Bulldog Ratchet Pruning Shears BD31303 – Product Review

20mm cutting diameter ratchet pruning shears

Review by Michael Smith

I have to say that this is the first of those kinds of pruning shears that I ever really have had an opportunity to use and review.

Other manufacturers and vendors for some reason have been more than reluctant, to say the least, to part with one of those for a proper and thorough product review and I leave the reader to draw his or her own conclusions as to the why and wherefore of this.

Bulldog's representatives on IOG Saltex 2008 were more than happy to supply me with one of those and so far I must say that I am quite impressed with this tool.

It took a little while for me to get the proper hang of it as to the best way of using it but once that had been mastered it is just a great piece of kit.

The maximum cutting size, in my opinion, should not be exceeded when cutting hardwoods, whether green or not, such as apply, plum, oak, etc. While it may work alright with slightly larger branch diameters, I must say that I would not recommend doing it.

Once the “trick” of properly using the ratchet is mastered this pair of pruners cuts through quite thick branches without any real effort. Small pruning is best done with the topmost tip of the pruners as it is then just the single snip. This is very good for dead heading of roses and also general small pruning rather than using the cutting jaws further down that then still employs the ratchet, making the cutting process a little slower.

On larger material the ratchet makes cutting virtually effortless and I recently used it to cut back a Willow (Salix) and in this instance cutting material with diameters of 35mm and such without any problems. It must be considered thought that green willow is a rather soft wood.

I also used it to prune some apple trees and in that case I restricted myself to about the maximum given diameter for this pair of pruners and there as well very little effort and strength was needed for the cutting.

From what I have seen so far as to the performance and reliability I can, I think, very much recommend this model of Bulldog's pruners without any hesitation.

Once again another piece of kit that is of fine quality at a very reasonable price.

© M Smith (Veshengro), October 2008
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Forests back in fashion as weapon to combat climate change

by Michael Smith, RFA

The Earth's forests, which are perhaps one of the greatest, if not indeed the greatest, natural defenses against climate change, got somewhat of a boost recently with Britain's Prime Minister and a host of environmental lawyers throwing their support behind plans to protect them and eventually include the forestry sector in carbon markets.

Now who would have thought that the experts suddenly realize what we who have had dealings and have been working in forestry and related sectors for most of our lives have known all the time and those that set up managed forestry have known for centuries, namely that forests are good for the Earth.

A review commissioned by Gordon Brown and led by advisor Johan Eliasch has concluded that deforestation in countries heavily covered by rainforest could be halved in the next 12 years and the world's forestry sector could be carbon neutral – effectively sustainable in the long term – by 2030.

The review looks at the financial mechanisms needed to make this happen and comes down heavily in favour of wealthy industrialized nations offering funding to support forestry in poorer nations and somehow incorporating the carbon sink effect of existing forests into global carbon trading.

In a nutshell, the report says that countries that protect their forests should be rewarded for doing so by the international community.

The specific mechanisms recommended for doing this are slightly more complex.

Mr Eliasch said: “Saving forests is critical for tackling climate change. Without action on deforestation, avoiding the worst impacts of climate change will be next to impossible, and could lead to additional climate change damages of $1 trillion a year by 2100.

“Including the forest sector in a new global deal could reduce the costs of tackling climate change by up to 50% and therefore achieve deeper cuts in emissions, as well as reducing poverty in some of the world's poorest areas and protecting biodiversity.

“Deforestation will continue as long as cutting down and burning trees is more economic than preserving them. Access to finance from carbon markets and other funding initiatives will be essential for supporting forest nations to meet this challenge.”

I wonder whether readers remember that a while ago the papers and the media were full of suggestions that forests actually are bad for the environment. Don't ask me what those experts had been drinking but... Forests are more than carbon neutral; they are carbon sinks, and we need more of them and not just old forests. New planted and commercially managed forests and woodlands have been proven to be as useful as primal forests.

The review has been broadly welcomed in political circles, but environmental NGOs have given it a frostier reception.

Friends of the Earth climate campaigner Tom Picken said: “Allowing rich countries and businesses to 'offset' their carbon dioxide emissions by buying up huge tracts of forest is riddled with problems and will do little to tackle climate change.

“The industrialised world must rapidly cut its dependency on fossil fuels if we are to prevent catastrophic climate change from taking hold. The Eliasch plan will simply create a smokescreen allowing us to carry on polluting - it's the climate change equivalent of sub-prime mortgages.

“Forests and forest communities urgently require protection. Financial packages are needed - but we must also address the underlying causes of deforestation, such as biofuels, excessive meat consumption and industrial logging.”

We can but agree with the statements by the Friends of the Earth, though I also know that often FoE have a problem with commercial forestry per se and would like to see forests and woodlands remain unmanaged. This is not something that works and is not good for the forests and woodlands either, especially not with those, say, in Europe who have always been managed for the last millennia and if they would be no longer managed they would soon completely fall apart, literally. This is something that I have spoken about as regards to the coppice woodlands in the South of England, for instance.

The carbon offset idea, in my opinion, is a total stupidity anyway and we must get away from this notion that we can pay our way out of polluting the planet by paying, say, Brazil or such, to conserve their forests. I am sorry, but this notion is ludicrous. The developed world cannot be allowed to continue polluting just because they can buy carbon credits from the Third World. This is just not sustainable.

© M Smith (Veshengro), December 2008
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Can timber companies prove that they source good wood?

by Michael Smith, RFA

In general, it would appear, the environmental community tends to be rather supportive of Forest Stewardship Council certification – often referred to as the “gold standard” of sustainable forestry.

