Runnable forest

[Jon Brooke]

Down where I live we mostly have pine forest, and whenever the forestry comission chops some down they leave brashings all over the place.

I read somewhere (probably on these very forums) that in scandinavia they clear away all the bits when they chop their trees down.

Why don't we do that in the UK?

And if there's no good reason for not doing it, should we (are we) lobbying to get the FC to keep our forests tidy, at least in the bits best suited to O?

[lincolnsteve]

As a wee budding forester back in the day I too wanted clean forests to run through however the brash left by works in the forest provides good cover for many different species of animals and also as a good source of dead wood for many different types of fungi and such like. By removing all the brashing (as workers used to in the past) you are actually creating a poor enviroment for our fury friends.

There are far more technical reasons too but I can't be doing with searching through all my old notes.

[grubby]

The Russians got it right nearly seven decades ago. . . . . . . . 'Slash and burn !!'

[Gross]

peasant's don't need fuel when they can get the forest brashings to burn:) Better still in Portugal (WMOC 2008 you'll see this) they have lightening fast forests on the coastal dunes... but only because the gorse is regularly harvested and cleared

[badger]

I always thought it was because the brashings put some back nutrients back into the ground for trees of the future when they decomposed.

[Lard]

The brashings are there to stop the public from getting off the paths and tracks - what would happen if everybody could go all through gorgeously cleared forests?! How would you keep the masses under control???!!!

Lard
HR Team Leader for Forestry Commission Scotland

[IanD]

By removing all the brashing you are actually creating a poor environment for our furry friends.

True, but nature would be better served by making small piles of brashings rather than spreading them evenly. This would be better for orienteers too as we could run between the heaps.

[johnloguk]

By removing all the brashing (as workers used to in the past) you are actually creating a poor enviroment for our fury friends.

I have lots of furry friends who orienteer!

[Red Adder]

It isn't just our furry friends - adders enjoy weaving in and out of the brashings - don't half make you jump if your a tad herpaphobic like what
I am.

Given that they slow you down somewhat should we really mark them with a stripey symbol ( the brashing - not the adders).

[mharky]

No.

[ryeland of doom]

[quote="J

Why don't we do that in the UK?

[/quote]

They do in Northern Ireland - or did up to recently.

I remember clean forest floors from my early days in the sport. They were cleared up as it was thought that they were a reservoir for fungal disease (FC did not know about Bramble bashers then). Once it was found out that they could be left, that was one less job to pay for.