The Great Tree Take away (Tom aged 9)

The advantage (some would argue!) of living in the lakes is that we are never short of visitors.  Earlier this year while out walking with my nephew Tom we visited Skelwith Force only to find one of our oak trees had fallen into the river and got jammed in the waterfall.

Oak tree in Skelwith Force

Tom had been asking what a NT woodland ranger does and after a long and probably quite dull explanation I showed him the tree in the waterfal and said that part of my job was to fill in a job sheet for the forestry team telling the what needed doing and what equipment I thought they would need.

Can I do one? he asked.
Yes but you need lots of detail, saftey equipment, tools, hazards, environmental protection etc etc. 
Can it have pictures?
Yes
Will the forestry team do as I ask?
Yes of course you'e the new woodland ranger.......

 

  

Toms job sheet for the team

I thought it was quite funny when I handed the sheets to the team untill they pointed out the drawing had me in the canoe!   There seems to be a helicopter involved somewhere too.

I also like the way he told the team about the cake shop next door which didn't sell bacon cobs!

Anyway it all worked out fine, the team managed to cut the tree up a bit and pull the bits out of the river (with the tractor winch not bits of rope like it says on the job sheet) and into our wodland where they will be left to rot down.

Phil and Martin preparing the tree

 Martin cutting part of the tree

Watching as the tree is wiched downstream

Richard Tanner

South Lakes Wodland Ranger