And while there have been scandals before, I grant you that, like Asia Pulp & Paper’s controversial certification, most of the conscious and conscientious consumers still look at the FSC mark as a fairly safe guarantee that the wood does not come from ancient forests, and that it was sustainably logged.

It would seem, however, that we can no longer accept it completely at face value if we can believe Friends of the Earth.

According to a statement from their website it would appear as if FoE are are taking a step back from its endorsement of the FSC certification and this statements it reproduced hereunder in full:

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification is the strongest available standard for new wood.

Most of its timber certifications have improved forestry standards in many countries.

However, we are deeply concerned by the number of FSC certifications that are now sparking controversy and threatening the credibility of the scheme.

We cannot support a scheme that fails to guarantee high environmental and social standards. As a result we can no longer recommend the FSC standard.

The best environmental choice is to repair, restore or adapt an existing item. You could buy second hand.

If you have to buy new, make sure the timber is locally sourced.

Source: Friends of the Earth

As a professional forester I would like to add that while logging ancient forests is not a very good practice and more than likely non-sustainable the woods and forests in most countries on Europe and North America are no longer ancient and primary forests. Many so-called ecologists insist on claiming that the old woodlands in, for instance, the south of Britain are “ancient woodlands”, which, alas, they are not. There are no primary woodlands and forests in the British Isles; all of them have been more-or-less commercially worked in their life, many of them of the claimed to be “ancient” woodlands within the last 50 years. They are primarily old coppice woods that have gone wild again and, contrary to the belief of many of the previously mentioned environmentalists, should not be allowed to carry on running wild. They must, if we are to save them as woods, be worked once again and that rather pronto. The longer they are left the greater the change of the coppice stools breaking apart. That would be the end of those woodlands and they would become scrub land of one from or the others but would lose their woodland characteristics.

It is wood from such local sourced that should be sourced and used for whatever projects, whether building or furniture.

On the other hand, the advice of Friends of the Earth as to secondhand and repairing is also a very valid one, as would be DIY from waste building lumber, for instance. This would divert at least a small amount of the ten million plus tonnes of waste building lumber that are annually in the UK sent to landfill. A practice that to me is just very difficult to understand.

© M Smith (Veshengro), October 2008
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Wood – A professional in the Kitchen

by Michael Smith, RFA

Cooking is on the up. Kitchens and utensils made from wood are easy to care for and are antibacterial.

Cooking is everywhere. On the TV and in the home. Cooking has become a pastime rather than just a means of creating a meal for the family. It has become a lifestyle and a creative expression and also an expression of creativity.

For this very reason the kitchen has now become functional workplace and an object for design at the same time. In the kitchen of today there is not just roasting a frying and generally cooking being done. This is where one meets, sits together and talks over a glass of wine. A bit of trip back-to-the-future for we have been here once before, in the days when out kitchen were large and useful, and where the family gathered, while the parlour, the room that we refer to today as “living room”, was used only on very special days and occasions. It was the kitchen were everyone gathered and listened to the radio and talked about the day. The kitchen table served as a desk for the children's homework in the same way as it was used for the eating of meals, or the mending of clothes.

Because of the fact that kitchens are, once again, more living space than just the area where the food is being cooked, the designers of kitchen furniture are once again reverting to the age-old material of wood. Wood is natural and warm and a great material.

Wooden kitchens with properly sealed surfaces are easy to clean and as wood has antibacterial quality they are much more hygienic than other materials, even stainless steel. But, I guess, I would say that as someone deeply rooted in commercial forestry.

In addition to the furniture in the kitchen being of wood again wooden kitchen utensils too are making a genuine comeback. Wooden spoons, spatulas, cutting- and chopping boards, and such, all once again are seen in kitchens. Wooden utensils are taste neutral and are easy to care for. They also do not absorb any foreign tastes. As they are wood we have the same antibacterial properties and hence they are much more hygienic than other materials and one can but wonder if we should not carry, once again, a wooden eating spoon, as people did in ages past, instead of relying on throwaway flatware.

As wood, as said, has antibacterial properties it is enough to wipe a chopping board clean between uses. This also satisfies hygiene because even salmonella has little survival chance on wood. This was proven already in 1993 by the University of Wisconsin. Especially pine, larch and oak have some of the best antibacterial and virus killing properties.

© M Smith (Veshengro), September 2008
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Heat with wood for the common good and the good of the forest

by Michael Smith, RFA

High gas and heating oil prices are renewing the interest on firewood from local forests

The German NGO Wald in Not regards the use of wood as renewable energy source as an important contributor to the care and conservation of our local woodlands and forests.

Wood is “stored solar energy”. It is produced in our woodlands and forests by means of energy from the sun, carbon dioxide, water and the nutrients that are soluble in water and are carried in it.

Heating with wood means therefore heating with the cycle of nature. The carbon dioxide that is being released by the process of burning the wood is by means of the energy of the sun absorbed by the growing trees and returned into the growing wood. This wood is then once again available as new raw material. The CO2 that is being released by burning the wood would also be released if this wood would be allowed to rot and decay in the woods.

The wood used for firewood is that wood that has no other commercial value, in other words wood that is not suitable for building lumber or as timber for the making of furniture, for example. If it would not be burned for heat it would rot away in the woods. Firewood is also created as a byproduct, so to speak, in the production of high value timber in forests and hence is available in sufficient volume in properly manages forests and woodlands.

Wood as a fuel is extremely environmentally friendly:

1. because its production is simple and uses little energy
2. the transport distances for wood are generally short
3. the storage of firewood does not endanger the environment

The use of wood for fuel, as firewood, from local forests and woodlands ensures the necessary care and conservation of the woodlands and forest through the forestry companies and the state or private forest estates, as it improves their economic situation.

