my situation here to be able to judge or advise what I do. I can tell you we have no 'hay meadow' as it won't grow up here.
I can tell you some facts though. As you can see i'm trying to drain some of my land to make it more useable and productive:
I can't drive through it or around it for something like 2/3 of the year.
Midges live here by the billion because it's a perfect breeding ground for them. This means when it's warm we can't go outside with wearing nets.
I can actually claim a grant to leave my land alone and not drain it (it's a pittance).
As previously pointed out when water runs unchanneled over the fields it brings down the ancient drystone walls.
The soil is poor and causes flooding because we cut all the forests down.

See for everything you propose there is a benefit and an adverse effect too. That's why i'm hoping to do a bit of everything on the little bit I own.

I don't know anything about nature or re wilding but it surprises my what the new forest is like. It's's so clear you can actually walk around without following a path and I think that is due to the animals eating the vegetation up to about 1.2m off the ground. Where I live, a couple miles away on the island a lot of woodlands become choked with brambles,ivy and whatever else because, I assume, there is no dear or bigger wildlife.

 

[LKSF]

I don't know anything about nature or re wilding but it surprises my what the new forest is like. It's's so clear you can actually walk around without following a path and I think that is due to the animals eating the vegetation up to about 1.2m off the ground. Where I live, a couple miles away on the island a lot of woodlands become choked with brambles,ivy and whatever else because, I assume, there is no dear or bigger wildlife.

Which in my eyes is a good thing. There is two types of woodland there so it supports everybody or everything which needs it.

One thing i'm not sure of is why they plant the trees so close together, they must be only 2m apart so in years to come will be too close to each other.

The fun thing about having land and liking wildlife and plants is you get to plant things you can't in Suburbia. For instance I can put a Leylandii or a Giant Redwood (Sequoia) in and see how they do. I've already put some apple trees in (for cider) and a Monkey Puzzle tree. How they'll do out here I have no idea. Monkey puzzles are known for growing ramrod straight so it'll have it's work cut out here in the winds we get

 

[Monkeybusiness]

Which in my eyes is a good thing. There is two types of woodland there so it supports everybody or everything which needs it.

One thing i'm not sure of is why they plant the trees so close together, they must be only 2m apart so in years to come will be too close to each other.

The fun thing about having land and liking wildlife and plants is you get to plant things you can't in Suburbia. For instance I can put a Leylandii or a Giant Redwood (Sequoia) in and see how they do. I've already put some apple trees in (for cider) and a Monkey Puzzle tree. How they'll do out here I have no idea. Monkey puzzles are known for growing ramrod straight so it'll have it's work cut out here in the winds we get

Trees are planted close together to force growth - they provide a microclimate and also compete for light. Ideally once they get going you thin the stand to leave the trees to be retained long term.
With mixed broadleaf woodland it is normal to plant fast-growing ‘pioneer’ species such as birch in amongst the slower growing but long-term goal trees such as beech and oak - the birch provide shelter to allow the longer-lived trees to ‘get going’ initially.
You would also normally aim to have a mixture of understory (holly, hazel etc) which will create another low-level ecosystem within the woodland.

 

[LKSF]

Trees are planted close together to force growth - they provide a microclimate and also compete for light. Ideally once they get going you thin the stand to leave the trees to be retained long term.
With mixed broadleaf woodland it is normal to plant fast-growing ‘pioneer’ species such as birch in amongst the slower growing but long-term goal trees such as beech and oak - the birch provide shelter to allow the longer-lived trees to ‘get going’ initially.
You would also normally aim to have a mixture of understory (holly, hazel etc) which will create another low-level ecosystem within the woodland.

I see, yes there is a broad range of all kinds of traditional and British trees in there.

 

[GazCro]

Trees are planted close together to force growth - they provide a microclimate and also compete for light. Ideally once they get going you thin the stand to leave the trees to be retained long term.
With mixed broadleaf woodland it is normal to plant fast-growing ‘pioneer’ species such as birch in amongst the slower growing but long-term goal trees such as beech and oak - the birch provide shelter to allow the longer-lived trees to ‘get going’ initially.
You would also normally aim to have a mixture of understory (holly, hazel etc) which will create another low-level ecosystem within the woodland.

