Felling roadside trees and selling fire wood

49801

Have a lot of tree here on roadside and on internal fences.
The trees but the roadside are potential hazards if fall during high winds etc.
Also have a lot of tree on internal fences that are robbing sunlight from the fields.

Been toying with the idea of starting to fell them and set up a small firewood business.
Hard work I know but could make a few pound and improve fields, safety on roads etc.

Just wondering what regulations I need to be wary of... Felling licence
Any implications for SPF or reps4

Cheers

Oldtree

yes need felling licence:

http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/forestservice/treefelling/

probably a limited licence, its easy to apply for just fill out form and map of area and then a visit from the man in the minestry and off you go.

There well may be conditions in your SPF or reps4 about what you vcan do and when, ie during winter and outside of bird nesting seasons. Speak to your advisor to make sure you dont lose out.

With regard to the internal fields and the robbing of light and presumably decreasing the grass content of the field, recent studies done in the UK (which I cant lay my hands on just now) show that trees along the boundry allow shelter for the stock and this lead to increased weight gain, as against no shelter. Additionally the shed leaf detritus improves the soil with the addition of organic matter and a small amount of nutrients brought up by the trees roots not normally available to the fields surface soil.

I aspect to consider is that when the trees are felled you allow the stumps to regrow with a view to coppicing at a later date or the manage these stumps into a hedgerow.

I think you should also consider the ecological value of the existing mature trees.

If you intend a small business than you also need to think about replanting in a sustainable manner, what happens when you run out of your own trees, fell all the trees in the area or buy lorry loads from coillte?

ford2600

Oldtree made a lot of sense. Just a few points
1. if trees are a potential danger to property or road users, knock and forget about licence.
2. If growth is affected underneath or makes it hard to cut to edge of field due to branches, just cut the offending branches
3. Tree on boundary make a field.
4. Defiently keep where cattle shelter.
5. Don't knock trees unless you know what your doing
6. If you have nice oak, holly, beech etc I'll shoot you myself for cutting them
7. If you want to thin out a few light trees that might help a btter tree grow, work away. Technically you need a licence, but I've only ever got one for thinning wood.

8. Selling firewood is a hard way to make money, too many lads being paid not to work, cutting and selling wood that went missing on way to mill...

49801 wrote: »

Have a lot of tree here on roadside and on internal fences.
The trees but the roadside are potential hazards if fall during high winds etc.
Also have a lot of tree on internal fences that are robbing sunlight from the fields.

Been toying with the idea of starting to fell them and set up a small firewood business.
Hard work I know but could make a few pound and improve fields, safety on roads etc.

Just wondering what regulations I need to be wary of... Felling licence
Any implications for SPF or reps4

Cheers

treefan

Following on, would be better idea to just thin/prune boundary trees; they would have taken decades to grow; just felling them goes against what farmers should be doing to protect the countryside not only for today but the future..

49801

treefan wrote: »

Following on, would be better idea to just thin/prune boundary trees; they would have taken decades to grow; just felling them goes against what farmers should be doing to protect the countryside not only for today but the future..

Thanks
Not talking about clear felling the Place just sorting it out
Lots of them are choked with ivy... Damaging stone walls and boundries. Danger to buildings/roads.
I would be leaving good ones here and there

I do value the shelter provided to stock. But on the other side the shade being created on cropped ground is having a big affect on yield! just the balance has too far really
Would intend on laying regrowth for hedges in the future etc
My intentions would be tasteful and inline with reps etc to maitaIn the flora and fauna
It's just that there is a lot of them!

Just toying with the idea really and curious if a licence needed to fell/sell firewood. There is a plantation of Ash here so thinnings would be there in time to come but that's totally different scenario

Oldtree

You would be suprised at the amount of light that just removing the ivy can let in. Its a devil to get rid of so I just do a maintainance job on the trees every 4-5 years. At the base of the tree, do not damage the bark, cut ivy with a handsaw or hand axe (not a chainsaw) and remove at least 10-12 inches of it all round, as it can reattatch to itself on a smaller distance. This will kill the ivy in the tree letting in a huge amount of light but it will regrow over time, still the cattle love it in winter. I leave the ivy to wither in the tree.

Defining what is a dangerous tree is best left to a professional. You leave yourself open to being taken to task by the department if you cannot prove that a tree was dangerous that you felled, therefore better to get a licence than to take a chance, explaining to the inspector what you want to do.