The care and thinning of the forests and woodlands is an urgent and necessary preventitive measure against the changes in the environment and the climate. In order to counter those we must reconstruct and convert our woodlands and forests into stable mixed woodlands with a broad spectrum of trees that are right for the soil and area.

Modern wood heating system that are properly installed, managed and maintained retain in comparison with other energy systems a firm position and also fulfil the regulations for clean air.

In conjunction with solar-thermal installation for the production of hot water – solar collectors – modern wood burning furnaces constitutes the ideal combination for use of renewable energy sources to provide a good insulated so-called low energy home with heat.

© M Smith (Veshengro), September 2008
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Leaf raking against the Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner Moth

November 8 is Day of Action “Save our Horse Chestnuts”

by Michael Smith

A nasty parasite is already for a number of years been plaguing the white-flowering Horse Chestnut. In Germany this pest has now reached all areas and also in Britain it is spreading like wild fire. From its arrival in 2001/2002 in the Wimbledon area of South London it has now spread to most parts of Southern Britain.

This parasite is bringing an early autumn to our beloved Horse Chestnut, the tree that brings fun and games to the children of the British Isles, in the form of the conker game (as long as the schools and authorities try not to ban it) and simply collecting the chestnuts. As children we also made little animals and people and little baskets out of the conkers. In August already all the leaves have dried out and it looks like Fall has arrived.

The parasite responsible for this, the Horse Chestnut leaf miner moth (Cameraria ohridella), has no natural enemies, neither in Germany nor in the British Isles. It was always said that a wet summer and wet winters would kill the moth and the eggs of the moth that overwinter in the fallen leaves but, alas, this does not seem to happen for the last two summers in Britain were very wet and the moth still has caused great damage again in 2008. Despite intensive research no antidote has as yet been found against this damaging insect.

The until now only effective countermeasure against it is to collect all the fallen leaves as soon as possible and to burn them in a sanitary way. This is the only way to prevent that the eggs of the moth that overwinter in the fallen leaves turn into larvae.

In Germany the Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald calls already now for a number of years upon communities and cities to take part in the collection action and to encourage their residents to take part in this.

The city of Essen in North-Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) is leading the way here in that sacks are provided free of charge for residents to be able to collect the leaves, which are then collected by the municipality and burned in a waster incinerating heating plant.

Those communes that have been taking part in this action of collecting of fallen leaves for a number of years now can prove that it works in that their Horse Chestnuts are once again green until at the right time in late autumn.

Collecting and burning the fallen leaves is the only way to rid ourselves of this pest that so badly affects our Horse Chestnut.

While the Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner Moth not necessarily causes the death of the trees it will, over time, however, weaken the trees and allow other pathogens and parasites to destroy the trees.

© M Smith (Veshengro), September 2008
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Old Growth Forests and Ancient Woodlands

by Michael Smith (Veshengro), RFA

An old growth forest, ancient or primary forest or ancient woodland, is a woodland of great age that exhibits unique biological features. Depending on tree species and forest type, the age can be from 150 to 500 years.

Old growth forests typically contain a mixture of large live and dead trees or "snags", while unharvested fallen tree logs in various states of decay litter the forest floor.

Foresters and botanists use certain criteria to determine old growth forests. Sufficient age and minimal disturbance is necessary to be classified as old growth. The characteristics of old-growth forest include the presence of older trees, minimal signs of human disturbance, mixed-age stands, canopy openings due to tree falls, pit-and-mound topography, downed and decaying wood, standing snags, multi-layered canopies, intact soils, a healthy fungal ecosystem, and presence of indicator species.

Second growth forest are forests regenerated after harvests or severe disruptions like fire, storms or insects is often referred to as a second-growth forest or regeneration until a long enough period has passed that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. Depending on the forest, to become old growth again may take anywhere from a century to several millennia.

Old growths forests are extremely important as old growth forests are often rich communities of great biodiversity harboring wide varieties of plants and animals. These species must live under stable conditions free from severe disturbance. Some of these creatures are rare.

The age of the oldest trees in an ancient forest indicates that destructive events over a long period were of moderate intensity and did not kill all the vegetation. Some suggest that old growth forests are carbon "sinks" that lock up carbon and help prevent global warming.

As said earlier, the characteristics of old-growth forest include the presence of older trees, minimal signs of human disturbance and therefore in Britain and much of Europe there are no real “ancient woodlands” and this despite the fact that many misguided and ill-informed environmentalists claim that there are. The great majority of all those forests and woodlands have been touched by human hands and many until not so long ago. All the woodlands often referred to as thus are in fact old coppice woodlands that have been worked up until the 1950's and cannot every return by itself to Nature.

Only at the border between Poland and Belarus there is a more or less primeval forest containing the last herds of European bison. Further in the East then, behind the Urals, there it is possible to find real ancient forests and woodlands. All other European woods and forests have, however, at one time or the other, often well into the not so distant future, been worked by man for human benefit.

The previously mentioned coppice woodlands of Southern England, for instance, if left to “return to Nature”, as is being demanded by those environmentalists that have no knowledge of forestry, will simply fall apart. Without man's intervention the thousand to fifteen hundred year old coppice stools will simple break apart and that will be the end then of those woods.

For this very reason, e.g. the fact that unless those coppice woodlands will break apart – literally – if not worked in the next couple of years again by woodsmen and underwoodsmen. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that the use of those woodlands as productive woodlands would be re-initiated. Now would be a good time to start. The coppice stools will otherwise, if not coppiced again in the next couple of years, literally break apart and that will be the end of the trees and of the woodlands.

