Forestry & British Timber articles from January 2006

Forestry & British Timber archives from January 2006

Too much taken for granted?
January 6, 2006... Country music, the remarkable Country singer Hank Wangford used to say, often has tragic themes but a bouncy rhythm, `so you can dance and cry at the same time'. Contemplation of what the poor old Forestry Commission has become induces very...

Italy gives `greys' European dimension.
January 6, 2006... `What we are seeking is a political directive from Brussels forcing member-states to deal with the problem of the invasive grey squirrel'. Andrew Kendall of the European Squirrel Initiative (ESI), was speaking after he and ESI chairman Miles...

Higher and lower.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2006... A mixed message is given by the Forestry Commission about the state of the timber market in its latest price index for Great Britain*. While prices that it realised from sales of its standing coniferous timber rose in the year to September...

Biomass issue heats up at Elgin.
January 6, 2006... When one hundred delegates from 11 European countries gathered for a two-day `Biomass Production - Energy from Forestry and Agriculture' conference staged in Elgin, north-east Scotland late last year they were given an upbeat message by...

Second seal of approval for Crown Estates.
January 6, 2006... For its commitment to sustainable woodland management The Crown Estate has been awarded the 'green seal' of approval by the certifying body SGS Qualifor. In achieving this, The Crown Estate has demonstrated that all of its forested estates...

Wanted: A hundred new woods.(Interview)
January 6, 2006... `This is a chance to create your own bit of woodland within the National Forest at no cost. We provide the trees - you just need to bring enthusiasm and commitment'. Clive Keble, NF Company (NFC) chief officer, was launching a new project in...

Log cabin fits bill at Windsor.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2006... In need of a long-overdue facelift, staff and reception facilities at the Windsor Estate's forestry department headquarters in Swinley Forest near Ascot have recently been improved by a new state-of-the-art log cabin Designed and built by...

Fountains helps Ghana with certification.
January 6, 2006... Delegates from the Ghana Forestry Commission have been visiting the UK to learn more about forestry certification and how it may be implemented for their own timber market. Ghana, in West Africa, is a land of savannah and forest. It is...

Protecting forest ways.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2006... Finding a New Forest home he could afford was vital in Keith Mansbridge's bid to keep alive a centuries-old dynasty. The 21-year-old can trace his `commoning' heritage back to the 1600s. He says that without the offer of an affordable house...

Fungus is the culprit.
January 6, 2006... Pathogenic fungi are the main cause of birch dieback, according to Forestry Commission research. This is revealed in its new information note on the subject, the findings being based on three years of study at native woodland planting sites...

How to attract golden eagles.
January 6, 2006... Creating large, open areas of grassland and moorland linked to other large, open areas is key to encouraging golden eagles to live in new native woodland in Scotland, according to an Information Note* published by the Forestry Commission. ...

UK forest area nears 3m ha.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2006... Worms are used to convert the compost into rich organic fertiliser which produces a high-grade finished product. Twelve thousand hectares (30000 acres) of new woodland were created in the UK in 2004-5. This brings the total afforested area...

The Beast feeds worms.
January 6, 2006... With the capacity to compost some 25000 tonnes of green waste annually, Worm Tech (WT) of Cardiff's Caerwent, Mon composting facility has bought a Bandit 3680 Beast Recycler from BE Recycling Ltd*. Its kerbside collection scheme, calling on...

Fierce bidding at Thirsk.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2006... Eighteen-thousand pounds was realised for Westmoor Woodland when it was auctioned by Iain Skinner of Joplings* at Thirsk, North Yorkshire last November. A Scots pine plantation of some three hectares (7.5 acres), it is located off the...

Ranger sales of Teupen on the up!
January 6, 2006... Following its recent appointment as the sole UK agent for the Teupen range of tracked access platforms from Germany, Ranger Equipment* of Chesterfield reports strong interest in the product and several machines sold, including six Leo 15GT...

