Narrow lock chamber construction

[Derek R.]

12 hours ago, Pluto said:

Post 1914 and the two world wars, all the decent timber in this country had been used, and subsequent agricultural economics did not encourage growing trees for timber. The result is today, this country is sadly lacking in decent home-grown timber.

 

Agreed. Though I think we would have to go back the Elizabethan age when Britain built the 'wooden walls' of fighting ships to see the folly of not re-seeding forests. The French were more astute in that they did re-plant. Current forestal growth in the UK has largely been done by those estates keen to maximise of taxation benefits in producing thousands of acres of softwoods. And of course, our steel industries withered to overseas production. Would that we were able to reduce the political growths that have transpired this past fifty years.

[Tonka]

10 minutes ago, Derek R. said:

Agreed. Though I think we would have to go back the Elizabethan age when Britain built the 'wooden walls' of fighting ships to see the folly of not re-seeding forests. The French were more astute in that they did re-plant. Current forestal growth in the UK has largely been done by those estates keen to maximise of taxation benefits in producing thousands of acres of softwoods. And of course, our steel industries withered to overseas production. Would that we were able to reduce the political growths that have transpired this past fifty years.

I was told when I was at school back in 1976 that there were more trees in Birmingham then in the New Forest.

 

Timber in buildings has got worse because of the way we treat it. For example, we paint it with non breathable paint or we encase it in cement so the wood just goes rotton

[Jen-in-Wellies]

49 minutes ago, Derek R. said:

Agreed. Though I think we would have to go back the Elizabethan age when Britain built the 'wooden walls' of fighting ships to see the folly of not re-seeding forests. The French were more astute in that they did re-plant. Current forestal growth in the UK has largely been done by those estates keen to maximise of taxation benefits in producing thousands of acres of softwoods. And of course, our steel industries withered to overseas production. Would that we were able to reduce the political growths that have transpired this past fifty years.

And there is the Forestry Commission. Originally set up to ensure the UK would never run out of pit props...

Responsible for acres after acre of conifers in regimented rows, with the occasional access track and fire break. They are apparently a little more diverse now and have so far resisted being privatised.

[Ronaldo47]

3 hours ago, Tonka said:

I was told when I was at school back in 1976 that there were more trees in Birmingham then in the New Forest.

 

We normally go through the New Forest via an unclassified road to  Beaulieu, then take the B3054 to get to the Lymington-Yarmouth ferry. The part we go through is indeed mostly devoid of trees, with large areas of rough grass and gorse, providing grazing and shelter for the New Forest ponies and cattle.  Once when the B3054 was closed, we were sent on an equally tree-less lengthy diversion.

Edited March 22 by Ronaldo47
typos

[ditchcrawler]

45 minutes ago, Ronaldo47 said:

We normally go through the New Forest via an unclassified road to  Beaulieu, then take the B3054 to get to the Lymington-Yarmouth ferry. The part we go through is indeed mostly devoid of trees, with large areas of rough grass and gorse, providing grazing and shelter for the New Forest ponies and cattle.  Once when the B3054 was closed, we were sent on an equally tree-less lengthy diversion.

Its quite an area and trees don't seem to get much of a mention." recreational and tourism resource, a means of reducing over-supply of agricultural land, enhancing landscape and wildlife" and nowhere as 18% tree coverage 

 

House of Commons - The National Forest - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (parliament.uk)

[Derek R.]

Looking at Google Earth images of the New Forest area in their recent images, it seems the areas of trees are far greater than those shown around the Birmingham area. Though miles of canals around Birmingham has often been stated as many more than Venice.

[Tim Lewis]

19 minutes ago, Derek R. said:

Looking at Google Earth images of the New Forest area in their recent images, it seems the areas of trees are far greater than those shown around the Birmingham area. Though miles of canals around Birmingham has often been stated as many more than Venice.

 

More miles of canal than Venice – Simon Briercliffe

[Tonka]

12 hours ago, Derek R. said:

Looking at Google Earth images of the New Forest area in their recent images, it seems the areas of trees are far greater than those shown around the Birmingham area. Though miles of canals around Birmingham has often been stated as many more than Venice.

Think you will find Cannock Chase comes under Birmingham 

[Derek R.]

It's 15 miles North of Brum. The New Forest is about 15 miles across in total.

[ditchcrawler]

5 minutes ago, Derek R. said:

It's 15 miles North of Brum. The New Forest is about 15 miles across in total.

[Derek R.]