While it is often thought that ONLY old growth forests are carbon "sinks" that lock up carbon and help prevent global warming but in a way all forests, ancient and more modern, contribute towards the prevention of climate change. The term “global warming” is rather misleading nowadays as the warming, in fact, stopped about seven years ago and plateaued out and has remained at the same level ever since. Climate will, nevertheless, still change until the temperatures will fall again, as they have always been doing in this cyclic changes the Earth seems to be going through every 1000 or so years.

© M Smith (Veshengro), July 2008

Makita's new easy-start chainsaws

Two new Makita high technology chainsaws are being launched to meet the demand from the rapid growth in ownership of chainsaws in the 30-45cc range.

The Makita DCS3501 and DCS4301 “Compact Class” saws feature easy starting, single switch choke, on/off safety control, ultra-low vibration rating and long service, easy maintenance reliability.

The new DCS3501 has a 34.7cc 2-stroke engine which develops 2.1hp and is available with either 35cm or 40cm bar.

The DCS4301 saw has a 42.4cc engine with 2.8hp and 35cm, 40cm or 45cm bar and .325” microlite chain.

“These brilliant new compact chainsaws are now available with all the advantages of the new design. They really are a major step forward on anything else on the market,” says Mark Earles, Makita’s OPE sales manager. “Our dealers are going to have a sales bonanza with these new machines. They are designed to deliver the top professional chainsaw features but at a price that the grown-up domestic user wants.

Holidays at Home

by Michael Smith (Veshengro), RFA

Seeing the impact the so-called “Credit Crunch” appears to be having on the finances on the individual, and not the individual alone, and also the rising costs of food and gasoline, it is my opinion that we shall, beginning with the year 2008, see the return to people taking their vacation more at home than at resorts or abroad.

Parks and Open Spaces will, I am sure, be more in use this summer, that is to say 2008, and if the money situation is anything to go by, also in years to come.

With the rising fuel costs and the increase of the general cost of living, from food to taxes, people are going to be turning the penny around a few times before they are going to spend it. Therefore, vacation at home may just be the result. Those that have a nice home and a nice garden I have never been able to understand as to why they would, not only spend the money, but the time and effort, to travel abroad for a for a few weeks holiday and then return more exhausted than when they left.

I remember before the times of the package holidays and the cheap flights to all over the world that people vacationed at home, in their own gardens, or those in the urban areas on their allotments, or went for a day or so to the seaside, and such. Others, especially the working classes that had the funds had a caravan by the seaside or some hitched up a caravan and went on holiday travelling about. Yet again others went on cycling tours with tent, including with their children. But even caravanning probably is out with the rise of fuel costs.

People who could not afford to go away or did not want to stayed, as said, at home in their own gardens, if they had such, or on their allotments, or went to the local parks and open spaces as much as possible.

Seeing the current economic climate, in the United Kingdom as much as in the United States and elsewhere, with the rising cost of living, of fuel, of food, of everything it would seem, it is more and more likely now that with the summer of 2008 we may just see a beginning of the “stay at home” holidays again.

Not a bad thing either, I am sure. Aside from saving money the local parks and open spaces will, once again, see a real resurgence of and in use and the powers that be might then be more reluctant to even think of getting rid off parks and open spaces. The other good thing of the “stay at home” vacations is the fact that such holidays put less of an impact on the environment (do take your litter home with you from your visit to the park and the woods please) in that there is less fuel used, and that aside from the money that is being saved. This saved money, or at least part of it, can then be spent in the local economy, at home.

Aside from the Parks and the Open Spaces in preparation for the “stay at home” vacations the garden centers and such stores will, I am sure, also find a lot of people visiting.

Allotments finally could find takers again as well. While in some parts of this country there is a waiting list for allotments in other parts, such as in some of the London Boroughs and other areas you cannot give a plot away. Entire allotment garden areas lie empty and overgrown. What a possibility for a real nice garden colony where to spend one's vacation close to home.

The Parks Departments and their staff will, in times like this if and when people will vacation at home, as just might happen this year, have their work cut out as, aside from the good people visiting parks in such instances, there are also always those that have to misbehave. On the other hand the simple pressure that an influx of a great number of people – more people that there have been for ages – puts onto the Parks and Park Staff will mean that, at times, litter may not be removed from areas as fast as people might like.

Again here the admonishment to all: Please, as far as possible, take your refuse home with you and do not leave it in the countryside or the park. If a litter bin is full do not put your bags of litter on top. It gets blown off, or taken off by wildlife, and scattered all over the area.

During the hot spells do not light or barbecues in parks, open spaces or woodlands. Aside from the fact that in most cases this is against the laws or bylaws it is also a fire hazard.

Leave wildlife alone and no, Bambi is not abandoned. His mother will be back soon. Do not touch him. If you do his mother may definitely abandon him and he will die.

Aside from this: enjoy your holiday in the parks and open spaces in our towns and our countryside, but please follow the Countrycode.

A “stay at home” holiday, with visits to the local parks and open spaces, as well as the local attractions – and there are more than you might think, regardless where you may live – is much more beneficial to you, and not just in respect to your pocketbook, as well as to Mother Nature (as long as you respect Her when you are out and about in the countryside during such a “stay at home” vacation.

Save money and reduce your environmental footprint (I refuse to call it carbon footprint or CO2 footprint) and have a relaxing time by having a “Holiday at Home”.

© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008

Bikers leave trail of destruction in 'ancient' woodland

Motorcyclists and mountain bikers are destroying a prehistoric monument and environmentally sensitive sites in "ancient" woodland in Cornwall.

By Michael Smith (Veshengro), RFA

For the second year running, bikers have been wreaking havoc by riding their vehicles off-track in Kilminorth Woods, West Looe, which is designated as an Area of Great Landscape Value and a Local Nature Reserve.

Owned and managed by Caradon District Council, the 45ha site lies along the western bank of the West Looe River and is South East Cornwall’s largest primeval oak woods.

Until recently, Kilminorth Woods offered a largely undisturbed habitat for many different species of wildlife and plants. Last year mountain bikers, who are permitted to use the bridleway through the woods, began using the area for off-road biking, building several large ramps and causing substantial damage to ancient woodland’s fragile environment.

The district council removed the ramps, but the bikers are back in force this year. Trial bikers have also recently taken to using the woods – even though motorcycles are prohibited from the area – causing much more serious damage to the woods and creating a hazard for walkers.

Councillor Margaret Allen, Caradon’s local environment portfolio holder, said: “During the past year I’ve made many visits across Caradon to see our woodland sites, play parks and nature reserves, but my recent trip to Kilminorth Woods was the saddest.

“The bikers have built substantial wood and earth ramps, gouging trenches in the floor of the woods for their construction and churning up the earth where they ride their bikes off-track.

"They are destroying the lichens, mosses and ferns for which the woods are known and disturbing the habitat of small creatures such as voles, insects and nesting birds. Deer and badgers are also being affected, and one bike track passes close to an established badger sett.

“Worse still, the bikers have deliberately dug out sections of the Giant’s Hedge to form tracks. There can be no excuse for wantonly destroying an ancient monument, and it is clear from the scale of the destruction that we are talking about the actions of adults rather than children.

Councillor Allen continued: “Kilminorth Woods is designated as a Local Nature Reserve, and Caradon has an obligation to protect it. We have no objection to bicycles on the formal pathways, but off-track mountain and trial biking is not appropriate in an environmentally sensitive area.

“The vast majority of visitors to Kilminorth Woods use the footpaths in a safe and sensible way, but sadly a few thoughtless trial and mountain bikers are causing serious problems by their illegal and inappropriate use of the woods.
"The near accidents, verbal abuse of other users of the woods and damage to the area is wholly unacceptable.

"Ancient woodland like Kilminorth is the United Kingdom’s version of the rainforest. A mere 2 per cent is left, and it is still disappearing”, said Councillor Allen further.

Unfortunately, Councillor Allen does not know, in the latter instance, what he is talking about, much like so many local councillors. She does remind one of some of the so-called environmental advisers to the local councils here that have about as much knowledge of the environment, namely none or very little.

I very much, as a professional forester, amongst others, would like to dispute the notion of ancient forest/woodland in the UK to mean one never touched by hand of man. 99.9% of all woodlands and forests in this country have, at one time or the other, been worked and managed by man. The often quoted ancient woodlands in some places of the West Country are in fact ancient coppice woodlands which, if they are not going to be worked pronto will fall apart and will become history.

Spouting off the contents of material they have read, but all too often not properly digested and especially understood, and more often than not from dubious sources, does not help the cause one little bit.

I do, however, agree that motorbikes have no place in such woodlands – or any other woodlands – for that matter as those that ride mountain bike of the push bike variety should do so with consideration and if they do not they should be brought to book and fined severely – period.

Like the law give the right of seizure of an illegally used motorbike, that is to say that the relevant authorities can take the bike and have it crushed, the same might be a good idea for the mountain biker variety too when they are used in a manner as outlined here. It is my belief that many riders would thing more than twice doing the described if they'd knew that the authorities could seize their bike, which often have cost them thousands of British Pounds, and gave then destroyed or – and this would be much better – sold off to others.

© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008

Climate Change is going to adversely affect European Biodiversity

by Michael Smith (Veshengro), RFA

Climate Change and the loss of Biodiversity are the most pressing environmental problems and challenges of the twenty first century. Biodiversity and forestry will be tremendously affected by this.

In order to develop the necessary adaption strategies integrated and appropriate research is required that covers a broad spectrum of themes. We must not, under any circumstances, underestimate the possible effects of climate change on the environment and on biodiversity, especially, as said, in our woods and forests and the impact that this will have on our continued use of forest products.

The concept of the protection and retention of the biodiversity includes, aside from the mere protection of the environment and biodiversity, also the commercial use of our woodlands and forests. Therefore research into climate change and biodiversity has to be seen and understood an interdisciplinary task which also must include the socio-economic aspects and the questions as to our moral concepts and ideas.

According to calculations and prognoses based on computer modelling not only would by a warming of the climate the potentially suitable ranges for tree species like beech and pine change considerably, but this would also be the case for the rarer species and those endangered ones on the red lists. The “red list species”, according to those calculations, would be extremely hard hit due to loss of suitable areas where they can grow and thrive.

We must find ways and means to react to such a threat so as to preserve the species but also to be able to continue to commercially use timber and other products from our woods and forests even during this probable climate change.

© M Smith (Veshengro), Tatchipen Media & EcoFor, April 2008

Beanpole Week

Britain’s first ever National Beanpole Week - supported by FC England - will be held between 19 and 27 April 2008.

It will celebrate native coppiced woodland and the ancient tradition of coppicing, together with the beanpoles and other excellent products made from eco-friendly coppiced wood. The week, which is being run by the Small Woods Association, will be launched at a free Beanpole Festival at the Green Wood Centre near Ironbridge in Shropshire on Saturday 19 April between 11am and 4pm.

