Tree felling with a UNIMOG and cherry picker

Look what came to visit the woods yesterday!

Here's the reason - a Sycamore, coppiced at some time in the past but left to grow for 40-50 years, and now very close to the power lines:

So, the local power company sent two tree surgeons with the UNIMOG to bring it down. The vehicle had a cherry picker on the back with a very high reach:

This allowed one guy to be close to the branches being removed, using a top-handle chainsaw - you're not allowed to use these on the ground, and you normally have to show your qualification to use one before a shop will sell one to you.

The other guy was down at ground level, taking the branches and logs as they came down, and bringing them over to me, so I could put them where I wanted. The tree came down in sections, removing the smaller stems first:

Then the top came off the large stem, using a rope to make sure it fell the right way (see the video at the end for this), leaving just the main stem to come down:

This was taken down in large chunks. The operator used the chainsaw to cut through from the back, but because the logs were so large, when each section sat back, there was still enough room to pull the saw out and finish the cut from the front.

Then the log could just be pushed off:

Before long, there wasn't much left:

When they were done there was just a pile of logs left at the base. The amazing thing was that every single log and branch landed in this small area:

Here's the pile of brash, which was left for me to burn up later (this was part of the deal, so we didn't have to contribute too much for the extra work of bringing the whole tree down rather than trimming it):

I also ended up with a pile of smaller logs:

and I arranged the larger logs onto bearers, to keep them dry until I cut them up later:

There was one bit that was too heavy to move, so that'll have to wait until I come back with our big chainsaw to cut it up:

Here's the stumps as they left them:

When I come back with the big chainsaw, I'll cut them off nearer to the ground. We have a plan for the logs to go to a friend who lives nearby, in return for some help in the wood.

And finally, the bit you've been waiting for: the video!

Mike

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Bentley Wood Fair 2008

Tracy spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Bentley Wood Fair, as she was working on the stalls for SWOG and Woodnet. I went along for the Friday and Saturday as well to help out, and also have a look around (and buy some tools).

There were the usual displays of machinery, such as people sawmilling:
Plumpton college demonstrating various things, including a large log splitter
A Unimog
and outside the woodland area, stacks of shiny new kit:
I think my favourite bit is in the woods though:
There was a heavy horse team there again
and the Surrey Sussex Coppice Group had their usual collection of stalls in the far corner
There were some round wood structures:
and various ancient settlements: one of which had a clay-built bread oven:
This hut had a central fire, which was obvious by the smoke seeping through the roof. Can't have been a very pleasant place to live...
Out in the large field there was a lot of art and craft stuff. Particularly impressive were these remains of tree stumps that had been cleaned and carved entirely by hand. Apparently this one had taken three years of work:
However, one of the highlights for us was a bench made from the chestnut poles from our own wood, produced by J Martin Rustic Garden Furniture:
Mike

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