So there goes another APF show. We spend weeks in the run up to a show planning, organizing, late nights and last-minute panics but the actual thing itself passes in a flash. This year’s show seemed a bit odd; we’re told visitor numbers were high but when I did get chance to have a walk around it seemed quiet, particularly on Thursday and Saturday, so who knows? On the FCA stand itself we had a lot of good engagement with both members and others so thanks to all those that popped by for a chat and a go at one of the competitions (more on that later).
We are asked now and again, and not just at the various shows we attend, who are you guys and what do you do? I think we do a lot, certainly some of the services we offer you won’t find anywhere else, but that is no reason to sit on our laurels and feel smug. We are always looking to add to what we provide. Another thing we are often asked is – my customers want health and safety paperwork, where can I find it? We have finally been able to answer that question; you can find it in the members login area of the FCA website. You may have seen articles in the FCA News, Forestry Journal and social media about our new partnership with H&S consultants Spot On Safety. You can read all about that here https://spotonsafety.uk/partners/. We officially launched this partnership at the show and the response to it has been overwhelmingly positive. It was great to have Greg Tickner from SOS on the stand with us for the three days to answer questions and explain a bit about what we are offering. I believe this is one of the most important benefits we have, especially so for those young guys just starting out.
Also on the topic of safety we had a copy of Euroforest’s new ash dieback guidance complete with the chainsaw specific appendix that Simon Bowes has written in collaboration with Simon Wallis, Euroforest’s Compliance Manager. This is a very important piece of work as currently there is nothing that specifically caters for operators felling ash suffering from dieback, and because this is such an important document it has been agreed that it will be made accessible to all. Follow this link to read the full document https://www.fcauk.com/ash-dieback-operator-guidance/
As ever the chainsaw competition drew in a lot of people willing to try their luck to win a shiny new Husqvarna 550. The task was to match the picture of the saw to the picture of the owner – pure guesswork but with a little lateral thinking do-able. Lost count of the amount of people asking me what my favorite saw is! This year we decided to expand to three competitions instead of one and the new ones proved as popular as the chainsaw. The tree ID competition got a few heads scratching – there was a tricky one in there but you didn’t think we’d make it that easy did you? Finally the competition to see who could assemble a chainsaw chain model was definitely very competitive and there was some very fast times too.
Answers & Winners;
Chainsaw Competition
A – 5, B – 4, C – 2, D – 1, E – 3
1st prize – Joanne Davidson, 2nd prize – Rory Gill, 3rd prize – Ben Dunford-Leece
Tree ID
1 – Coastal Redwood, 2 – Whitebeam, 3 – Colorado Blue Spruce, 4 – Tulip Tree
1st prize – Elliot Case, 2nd prize – Jake Turner, 3rd prize – Chris Mousdale
Chain model
Fastest time on Thursday – Lawrence Greensdale, Somerset with 1 min 30 secs
Fastest time on Friday – Bryn Evans, N Wales with 44 seconds
Fastest time on Saturday – Robert Weir, Stirling with 50 seconds
Huge thanks to the businesses that supplied the prizes; Steam and Moorland in Pickering, N. Yorks supplied the chainsaw, John MacNally in Inverness the helmet, Highland Industrial Supplies, Inverness, the chainsaw boots and Chris Forestry in Ammanford, Camarthenshire for the planting kit, vouchers and sharpening kits.
I was invited by Tim Cumine, chairman of National Coppice Federation, to participate in a panel discussion in the Forest Workers Zone on the subject of training and skills. Also on the panel were representatives of the Forestry Commission, Land Workers Alliance and FISA. We discussed the barriers, as we see them, what we think the solutions can be and what each organization is doing to help, particularly to attract young people into the industry. Training is a complicated topic which won’t be solved in a two-hour discussion at a trade show, but it was interesting to hear the other people’s views on the subject. In broad terms I think there was agreement that it isn’t good enough and there are huge barriers to getting people from rookie to competent. My personal view is that this is not simply a training issue but part of a broader problem with a continued lack of investment, particularly in people working on the tools. I think the most striking thing about the whole discussion was that we were preaching to the converted; this is a message that needs to get to those that have the power to do something about it.
Overall the show was a success for the FCA insofar as the new benefits we’ve launched, particularly the partnership with Spot On Safety, have been very well received and it’s always good to talk face-to-face with our members; an increasing rare thing nowadays with the busy lives we all lead. As for the show itself, I’m not so sure. Certainly some of the contractors I’ve spoken to in the last few days were disappointed with what’s on offer; the lack of a demo area was high on the list of things people wanted to see. As one guy said to me “great show if you like chippers”. I only live an hour from the show site and I only saw a couple of people I know from home and there were very few northern or Scottish accents. I wonder if that’s a reflection on the industry as a whole? It would be interesting to find out. Considering it is the biggest forestry show in the country and only every two years it is concerning that none of the ministers with forestry in their remit managed to attend. That seems an opportunity missed.
I’ll end by saying many thanks to the people that came to say hello and chat and especially to Greg Tickner at Spot on Safety https://spotonsafety.uk/ for giving his time over the three days.