For further details visit www.greenwoodcentre.org.uk or telephone 01952 432769.

Healthy and productive forests reduce impact of climate change

by Michael Smith (Veshengro), RFA

Only healthy and productive forests have a chance to act against the changes in climate. Such are the findings of the recent congress “Forest Ecosystems in a Changing Environment” that has been held in Istanbul, Turkey.

The forests of Europe currently compensate for around 10% of the European CO2 emissions and are thereby reducing the greenhouse effect. On the other hand the changes in climate also affect the forests, either directly through the rising temperatures and extreme events such as droughts or gales, or indirect through changes in the occurrences of diseases and insects.

The already observable extreme events, such as the more frequent and more ferocious gales and especially the climate scenarios that are being predicted are a great challenge to a proper forest management, which will have to rely also in future on the results of monitoring and scientific studies.

Our forests are still being destabilized through an intake of nitrogen that is way too high. At more than two thirds of the 186 permanent observation areas critical rates were being exceeded constantly. Such observations are recorded all over central Europe.

In the short term, however, this high amount of nitrogen also appears to have some benefits. Recent data has shown that high uptake of nitrogen appear to lead to an increased growth amongst forest trees, which results in a higher uptake of carbon out of the atmosphere.

There is, however, great uncertainty as to the scale of this additional uptake of carbon. The experts fear that the environmental condition will probably deteriorate in future even faster than before. Therefore forestry related environmental observation must be continued and further developed. The continued financing of the currently existing forestry monitoring network on EU level and in individual countries must urgently be secured.

EWGS 2008-09 Budget Management Announcement

Summary

As part of the process for settling 2008/09 budgets with Defra, the Forestry Commission has agreed to defer £1.75m of expenditure on EWGS (which is funded as part of the seven-year Rural Development Programme for England) planned for 2008-09 to later years of the programme. This means we are unable to offer 2008-09 payments to a small proportion of the applications for EWGS under Prospectus 2007. We are now announcing how we intend to handle applications for 2008-09 funding.

Prospectus 2007 budget – overall position

The majority of applications received prior to 6 February will continue to be processed as normal and offered a claim year of 2008-09 as expected.

However, the required budgetary adjustment means that the available budget will not cover all the demand for new applications for the claim year 2008-09.

We will now offer some existing applications a claim year of 2009-10 rather than 2008-09.

The value of the applications that have not yet reached draft contract is approximately £2.9m. However, we estimate that around 300 applications received by 6 February and still being processed will now be offered payment in 2009-10 rather than 2008-09. These applications have an estimated value of approximately £900,000, equivalent to 3% of the total funding available for forestry grant scheme payments. Similarly, applications received between 6 and 29 February for any remaining funds advertised under Prospectus 2007 will also be offered 2009-10 funding.

Further background on RDPE and the funding of forestry grants is in Annex 1.

Our criteria for prioritising applications for funding are set out in Annex 2.

Should you require more information about your application please contact your Forestry Commission Regional Office.

What this means for individual applications

Legacy grant schemes - are unaffected: Farm Woodland Scheme (FWS) and Farm Woodland Premium Scheme (FWPS) and Woodland Grant Scheme (WGS).

EWGS applications already approved - are unaffected

Applications that have already reached draft contract (i.e. where we have made you an offer of a contract) - are unaffected and will be approved when you return the contract to us.

Applications received between 6 February 2008 and 29 February 2008 – will be dealt with as per ‘normal’ budget arrangements, but offered funding for 2009-10. i.e. if 2008-09 funds advertised in Prospectus 2007 were still notionally available, the applications will be processed and offered payment in 2009-10.

Applications that haven’t been offered a draft contract by 6 February 2008 - are governed by the following rules:

Applications that will continue to be offered contracts with 2008-09 payment
• Woodland Creation Grant applications
• All applications received before 26 November 2007 except Woodland Regeneration Grant (WRG) applications
• Woodland Management Grant (WMG) applications received before 6 February 2008
• All SSSI and red squirrel Woodland Improvement Grant (WIG) applications received by 6 February 2008
• All Forest School applications

Applications that will be offered contracts with 2009-10 payment
• Any Woodland Regeneration Grant (WRG) applications that have not had
draft contracts issued
• Woodland Planning Grant (WPG) and Woodland Assessment Grant (WAG) applications received since 26 November 2007
• WIG Biodiversity or access applications received since 26 November 2007
• WIG SSSI applications received after 6 February 2008
• WMG applications received after 6 February 2008

Rescheduling requests for approved 2007-08 contracts – where 2008-09 funding is requested 2009-10 claim year will be offered instead.

Prospectus 2008

We anticipate publishing Prospectus 2008 detailing grants offered for payment in 2009-10 during May 2008. This timetable allows for the completion of normal end of financial year processes.

Annex 1: Background to RDPE and funding of EWGS

The RDPE is a seven-year programme with a planned budget of around £179m for forestry measures delivered through EWGS and the legacy grant schemes FWPS and WGS. The RDPE forestry measures are co-funded by around £100m of exchequer funding and £79m of EU funding. In addition some forestry grants such as the WGS Annual Management Grant and EWGS Woodland Regeneration Grant are funded outside the RDPE budget by state aid delivered from FC resources.

For 2008-09 the agreed indicative budget for EWGS and the legacy grant schemes had a total value of £29m, made up of £13.1m of Exchequer funding and £10.7m EU co-financing under the RDPE plus a further £5.2m of exchequer funding from FC resources for the state aided measures. £1.75m of the Exchequer funding will be re-profiled (deferred) into a later year of the seven-year programme. Taking account of the related EU funding, which can also be deferred under EU rules, the total reduction in 08/09 budgets will be £3m. The seven year programme budget remains unchanged.

