Clearings

One clearing was just about finished today, and another one started. The new one is where a ride comes down to join the public footpath, near the pond, and Tracy's been busy there:
The one that's just about finished is where we've been for a while now - it's taken longer than I thought because some of the chestnut stools have had over 10 stems on them. In addition to felling them, I've also been processing them as I go along. For example, those destined for use as fuel are being split (when large enough):
and the stacks are filling up now:
I'm also making stakes, 5ft for the log racks, and 8ft to go down to the allotment, where a customer wants to use them for some fruit trees. Back at the "camp" we use a side axe to sharpen the stakes, which is enjoyable and you can chat while you're doing it, but if you happen to have a running chainsaw in your hand...

Find a couple of stumps on a coppice stool and wedge the stake between them:
Cut off two sides using a pulling chain (i.e. bottom of the chainsaw bar):
Turn it 90 degrees and cut both sides again:
Tidy up any edges that have too steep a slope - using a pushing chain (top of the chainsaw bar) worked better for this bit:
Anyway, here's the clearing, before:
and after:
When you look up, you can see how much sky has been opened up - I'm looking forward to summer...
Finally, here's a view from the other end:
It does look a bit odd with the "dead hedge" down the middle, but hopefully this will provide cover for birds and other wildlife.

We're taking tomorrow off, and visiting Tracy's Mum. We'll be back up on Friday, but minimising chainsaw use so as not to disturb people who are out walking too much - I imagine there will be some roast turkey dinners to be worked off, so there may be more people around than usual...

Mike