Woodland owner September 2007: Weather effects

摘要

This favourite of all small-talk topics merits attention after the hot April and very wet months of May and especially June. But I am not going to mention climate change as threatening, indeed potentially catastrophic, as this phenomenon is to all ofus and our futures. The weather, particularly very wet weather, affects work in woods and their care and management for the small owner as much as for the large forest estate. The first issue is health and safety. While one can wear warm waterproof clothing and tough, thick-soled boots to ward off the effects of exposure, the dangers of accidents when working in the wet are multiplied many times. This is particularly so for the small owner relying on hand tools or motor manual operations such as chainsaws, clearing saws and hedge trimmers. The risk of slipping, of poor grip, of obscured vision, or the sudden unpleasant dowsing all add to the hazards wet weather brings. So, when there is a choice, work in the dry. It is perhaps obvious, but nonethelessworth remembering.