That's scattered woodland. Might as well include most of England. How large an area are we considering - and does it have a point?

[Ian Mac]

On 22/03/2024 at 11:44, Ronaldo47 said:

We normally go through the New Forest via an unclassified road to  Beaulieu, then take the B3054 to get to the Lymington-Yarmouth ferry. The part we go through is indeed mostly devoid of trees, with large areas of rough grass and gorse, providing grazing and shelter for the New Forest ponies and cattle.  Once when the B3054 was closed, we were sent on an equally tree-less lengthy diversion.

Your taking the meaning of the word forest incorrectly.  It is not Forest as in Snow White, or The Ginger bread house, type of forest ie one full of trees, it is Forest as in an area of land reserved by Royals as a hunting area.

In Norman times a forest then meant a hunting preserve.  Also used by the De-Lacy family, the highest of the Norman Dukes, Norman Williams top mate, who was sent to the north to sort it out after the conquest. A Dukes hunting area technically including the De-Lacy's should have been called Chases - IE Cannock Chase. The Delacys called theirs forests - Forest of Bowland, Forest of Pendle, Forest of Gisburn, Forest of Trawden, Forest of Rossendale.  None of these area's have much tree cover and are mainly high moorland, and have been since sheep were introduced to this country millennium's ago.
Some of these are still part of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Most have a deer park, a fenced enclosure of about 500 acres where deer could be managed. These give rise to names such as Fence, Park Farm etc.

[Tonka]

1 hour ago, Ian Mac said:

Your taking the meaning of the word forest incorrectly.  It is not Forest as in Snow White, or The Ginger bread house, type of forest ie one full of trees, it is Forest as in an area of land reserved by Royals as a hunting area.

In Norman times a forest then meant a hunting preserve.  Also used by the De-Lacy family, the highest of the Norman Dukes, Norman Williams top mate, who was sent to the north to sort it out after the conquest. A Dukes hunting area technically including the De-Lacy's should have been called Chases - IE Cannock Chase. The Delacys called theirs forests - Forest of Bowland, Forest of Pendle, Forest of Gisburn, Forest of Trawden, Forest of Rossendale.  None of these area's have much tree cover and are mainly high moorland, and have been since sheep were introduced to this country millennium's ago.
Some of these are still part of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Most have a deer park, a fenced enclosure of about 500 acres where deer could be managed. These give rise to names such as Fence, Park Farm etc.

But I thought that the New Forest was created to provide timber for ships to be built for the Royal Navy as we were at war 

[Ian Mac]

1 hour ago, Tonka said:

But I thought that the New Forest was created to provide timber for ships to be built for the Royal Navy as we were at war 

The name is far old than that, it was a NEW royal hunting area created by/for William the Conqueror. As royal land it may well have been used to grow more trees when Henry Viii expanded the fleet.
To bring it all back to canals the length of canal going east from Ellesmere is lined with Oaks which were planted to supply the canal Co with timber in the future. Can you image the shouting that harvesting them now would generate.

[TheBiscuits]

2 hours ago, Ian Mac said:

To bring it all back to canals the length of canal going east from Ellesmere is lined with Oaks which were planted to supply the canal Co with timber in the future. Can you image the shouting that harvesting them now would generate.

 

Shows a lack of forward planning these days. 

 

Was it Ely cathedral that when the roof timbers needed replacing the trees in the grounds were the perfect age and size to replace the trusses with?

 

Of course they were subject to tree preservation orders so couldn't actually get used for the exact purpose they had been planted there for ...

[David Mack]

When the decision was made that for rebuilding of Notre Dame after the fire, the new roof would be made of timber, similar to that which was destroyed, they had to source timber from all over France to find enough oak trees of the right size. I wonder what that has done to the price of oak in the country.

Edited March 24 by David Mack

[Jen-in-Wellies]

On 23/03/2024 at 11:40, ditchcrawler said:

 

23 hours ago, Derek R. said:

That's scattered woodland. Might as well include most of England. How large an area are we considering - and does it have a point?

The National Forest, the one north of Brum is more a statement of intent than an actual large area full of trees at the moment. It takes a long time from the decision to plant trees to there being lots of mature trees to look at.

 

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, David Mack said:

When the decision was made that for rebuilding of Notre Dame after the fire, the new roof would be made of timber, similar to that which was destroyed, they had to source timber from all over France to find enough oak trees of the right size. I wonder what that has done to the price of oak in the country.

And also shape