Funding for training.
January 6, 2006... A few years back FBT published some articles on chainsaw carving and sculpture courses run by the International Business School, Woodland Training Division (WTD), who at the time were providing chainsaw, arb, and forestry courses for the...

Richmond's `greenest borough' bid.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2006... `The choice of trees has been made for seasonal purposes. We have tried to match the seasons and the locations so that some trees will give spring blossoms and others will give stunning autumn colours'. Richmond, Surrey arboricultural officer...

No, they're not vanishing.
January 6, 2006... `Scotland has more trees and woodland than in the times of Robert the Bruce or William "Braveheart" Wallace over 700 years ago'. Thus, Scottish forestry minister Rhona Brankin commenting on the finding of a new survey which revealed that the...

Well done Peter!(Brief Article)
January 6, 2006... Thanks largely due to the input of Forestry Transport Maintenance (FTM) of Abermule, near Newtown, Powys, sales of Epsilon loaders in Wales and the South West have increased substantially, report its distributors, Outreach Ltd of Falkirk. This...

MARKET REPORT: Slow signs of recovery.(Industry Overview)
January 6, 2006... Markets for the UK timber industry appear to be rather flat at the moment, with a slackening of demand that started in southern parts of the country and steadily worked its way north, writes Martin Pearce. No-one seems quite sure why, but...

Bit of a POSCH do!
January 6, 2006... Steve `Pip' Powell single-handedly processes around 600 tonnes of hardwood annually and delivers logs within a 10-mile radius using his Transit tipper. Steve has supplied firewood for over 20 years and has only ever used two machines, both...

MARKER AIDED SELECTION IN SITKA.
January 6, 2006... Steve J. Lee and Stuart A'Hara of Forest Research* look at the way in which DNA technology is boosting the Sitka spruce breeding programme. The breeding and selection of conifer species in Britain has brought valuable results for the...

The more than OK corrals.
January 6, 2006... Woodchip corrals - an opportunity being missed by farmers and foresters in the South-West? Chris Bow of Working Woodlands* thinks so... A number of cattle, penned in an enclosure floored with huge chips produced from locally grown...

May the 'force be with you.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2006... 'It is fair to say that, in the past, we have not fully capitalised on our design and manufacturing strengths'. Speaker is Richard Morss new managing director for Landforce Ltd* who have been manufacturing woodchippers and shredders from their...

County Spares are coming home.
January 6, 2006... Since the parent company went into liquidation back in 1981 various companies have been involved around the country in supplying County spares to the industry, the most recent being a Wolverhampton-based firm. County Tractor Spares Ltd...

OFFROAD: Pathfinder - on a voyage of discovery.
January 6, 2006... Over recent years Nissan has been transformed by Renault into a very successful motor company producing three-and-a-half million cars a year. The four-wheel-drive market is one of its target sectors and it now has seven off-road vehicles in the...

Restoration through innovative partnership working.
January 6, 2006... 'Biodiversity is in decline on a global scale. Atlantic oak woodland is in decline; can we afford to lose a habitat that supports so many of our native species?' Speaker is Lea Hughes, project ranger, Meirionnydd Oakwoods Habitat...

FOREST PRODUCTS MARKET: A law unto itself.
January 6, 2006... 'For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction+'. If this conjures distant memories of dusty classrooms, ticker-tape machines and slide rules, you may, Simon Oldham, 'Divisional Head - Timber (South), Scottish Woodlands writes,...

FORESTRY INVESTMENT MARKET: Money makes this world go around.
January 6, 2006... It's twenty-one years since 1984. George Orwell's prophetic novel continues, even after all this time, sometimes to chime with modern times in an unnerving way. Big Brother may increasingly be watching us all, but this year in forestry has been...

FTA/CONFOR: Foundations for the future.
January 6, 2006... The year 2006 promises to be a landmark for the forest industry, even a launchpad, writes Jane Karthaus of the Forestry & Timber Association + UKFPA, FTA and ConFor had a productive year, working together on a range of initiatives and...