As of 6 February 2008 the total indicative 2008-09 budget of around £29m was made up of:
• 79% committed contracts
• 13% new EWGS applications received and being processed
• 8% of Prospectus 2007 headroom remaining for new EWGS applications

Annex 2: Criteria for prioritising applications for funding

In deciding which applications to continue to offer 2008-09 and which will get funding in the later year we have taken account of the following combination of factors:
• Date of receipt of application
• The importance for business continuity of enabling ‘annual’ payments to be made in 2008-09 for those people applying for Woodland Management Grant.
• The high profile associated with SSSI and red squirrel work funded via Woodland Improvement Grant
• Anyone with an unapproved application for Woodland Regeneration Grant is now unlikely to be in a position to fell and regenerate their woodland in time to claim grant in the first half of 2008-09.
• The timing of the challenge rounds for Forest School grants

© Forestry Commission, 2008

Bulldog Bypass Pruning Shears BD3152 – Product Review

Rollins Bulldog have been making quality tools for gardening and agriculture for well over 200 years by now and most of those tools are still forged at Bulldog's Clarington Forge in Wigan.

The pair of bypass pruning shears, that I have the pleasure in reviewing here, are from the Premier Range, and came to me via a press pack from the 2008 Garden Press Event that was held at the Royal Horticultural Halls in Westminster at the end of January 2008, are no exception here. They are a quality tool at a very reasonable price. At around GBP 13 these quality pruners certainly are not expensive.

The blades are forget from high carbon SK-5 Japaneses steel and the handles are sold aluminium into which the blades are securely bolted. The handles have green “elastomer” grips, preventing the tool slipping out of your hands.

Locking together of the handles is achieved by an old method though with modern materials, that is to say that an ABS plastic hook acts as the lock at the bottom of the handles, locking the pruners safely and secure.

The spring is of the common “caterpillar” kind which is, unfortunately, often prone to jumping out and getting lost. This problem is overcome, as it would appear, on the BD3152 pruners in that the ends of the spring has been recessed rather deep into the handles and I should think that it is nigh on impossible for the spring to jump out on its own without help.

The BD3152 pruners appear very well made and well thought out, as are all Bulldog tools, and should give years of faithful service at a great value price. The length of service obviously depends greatly on how they are used or abused and treated or mistreated during and especially also after work. This often makes or breaks a tool.

Pros:
High carbon steel blades, forged
Bladed bolted into handles
Solid aluminium handles with rubberized grips
Safe and secure locking mechanism
Value for money price

Cons:
Still trying to find any.

The BD3152 Bypass Pruning Shears from Bulldog are equally well suited, in my opinion, for the professional gardener as well as the allotment gardener or the amateur at home.

© Michael Smith (Veshengro), March 2008

The Storm Kettle – Product Review

Originally, the Storm Kettle was handmade in Ireland - often by travellers who produced them in copper - for fishermen, itinerant workers and tourists. John Grindlay, who with his wife owns and runs the Eydon Kettle Company, modified the design and implemented modern manufacturing techniques in the early 1960’s.

John Grindlay borrowed an original copper kettle and took it to England during the winter. Tooling was manufactured and the first 10 kettles eventually produced. These were very quickly sold for £10 each in 1979, the assembly work being carried out by Mr Grindlay’s children who were then 8 years and 10 years old. Popular demand meant that production had to increase. Since 1979 the numbers sold have substantially increased each year.

Mainly these Kettles, whether sold in the UK, Germany, or elsewhere, are used by sportsmen, holiday makers, expedition organisers and outdoor enthusiasts. They have even accompanied the explorer John Blashford-Snell, while he was searching for signs of early civilisations on a trip to Central America.

Nowadays they can be found in the Solomon Isles helping remote islanders boil water to purify it, in remote parts of Southern Africa, where dried cattle dung is used by the Zulus as fuel, or in the Sahara Desert on expeditions.

I am always amazed though that they never seem to have found a take up by the still travelling Romani in the UK and elsewhere. The Storm Kettle does away with the need for a fire for just the purpose of brewing a cup of tea or coffee or even for the making of some other hot beverage.

Using a Storm Kettle means you can boil water easily, in the wettest and windiest of weather, both rapidly and safely. They are also environmentally friendly as you only need a sheet of newspaper and a handful of twigs as fuel. So the simplicity of the Kettle ensures that boiling water is always available, without the need to use gas, petrol or any other artificial fuel.

Storm Kettles come in two sizes, the Original and the Popular. The Original will boil up to 2.5 pints (approx. 1.5 litres) the Popular up to 2 pints (approx. one litre) – that should ensure more than enough hot water is available for you within minutes - at any time.

The water boils rather quickly and can be kept going by just adding further small sticks into the fire that is going in the burner beneath the kettle via the “chimney”.

One word of warning even though it is mentioned more than once in the literature and also on a sticker on the kettle itself: NEVER EVER use it with the cork in place. While the cork is very handy for carrying the kettle with water in it when heating the water the cork must be taken out of the spout.

The Storm Kettle & the cook set that nowadays is available for it is the ideal kit for forestry workers, countryside conservators, and other such like, such as Parks & Countryside Ranger, especially those working on maintenance tasks away from the main base.

While the Storm Kettle and accessories do not come cheap I can but recommend them.

The Prices for the kettles are: £43.00 for the Popular and £44.50 for the Original. Prices include V.A.T. and carriage.