But then nobody gets paid to thin out so you never get to the woodland goal

 

[Left hooker]

In forests for timber they are planted close to promote straight trunks for the mills
If you plant far and wide apart they will grow in all directions and can't be used apart from logs to burn

 

[V8Druid]

But then nobody gets paid to thin out so you never get to the woodland goal

if it's yer own woodland Gaz, you get to burn all the tish in yer hearth

 

[Smiffy]

If anyone is really interested in this kind 9f thing Oliver rackams books will be more informative than anything else.

I'm not saying don't plant trees I'm saying we are going about it in completely the wrong way.

Firstly we should be striving for productive woodland. Therefore the management and increase in biodiversity is self funding and it becomes an endless cycle.

Secondly the way the woodlands are planted are appalling. The people doing it never seem to have a basic clue.
For a start a woodland shouldn't just start from floor to top of canopy should be 45 degrees with plant varieties increasing as you progress to the woodland. This stops wind whistling through the wood making it a warmer. And increasing biodiversity. Secondly trees shouldn't be planted in straight lines . They should be parallel wavey lines. Again it stops wind. But allows forwarding equipment to work.

2 simple things that make a massive difference to a woodland and they are failed at the first hurdle.

By managing the woodlands we will get far better biodiversity than this rewinding crap

 

[GazCro]

if it's yer own woodland Gaz, you get to burn all the tish in yer hearth

Thing is the bulk of the land being planted belongs to farmers or large landowners and they only get paid to plant so nothing else ever happens to it. Years down the line it's out of control and hasn't made a nice woodland so ends up clear felled and start again which to me is a waste of time and money.

 

[Richard Hunton]

did you get the issues sorted ?

Nope, cushion valves were mentioned, need to see if it has them

 

[Storrsy]

Thing is the bulk of the land being planted belongs to farmers or large landowners and they only get paid to plant so nothing else ever happens to it. Years down the line it's out of control and hasn't made a nice woodland so ends up clear felled and start again which to me is a waste of time and money.

Exactly this. They get paid to stick a load of trees in and there alot of fanfare about it. But then generally completely neglected from there on and they just become stunted little shrubs having had the top whipped off my deer, smothered in brambles and usually still wear there tree guards like some kind of corset.
All a bit of a charade really

 

[GazCro]

Exactly this. They get paid to stick a load of trees in and there alot of fanfare about it. But then generally completely neglected from there on and they just become stunted little shrubs having had the top whipped off my deer, smothered in brambles and usually still wear there tree guards like some kind of corset.
All a bit of a charade really

Add to that the tubes the trees are planted in blown all over the parish and washed down rivers

 

[Monkeybusiness]

Add to that the tubes the trees are planted in blown all over the parish and washed down rivers

It would be better if the payments were staged, and aftercare inspected. The problem is that the quangos responsible for doling out the dosh change staff and ideas/policies constantly, and there is bugger all long term consistency. Much like our government sadly.

 

[Lancs Lad]

It would be better if the payments were staged, and aftercare inspected. The problem is that the quangos responsible for doling out the dosh change staff and ideas/policies constantly, and there is bugger all long term consistency. Much like our government sadly.

This... farmer who rents off us saying he's getting hounded to plant trees..and paid for it...but I know full well once they planted he'll do naff all with them. Think his motive is they will fence them in so if he chooses locations well he'll get a lot of his fields fenced for nowt.

 

[V8Druid]

This... farmer who rents off us saying he's getting hounded to plant trees..and paid for it...but I know full well once they planted he'll do naff all with them. Think his motive is they will fence them in so if he chooses locations well he'll get a lot of his fields fenced for nowt.

on your land or his ??

 

[JD450A]

oh dear

 

[V8Druid]

oh dear

you've got 5 do you really need another ?

 

[Lancs Lad]

on your land or his ??

Not my patch but..
Hardly any of its his!! Someone reckoned 1/3 rd of all ag land in UK is rented ?
At £75 quid an acre per year i can see why

 

[Canal Navvy]

Another interesting read that is worth looking at is "an idiots guide to ancient woodland management " over on arbtalk.co.uk