MCW
Somebody's talking crap here & it ain't the tree!
Just a quick update on what I've been up to or lack thereof
Haven't done any more felling as I am waiting on what the corporate farm wants to do in regard to using a non caged excavator to push improperly cut trees over. I spoke to the main manager and the farm's project manager about some of the felling procedures an employee on this property that I mentioned is using and am yet to hear back. They are downright dangerous practices and comes back to the old saying that the only thing more dangerous than someone who doesn't know what they're doing is somebody who "THINKS" they know what they're doing.
One thing I have done though is enrolled for my felling ticket with a Forestry training group. I am going to do the following courses as they become available as they are done in groups of four trainees...
FPIHAR2202A Harvest trees manually (Basic) « Logging Investigation and Training Association Inc.
FPIHAR3202A Harvest trees manually (Intermediate) « Logging Investigation and Training Association Inc.
FPIHAR3212A Harvest trees manually (Advanced) « Logging Investigation and Training Association Inc.
Some people may ask why as I have no intention of working in forestry but to me it is quite simply the experience at the hands of proper trainers. I was speaking to Andy Cusack who is the manager of the training organisation and he was an extremely interesting guy to talk to ( Staff Profiles « Logging Investigation and Training Association Inc. ). He was also very keen to see guys that are interested yet not intending to work in forestry.
The basic course involves trees around 24", the intermediate course involves trees up to about 40", and the advanced course involves trees over that size. He was pretty quick to ask what experience I had and was very interested to hear what I've been up to. We were on the phone for quite a while. Unlike the large tree felling course I did in my area I will actually learn a lot from these instructors, unlike the local course I did where I knew far more than the instructor did.
You do need your basic chainsaw competency certificate which I already have and it isn't really cheap. All up the 3 x 3 day courses will exceed $3000 in fees alone (not including accomodation and meals etc as the courses are held anywhere from 3-5 hours away from where I live). The closest forestry to me where accreditation like this can be used is in the Adelaide Hills about 3 hours away. These are basically all softwood Pinus radiata plantations, mostly mechanised.
The basic course can be run in the Adelaide Hills (3 hours away) and the intermediate and advanced courses are run down around Mount Gambier in the south east of South Australia which is about 5 hours away.
I'm really looking forward to it.
I'll also be doing a fair bit of milling over the next few months so will get some photos of that too. All Redgum.
I stuck my foot in my mouth today as I was in at the chemist's and I heard him asking a fellow customer whether he knows anybody that does milling locally. I came over afterwards and said I have a mill and can do up to about 52" and asked what he intended to mill? He said he has a pile of old Box fence strainer posts at home and his wife wants them milled so he can make a table out of it for her...
I might as well have volunteered to mill some concrete posts as not only are these things as tough as steel, but also full of sand. I think I'll have to bail...
Haven't done any more felling as I am waiting on what the corporate farm wants to do in regard to using a non caged excavator to push improperly cut trees over. I spoke to the main manager and the farm's project manager about some of the felling procedures an employee on this property that I mentioned is using and am yet to hear back. They are downright dangerous practices and comes back to the old saying that the only thing more dangerous than someone who doesn't know what they're doing is somebody who "THINKS" they know what they're doing.
One thing I have done though is enrolled for my felling ticket with a Forestry training group. I am going to do the following courses as they become available as they are done in groups of four trainees...
FPIHAR2202A Harvest trees manually (Basic) « Logging Investigation and Training Association Inc.
FPIHAR3202A Harvest trees manually (Intermediate) « Logging Investigation and Training Association Inc.
FPIHAR3212A Harvest trees manually (Advanced) « Logging Investigation and Training Association Inc.
Some people may ask why as I have no intention of working in forestry but to me it is quite simply the experience at the hands of proper trainers. I was speaking to Andy Cusack who is the manager of the training organisation and he was an extremely interesting guy to talk to ( Staff Profiles « Logging Investigation and Training Association Inc. ). He was also very keen to see guys that are interested yet not intending to work in forestry.
The basic course involves trees around 24", the intermediate course involves trees up to about 40", and the advanced course involves trees over that size. He was pretty quick to ask what experience I had and was very interested to hear what I've been up to. We were on the phone for quite a while. Unlike the large tree felling course I did in my area I will actually learn a lot from these instructors, unlike the local course I did where I knew far more than the instructor did.
You do need your basic chainsaw competency certificate which I already have and it isn't really cheap. All up the 3 x 3 day courses will exceed $3000 in fees alone (not including accomodation and meals etc as the courses are held anywhere from 3-5 hours away from where I live). The closest forestry to me where accreditation like this can be used is in the Adelaide Hills about 3 hours away. These are basically all softwood Pinus radiata plantations, mostly mechanised.
The basic course can be run in the Adelaide Hills (3 hours away) and the intermediate and advanced courses are run down around Mount Gambier in the south east of South Australia which is about 5 hours away.
I'm really looking forward to it.
I'll also be doing a fair bit of milling over the next few months so will get some photos of that too. All Redgum.
I stuck my foot in my mouth today as I was in at the chemist's and I heard him asking a fellow customer whether he knows anybody that does milling locally. I came over afterwards and said I have a mill and can do up to about 52" and asked what he intended to mill? He said he has a pile of old Box fence strainer posts at home and his wife wants them milled so he can make a table out of it for her...
I might as well have volunteered to mill some concrete posts as not only are these things as tough as steel, but also full of sand. I think I'll have to bail...