Woodland to harvest

[valtraman]

im probably in wrong section but I have small wood areas on our farm that need harvested probably , know nothing about trees etc so wondering who do I contact ? I’m based southern Scotland . Thanks

 

[Doing it for the kids]

@renewablejohn may help

 

[renewablejohn]

Do you have the required felling licences for the particular areas if so then you could put it out to tender for sale as standing timber.

 

[Dry Rot]

I also have a bit here and the experts told me it wasn't worth thinning as the costs of extraction would not be met by the price of he timber sold.

A compromise was to get an experienced man in to thin the trees (£150 - £200/day) which I then pulled out with the tractor and cut up at a time that suited me. Felling trees is quite an art or they get hung up. Also, if they are all felled in the same direction, they are a lot easier to extract. An experienced person will do it properly and well worth the cost.

Try https://arbtalk.co.uk/. Lots of very knowledgeable people on there and one even went out of his way to pop in to see me and advise. So a bit like TFF but trees!

 

[valtraman]

I don’t have felling license know bugger all about trees apart from they need felledi would say

 

[renewablejohn]

I don’t have felling license know bugger all about trees apart from they need felledi would say

Dont know what the rules are in Scotland but without a licences you are restricted to these rules.

https://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-6dfkw6

To be honest its amazing even under these rules how much you can cut down.

Just found the Scottish equivalent

https://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/supporting/grants-and-regulations/felling-licences/exemptions

Handy being 5m3 per calender quarter as if you time it right you can do 10m3 over 2 days plus the thinnings making it worthwhile to get machinery in.

 

[Puff]

When does an overgrown piece of hedge become a tree?

I've been happily clearing a field that's been untouched for 30+ years, which included a number of self-sprouted trees that might have been in excess of 8cm, together with reducing to 1m height said overgrown hedge and some of those branches/trunks were 30cm or more. Do I need a felling licence? Or should I have got one, more to the point?

 

[renewablejohn]

When does an overgrown piece of hedge become a tree?

I've been happily clearing a field that's been untouched for 30+ years, which included a number of self-sprouted trees that might have been in excess of 8cm, together with reducing to 1m height said overgrown hedge and some of those branches/trunks were 30cm or more. Do I need a felling licence? Or should I have got one, more to the point?

If you took the big trees straight out you may have needed a licence if over 5m3 per calender quarter, but then you have said that you pollarded the trees to 1m height obviously it is then below the 1.3m height criteria.