Tales from the wild wood

[greensurfingbear]

thanks for that, watched it on the iplayer. Not bad me thinks. Hope that it doesn't go off in the direction of other docu/soaps as I quite enjoyed the first instalment.

 

[Laurentius]

I watched it, but was not impressed. I don't like chainsaws.

 

[greensurfingbear]

I watched it, but was not impressed. I don't like chainsaws.

I can't see him making it a viable business without resorting to chainsaws though that's a lot of woodland to bring back into management with a gransfor axe

 

[Everything Mac]

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I can't see him making it a viable business without resorting to chainsaws though that's a lot of woodland to bring back into management with a gransfor axe

Got to say I agree. He's got a big enough job to do without resorting to a big old saw and a bill hook. No reason why he shouldn't make as much use of labour saving devices as he can.

 

[demographic]

I watched it, but was not impressed. I don't like chainsaws.

Why not? Its all very well wanting to spend time in the woods but chainsaws are far and away faster for felling and bucking than axe's and if you have more than a gardens worth of trees its the way to go.

Can't say I particularly like working with them as they are noisy and so on but they save a hell of a lot of time. Depends on how serious the user is I suppose.

 

[greensurfingbear]

Why not? Its all very well wanting to spend time in the woods but chainsaws are far and away faster for felling and bucking than axe's and if you have more than a gardens worth of trees its the way to go.

Can't say I particularly like working with them as they are noisy and so on but they save a hell of a lot of time. Depends on how serious the user is I suppose.

I guess the idea of the show is to make it a viable woodland business in today's world. As much as I love the old tools and the old photos of the fellas out in the woods there no way you could make it work as a business nowadays and make vast amounts of money out of it. When I was managing my reserve in newcastle I spent a some time looking into making the council some money from their woodlands and for amount that it'd cost them to get stuff felled and removed it didn't make enough money to make it worth while. Mind you I guess I was more excited about making vast quantities of charcoal and felling trees all winter than anything else


Orric

 

[demographic]

I guess the idea of the show is to make it a viable woodland business in today's world. As much as I love the old tools and the old photos of the fellas out in the woods there no way you could make it work as a business nowadays and make vast amounts of money out of it. When I was managing my reserve in newcastle I spent a some time looking into making the council some money from their woodlands and for amount that it'd cost them to get stuff felled and removed it didn't make enough money to make it worth while. Mind you I guess I was more excited about making vast quantities of charcoal and felling trees all winter than anything else


Orric

Pretty much.

Don't get me wrong, I quite like well made handtools but in almost any trade where you are paid by the amount of work you do (as opposed to the amount of time you spend at work) some element of mechanisation helps get things done faster.

I have and use power planes at work but prefer the gentle swish that a well honed handplane makes, sometimes its faster to use a handplane to ease a door than to set the transformer, powerleads and power planer up but other times if there's several doors in a line to do the power planer comes out and I only do the last couple of strokes with the hand plane just to get a better finish.
Same with nailguns, I didn't spend knocking on 400 quid on one because I just like spending money and enjoy having to wear ear protection to put nails in, nope, I bought it because in the arms race I work in I'm competing against other people with them and if I'm not producing the same amount of work I don't get hired.
Or on pricework my prices (or more accurately the prices that the company I'm working for is willing to pay) is based on using one. Not using one in many cases is too slow and consequently without one I won't make the same amount of cash per week. I pays for it's self and chainsaws are the same.

Line I said I don't like working with a chainsaw in woodland either (it does kind of spoil the ambience slightly) but its so much faster when felling and bucking trees that it seems silly not to.

 

[Harvestman]

I just started watching episode 1, and when they said the name of the wood, I realised that I know it. There's a Gwent Wildlife Trust nature reserve there and I've been in it many times. its a really nice spot. I'll be watching this.

 

[Dreadhead]

watched episode one and two last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. tis really the dream managaging a wood like that looks like hes got good soil and enough biodiversity to work with. thought it a little strange he is a beginner and is learning as they film him but i guess it presents better that way.

using the pigs as a woodland management tool is something im very fond of and is something i took particular interest in uni and was the basis for some of my reports, but i have a query if someone could help me? he had the pigs kept in a large enclosure and sprinkled their food in the thickets of bracken for them to root in. i would have thought it more efficient to split the entire area into several smaller compartments and rotate the pigs round them so that they concentrated on specific locations rather than root here and there sporadically? just something that was on my mind whilst watching it and yeah i also noticed him trimming a pole with his hand below the blade i winced when i thought he was going to lose a finger or two

 

[Elen Sentier]

bother! missed it. thank the gods for iplayer and you for the heads-up

 

[jackcbr]

Cracking programme. But I fear that it's now going to push the price of woodlands up as people watch this and want to do the same. Oh well, one day I'll have a plot of my own, but at this rate I'll be six foot under it.

 

[midge_fodder]

I guess the idea of the show is to make it a viable woodland business in today's world. As much as I love the old tools and the old photos of the fellas out in the woods there no way you could make it work as a business nowadays and make vast amounts of money out of it. When I was managing my reserve in newcastle I spent a some time looking into making the council some money from their woodlands and for amount that it'd cost them to get stuff felled and removed it didn't make enough money to make it worth while. Mind you I guess I was more excited about making vast quantities of charcoal and felling trees all winter than anything else


Orric

In my mind it is probably more to do with health and safety. Chainsaws have a more controllable fell path, and because you make your final cut on the other side of the tree, you tend too be out of the way of it (although trees don't need to be Ents to have a mind of their own). But I also understand time is money, and that cleanly bucked wood sells for better money as its sectioned off with less wasted material for the buyer. I work on the principle: there is often a nostalgia for using hand tools, we like to use our hands and work away quietly at our own pace, but the clients are always tight and impatient. They are after consistency in work and they wanted it done yesterday.

 

[Big Stu 12]

Just watched the three episodes on Iplayer, as I have not been about when its not on the box... good little series, interesting to see how he tackles things, some, no doubt as other i would have done differently, but hey I'll be watching the rest of it.

 

[Everything Mac]

I'm just back to shore. Watching episode two. Was that a wee GB axe he had? Lol.

I rather like this show.

 

[Elen Sentier]

That's a mate of mine, Ray Harris, who has the pigs, looking fwd to chatting about that bit wilh Ray when I go over for some more firewood and a cuppa later this month

 

[Everything Mac]

Certainly enjoyed that series.

 

[oldtimer]

I fear for the effect of Ash die-back disease on his enterprise. He's put so much into it and banked on a future which may not now happen. I admire his guts and have enjoyed following the programme.

 

[Retired Member southey]

Probably not to big a problem, he can cash in the mature ash, and replant with hazel.

 

[Dreadhead]

hazel for his coppice but what about his standards? just sticking with oak is a bit too long term is it not or am i missing something?

 

[Retired Member southey]

I really dint know dude, I have never managed a woodland. I wonder if you could replace ash with sweetchestnut?