Reviewed by Michael Smith (Veshengro), February 2008

GROWING ONE'S OWN STOOL

Christopher Cattle

A retired lecturer in furniture design, in the mid eighties I started to wonder what contribution I could make to the 'save the planet ' debate. Settling on the problem of our seemingly ever increasing demand for energy, I decided to see what one could do to reduce the amount used to make furniture. An early decision was to concentrate on the use of wood, an attractive and popular material, and biodegradable.

I was aware of the annual races for solar powered vehicles run in Australia, which attracted such elaborate and complex vehicles. Suddenly it struck me that of course tree growth is also solar powered! The energy we use to make furniture is simply that required to convert trees into the forms we use for our chairs and tables. If only the trees could be persuaded to grow into the right shapes in the first place . . . .

But people have been training and grafting trees to shape since we know not when, so no new skills are required. To grow furniture would simply involve using well known techniques for a different purpose.

To prove that it could be done however, I would have to do it myself, so I designed the simplest item of furniture I could devise, a three legged stool. I also devised a simple plywood frame or jig, on which to train the saplings as they grew. (Having practised as a designer of furniture for industrial production for the first half of my professional career, I was having to start from scratch.) In 1995 I approached the School of Plant Sciences at the University of Reading with my scheme. They rented me a suitable small plot of land and with their help, I planted and grew my first batch of stools. Five years later I harvested my first grown stool frame.

Having shown that it could be done, where was I to go from there. Should I go into business and sell them?

I decided that the outcome nearest to my original intention was rather to publicise the idea, and to enable others to grow such stools. In this way I hope to persuade people - particularly the younger generation - to change their mindset, and realise that it is possible to achieve useful and practical results simply by the intelligent use of natural processes.

Over recent years I have promoted the idea in a variety of ways. The experiment originally received wide coverage in the press both in Britain and abroad. Each year I attend several relevant public events in Britain, from exhibitions in London to environmental gatherings in Scotland. The stools were exhibited at Expo 2005 in Japan and more recently in Paris. I have been interviewed for the radio in the UK, USA and Canada.

I have a website ( www.grown-furniture.co.uk ) and anyone can buy the flat pack plywood jig and instructions. Stool growing has proved popular for young families and the kits are frequently in demand as Christmas presents for retired parents. (You can be sure they haven't got one of these!) All you need is the enthusiasm, the patience, and a local supplier of suitable 'whips' or young saplings. Nature does most of the work, and as she's been doing it for millions of years she's pretty good at it.

I recommend Sycamore as a suitable species, as it tends to grow and graft well. The whips are normally sold in bundles of twenty five, so you have a good chance to select three (or multiples of three) which are evenly matched, and slim enough to be bent and trained well. They should preferably be no thicker than a traditional wooden pencil. The kit comes with a planting guide which enables you to plant your saplings accurately, so that they fit snugly to the corners of the jig. With gentle persuasion the stems can be carefully bent to shape and secured to the jig with plant ties. If you can plant in November or December it gives the roots a chance to establish themselves before the Spring, but any time up to the end of February has proved satisfactory.

By about the third year you should be able to make the lower grafts where the stems touch. Cutting away the bark and the green cambial layer beneath it at the point of contact , you must hold them gently but firmly together for a few weeks. This can be done by binding or drilling through and inserting a rivet of some sort. If the graft bonds well, the sap will start to take the shortest route between the leaves and the roots, and each 'leg' - the lower half of which consists of one tree with the upper half of its neighbour - will start to grow as one, while the horizontal sections - joining the legs at their mid point and becoming the 'rails' - will cease to grow and remain at their existing size.
Although it will probably be about five years before the frame grows to its required size, the time you spend tending it will be minimal. I expect to spend less than five minutes on each frame every three weeks during the growing season.

Before 'harvesting' your frame, you should decide whether you prefer the 'rustic' look, by retaining the bark, or the perhaps a more elegant look by stripping it off. If you choose rustic you should harvest in the winter when the tree is dormant . If you harvest when the tree is actively growing, it is quite easy to strip off the bark. The thickness of the legs is such that any splitting as the wood dries out shouldn't be a problem, but it should be left to 'season' naturally, out of doors but under cover for about a further year. You can then give it a top of your choice and sit on it!

Delayed Fall Colors a Positive Development for Forests?

Scientists have been at a loss to account for why the traditional autumnal spectacle of disheveled trees and changing colors has gotten gradually pushed back over the last few years. Some have attributed the delayed autumnal senescence to increasing global temperatures; others have attributed it to the length of day.

David F. Karnosky, a professor at Michigan Technological University, believes rising atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide may be to blame — and, perhaps surprisingly, to thank. Karnosky explains that delaying senescence may in fact be good news for forestry industries since it prolongs the trees' growing season. The extra carbon dioxide taken up in the autumn, in addition to that taken up during the growing season, would also boost their productivity.

Karnosky and a team of international researchers analyzed two years' worth of data on autumnal senescence from forests near Rhinelander, Wisconsin, and Tuscania, Italy; the forests stayed greener longer as carbon dioxide levels rose, irrespective of temperature variations. Because of the brevity of this study, however, they were not able to assess what the longterm effects on mature forests would be or whether other factors, such as higher ozone levels in the troposphere, would cancel out the extra carbon's benefits.

Past studies have demonstrated that higher levels of carbon dioxide are causing tree growth to start earlier in the spring. In the future, more longer term research projects will need to be carried out in these and other forests to determine whether this phenomenon persists and become widespread - and if it significantly affects elevated carbon dioxide levels.

Michael Smith (Veshengro), February 2008