Cutting trees down

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Cutting trees down

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Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 10 6:42 pm Post subject: Cutting trees down

Our little forest (as I like to think of it) is overgrown and neglected and has been for 15 years at least we are led to believe. We had the professionals in the other day- Corpo Forestale. They said we should choose the best trees to leave and then cut everything else down. leaving 7-8 metres between trees. They said it would let the light in and rejuvenate the lot, which makes sense.

Now I know we asked, and they know, but 7-8 metres does seem drastic. They gave us a 5 year licence to do it.

I used to be envious of people that had a single tree, now I have a license to cut hundreds down.

I feel a bit scared.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15464
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 10 7:18 pm Post subject: Re: Cutting trees down

sfolati wrote:

Now I know we asked, and they know, but 7-8 metres does seem drastic. They gave us a 5 year licence to do it.

They are your trees, and that is just advice. You do not have to take it.

It might be difficult deciding which trees to keep. Some will be obvious keepers, others not so obvious.
Start by taking out the crappiest until you can see the wood for the trees, and keep on until you're happy with how thinned out they are.

Quote:

I feel a bit scared.

If you decide you want help, I could be talked into a trip to Italy... I am remarkably cheap.

Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 10 7:51 pm Post subject:

Very kind Hairyloon, thank you. I neglected to mention that there is a cutting season, Oct 19th till March 20. This is what we have decided to do for now, we will take the deadwood this season and hope to clean things up a bit. There are dead trees in there, fallen down, that will see us through the winter.
Then from the start of the year we will cut the live ones for burning next winter. If you don't mind, and indeed fancy, coming for a week or two early next year then we can talk about it.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18420

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 10 9:04 pm Post subject:
Do you want to coppice any of the trees you leave ?

Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 10 9:25 pm Post subject:

gil wrote:

Do you want to coppice any of the trees you leave ?

We want to clean it all up, take firewood and leave it in a much better state than we found it. We want to be able to go for a walk in it, and have a picnic now and then. We want to be able to see the sky when we look up.

And thats it.
We love it. There is a stream running through it. We never dreamt it.
We are very lucky people

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18420

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 10 10:35 pm Post subject:
If you coppice, you will have a renewable wood source, and it also clears the wood for the time being. It sounds fantastic !

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15464
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 10 10:47 pm Post subject:
There is no great magic to coppicing: you cut the trees down, they try to grow back. Some species do it well, others don't.

carlseawolf

Joined: 30 Mar 2009
Posts: 98
Location: Ilfracombe , North Devon

Posted: Thu Sep 23, 10 4:44 am Post subject:

sfolati wrote:

This is what we have decided to do for now, we will take the deadwood this season and hope to clean things up a bit. There are dead trees in there, fallen down, that will see us through the winter.
Then from the start of the year we will cut the live ones for burning next winter. If you don't mind, and indeed fancy, coming for a week or two early next year then we can talk about it.

May i subjest you take out some live ones as well as it will take about 12 months for the wood to season for the fire.

The reason i say this is because if you cut out all the dead wood this winter and use it this winter by the time you get to chop the live stuff you will have to wait a year before using it.

We have just opened up an open fireplace and have been collecting wood like mad ,

And so far we have a 10' square by 6 ' high pile of pallet wood ,
A 6' by 2' by 6' high dead wood pile ,
A pile for next year seasoning 12' long by 5' high in 10 " logs , plus more to cut up for next season .

And i still never say no to free wood if offered.

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Thu Sep 23, 10 4:44 am Post subject:
What species are there?

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15464
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Thu Sep 23, 10 8:59 am Post subject:
How much land are we talking about?

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Thu Sep 23, 10 9:46 am Post subject:
Leave some of the dead wood. Lots of wildlife depend upon it. I'd take a mixture of both dead and live trees out.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15464
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Thu Sep 23, 10 10:51 am Post subject:

Bodger wrote:

Leave some of the dead wood. Lots of wildlife depend upon it.

There will likely be plenty that is too rotten, to small, or too high up to make sensible firewood.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Thu Sep 23, 10 11:23 am Post subject:

Bodger wrote:

Leave some of the dead wood. Lots of wildlife depend upon it.

I'd take a mixture of both dead and live trees out.

Or better still cut up some into metre lengths & stack them & leave them to rot.
Many invertebrates & small vertebrates prefer rotting wood that isn't sodden by being in close contact with the ground.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 43773
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Sep 23, 10 2:56 pm Post subject:

1 plan and cut access track big enough to haul wood out

2 be organised .h n s ,all kit ,tree id books etc

3 survey a smallish area ,remove a mixture of "rubbish trees",keep firewood (2 m lengths are easy to handle with tongs etc and useful timber to season in the round( might need a tractor for those) . make brash heaps for wildlife ,keep some "messy bits "untouched

4 repeat through the wood over 5 yrs or until cleared

coppice and pollard will give a regular wood supply ,as will dead uns

opening a woodland has a dramatic improving effect on diversity and productivity

can you plant as well as clear ?,if so things can be improved even more

Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 10 7:29 pm Post subject:

Thanks for your thoughts. It is about 300 yards long by 100 at it's widest, going back to a point. It is a big triangle. We have since had a good look and most if not all of the big trees that have fallen are no good for fire but have a wealth of life in them, we will leave them.
A neighbour asked us why we had the corpo forestale in, I told him and he said bugger them. Take this dead tree of mine for the winter, then together, next year, we can clean up the woods.

It's great here, the old boys are so helpful.

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