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June 7th 2026

Yesterday Dave drew my attention to a large branch of ask hanging from another tree, both now hovering above the track further east.

Today I managed to remove some smaller branches and then tried to pull the ask down via a rope. This wasn't working but as an alternative to asking Dave to use his tractor I decide to cut through the tree the ash was resting on.

I thought as I sawed through there would be a cracking noise and I could stop, get out of the way and maybe try pulling again. But after only cutting at most 19mm through the top of the bend branch, there was a huge crack and they both fell to the ground. Luckily they fell away from me �

So Next job is to used the chainsaw to remove both. June 9th ✅

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March 13th 2025:

Dave King drew my attention to an ash, that if fell would crash into one of his greenhouses. The first job was to clear adjacent trees that leant towards the △ to clear a path for the ash to be pulled back and felled in the △

Diary 2025

• March 30th
  Felled a 'smallish ash' to make way for a large 'sycamore'. There is a large ash to be felled to clear space for the overhanging ash which is to be pulled back to the △.
  Cleared a small amount of hornbeams brush and a half dozen or so logs.
• March 31st
  Clearing the felled hornbeams, slowly . . . April 17th . . .

Diary 2026

March 19th
Have tied the overhanging branch to two trees to help guide it when it falls and clearing space and putting up 'longer' ladder .

March 20th
10:45 Cleared a blocking 4.5" sycamore and raised two parts of the three part ladder.

March 21st
Lopped the two main branches, the larger got stuck in a fork.

Cleared the smaller limb, downed the larger from the fork and trimmed the branches off, and took down the ladder. So tomorrow the idea is to fell the main trunk on to the larger limb. The idea is that this will keep it off the ground a bit, if it falls as hoped, making it easier to saw the trunk for removal.

Damage the top rung of the 'top' ladder. Not sure how but the ladder was tied tight to the tree at the very top and it could be that in feeling the large limb it split and pulled huge pressure on the ladder. A bit crazy of me as I was still standing on the ladder.

March 22nd:
Took down the main trunk and another overhanging ash branch a meter or so tot the north

Logged up all but one piece. Dave King used the tractor and bucket four times to move the logs. Largely as otherwise my repeated walking back and fro carrying the logs would provoke Scoobie, the alsation, to jump and get aggressive.
The tractor turned up a bit of the track but not the △

March 23rd:
Sawed and removed the remaining part of the trunk and cleaned up the ground around. ✅

March 28th: Removing previously felled hornbeam.

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The trustees and beneficiaries have a duty to maintain the track and as I reside here it's understandable that I have done the work since June 1993. Although I only walk the track there are occasions when I have visitors who use cars and there was the postman who drove, possibly on average, weekly on my behalf no longer delivers.
Every year I spend two or three days making improvements; the jobs include

• Cutting back the trees, hedges, verges as well as the central grass on the lower parts.
• Clearing channels down the lower half of the track; one down the centre of the track from the caravan upwards and one from the wagon down to the lower drain.
• Clearing three cross-track drains to limit down-track flow: One at the top, one halfway down and one just past the triangle field entrance.
• Levelling parts of the track

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2026

• Feb 2nd: Felled a dead ash that was opposite nutter's corrugated shed. It had been blow over by the wind and was supported by intertwining branches aloft on two other trees. It was some 19ft tall and about 8" at soil. Very dead with very few top branches so a little surprised it entangled itself aloft. Still those few branches had some strength as it did not fall even after the first fell from some 6ft and another couple of 3 to 4 ft logs sawn. It took a strong pushing and shoving to break the aloft entanglement even though the tree trunk have been taken some 12ft to the ground.
• Feb 3rd: Brought some of the wood down for burning. Intend to bring it all down over the next few days.
• Feb 4th: Brought all but one log down from the above, but as the weather was fine felled another 6 trees. One sycamore that had decayed top and was in the path of a large ash. Altogether five ash but two were only (4.5 to 6)" wide.
  

  

• Feb 24~25th: gathered up a couple of barrows of slop/leaf debris on track from △ to TG
• Mar 4th: Felled three more ash into the field to fell two 45ft sycamore.
  

  

  

• May 29th: Mowed track down to Trekensa
• May 30th: Used Makita brushcutter Cleared from top to △
• June 7th: Used Makita brushcutter with strimmer to cut back hedges to Trekensa gardens

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2025

• Dec 19th: More work on washed down ballast and drain clearance.
• Nov ##th: Twice cleared the drain and worked over track surface as rain had blocked channels with leaves and torrents had washed down ballast.
• Oct 8th: Cut down a few small (dead elm) trees at the corner of the △ that were overhanging the lane.
• Aug 6th: Cleared majority of track to TG with GM brushcutter
• June 9th: Cleared edges from gate down to TG with GM brushcutter
• June 2nd: Hand mowed the track.
• Clearing track from top to △ for 3.2m high Luton delivery on 21st May
• June 14th: Cleared the three drainage cuttings on the track.
• May 17th: Cleared overhanging branches up to the railway crossing, and the verges and some bushy overhangs with brushcutter. ✅
• May 16th: Cleared overhanging branches from gate up to the tap and cleared the verges with Gavin's brushcutter.
• May 16th: Cleared overhanging branches from gate to Also sawn large logs form Ash and removed to stash.
• May 15th: Cleared overhanging branches down from gate to △ and up some 50 as on the 11th
• May 11th: Cleared overhanging branches from △ up to 50m beyond ELF Gate

Thought I keep a log of all work ~ 20 to 30 minute jobs.

• May 14th: Dave King used his brushcutter to clear from △ to Trekensa
• March ~ April Have mowed down to Trekensa a couple of times

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2024

Log of 20 to 30 minute jobs.

• Nov 24th: Cleared the three drains and the track from fallen ivy and branches from storm Bert :)
• Sept 20th: Mowed track to Trekensa
  

  

• Sept 20th: Spent an hour cutting hedgerow trees, mostly hazel.
  

  

  
  

  

  
  e 23rd: Mowed the track to Trekensa and sickle cut the verges
• June 21st: Cleared lower drain by △
• June 18th: Used sickle to clear area for bins and centre of track UP
• June 17th: Used sickle to clear verges UP and top drain
• June 16th: Cleared the verges to the △ with the strimmer
  

  

• June 15th: Used long hook to clear worst of verge to Trekensa
• May 31st: Mowed track down to Trekensa
• May 22nd: Cleared the lower drain on the track which was surprising arduous. Must have been a large build up of debris an mud since I last checked. I notice it wasn't working during the last thunderstorm where water was pourng down the track to Trekensa.
• May 19th: Mowed track down to Trekensa
• May 10th: Mowed track down to Trekensa
• May 8th: Use brushcutter to clear the dog-leg by Trekensa
• May 3rd: Mowed track down to Trekensa
• April 22nd: Mowed track down to Trekensa
• April 15th: Mowed track down to Trekensa
• April 6th: Mowed track down to Trekensa

Stihl FS 460 | Diary for 2025 | Makita Brushcutter

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Clear the bund, especially the north, before mid~May each year.

2026

March 18th The orange plastic latch on the harness snapped off.

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Diary of Use

• May 5th Cleared across the north marsh and the bund from the far north to the breach in [A2}. It was very difficult getting from marsh breach back up to the bund of [A2} so an alternative route is being considered.

Total: 2 tank(s) (1.5Lt)