eh, its OUR land! FC are custodians of the land on behalf of the government(s), they most definitely do not own it.

No it’s private land owned or leased by the governement in much the same way huge areas of the countryside are managed by the MOD (which is often restricted). The FC remit was originally to make sure we didn’t suffer another timber shortage like the one in the first world war.

That remit has (quite properly) expanded to include a leisure remit. We are however only one aspect of the leisure users. If a blind eye is turned to cheeky building that’s very much down to local staff, upsetting them isn’t going to help the cause. Where the trail centres are springing up (Gisburn for example) the local forestry team intialy worked very hard to get it up and running with little direct support from the FC as a whole (something that is now rapidly changing).

Timber prices have also recently gone up, last year was a bit of bumper harvest for the FC which is why so much has been felled recently.

forestry commission thug…?

no, as has been suggested above – it’s just some silly sod with a camera.

Wonder what else he got for christmas except a camera, he probably wanted Viagra, as he is a small prick

“quick to listen, slow to judge”

Surprised by some of the comments on here. Ok, so getting fed up with video vigilantes but this guy starts politely enough. Should have know when to back off – not going to stop me riding my bike etc. That was the main error.

But FC worker also a tosser trying to intimidate.

No winners in the end though!

and it’s also been cut just before the fella gets really angry, wonder what he said?

hopefully the guy wont lose his job due to some up himself little tosspot looking to be the next pootube video hero

1. Be born a knob.
2. Go out biking and start asking FC workers dumb questions.
3. Carry on for 10 minutes asking them dumb questions.
4. One of them gets fed up of you being a moron whilst they’re probably trying to get some work done and ‘helps you on your way’.
5. Go back home, upload video to computer, edit out the middle 9 minutes where you’re pissing the guys off soo much they’re on the verge of snapping so all viewers see is a question being asked and a FC worker nudging you a bit.
6. Put on youtube and are dumbfounded when people start slagging you off.

The key thing I took away from the video is that he was riding on his own. Something I suspect he does a lot.

Wow – that is some list of assumptions?

But agree with final conclusion 😉

I suspect he probably drove home in an Audi/Merc/BMW to a new’ish build house he shares with… erm, nobody.

Want me to continue?

where he ate a finest range ready meal for 1 before going upstairs for a master-cry…

Nah, just becomes a list of prejudices.

Always the ones with cameras that get hassle.

That might be because they’re the only ones documenting it…

I agree the rider acted like a knob but the FC worker physically pushing him and his bike when not himself provoked in any physical manner is just not on.

[My only gripe with harvesting is when all the brushwood isn’t removed on clear fell, leaves hell of a mess.]

Difficult to remove it – a lot of it is needed to keep the machines up (on wet sites) and until recently there wasn’t a market. There is now a developing market for it as biomass – heat & power plants, so an increasing number of sites have the brash removed, which loks a lot better.

The timber should currently have a high value to us taxpayers, but when has a state owned organisation been best placed to realise financial value……

Video has now been taken off UTUBEs….

Well, in the spirit of making assumptions, was the video done by one of our forum? Who would have thought such a massive knob could possibly be a member of STW…..

he FC worker physically pushing him and his bike when not himself provoked in any physical manner is just not on

I think the twit on the bike was lucky to get off so lightly.. I’m not a violent type myself but many blokes are..

we had some FC thinning work done locally, looked like a panzer division had been through by the time they had finished. It’s still such an eyesore that the previously popular resurfaced bridlepath through the area is now overgrown and unused a year later. Mind you always found fc staff friendly even when i’ve been where i shouldn’t

hopefully the guy wont lose his job due to some up himself little tosspot looking to be the next pootube video hero

HR will send his as down the river …..

The Video maker also had it posted on this Mpora page

http://82.197.69.8/rydersmtb/

Also seems to have been taken down.

Can’t see the vid in the link for some reason.

What’s the title so I can search for it. Sounds funny

I love camera wearing trouble searchers 😉

nealglover – Member
Can’t see the vid in the link for some reason.

What’s the title so I can search for it. Sounds funny

stumpyjon – Member
Video has now been taken off UTUBEs….

zangolin – Member
The Video maker also had it posted on this Mpora page

http://82.197.69.8/rydersmtb/

Also seems to have been taken down.

HTH 🙂

I’m guessing he is from ‘ere as the YouTube vid said “as seen on stw”. Also noticed yesterday someone claiming to be from the fc saying they were shocked at the workers behaviour. Looks like an out of YouTube settlement has been reached.

AS an aside I thought the brash was left so as it rotted down the nutrients went back into the soil?

He is certainly a member on here… quite quiet on this thread though, eh?

>No it’s private land owned or leased by the governement<

On behalf of the nation….

There are some very compelling reasons for getting ‘our land’ out of the clutches of successive Ministers and quite posibly the FC for that matter:

The Future of English State Forestry

As for the OP the guy with the camera is clearly a knob but the FC guy handled it very badly for someone in the front line.

the FC guy handled it very badly for someone in the front line amenably for a labourer simply trying to get a cold and miserable job done.

FTFY

Balls to your fix. He didnt handle the situation amenably at all – quite the reverse.

That much is obvious Heatherbash..

I think what I’m insinuating is that the FC guy isn’t ‘on a front line’ but far from it.. quite the opposite in fact.. he’s very likely a heavy plant operator.. not a maitre d’

although it is certainly true to say that he’s at his cold wet place of work.. following instructions and being confronted by a rude and persistent wally..

I’ve seen fine upstanding hardworking blokes lose their patience far more dramatically with less provocation..

Not seen the video, but most people lose the rag because it’s simply the last straw. Maybe he’d had a load of other arseholes having a go at him all week, or he’s having problems at home, or just found out he’s about to be laid off, or thinking about how badly paid forestry work is… then some self-important twunt pushes his buttons and BOOM! Carnage 😉

He is certainly a member on here… quite quiet on this thread though, eh?

Enlighten us!

>No it’s private land owned or leased by the governement<

On behalf of the nation….

Still doesn’t mean we have any right of access to to it. The government owns large numbers of buildings but you wouldn’t expect to use one of those whenever you felt like. There’s a very big difference between being owned by the government and open for access.

It’s a tree factory. You wouldn’t expect unlimited access to ride your bike through a car factory, even if it was publically owned. And if you tried, you’d not be too shocked to have a factory worker boot you up the arse.

http://singletrackworld.com/2012/01/forestry-commission-announce-investigation-into-assault-video/

Lifted from larger quote by FC spokesperson:

Good relations with visitors to our forests – and, indeed, their safety – are extremely important to us.

Good grief. 😐

Someone should point the Commission to this thread, to emphasise that these forest visitors, who One would think likely side with the cyclist, actually think he’s a MAHOOSIVE bell-end and does us no favours at all.

I ride Wentwood all the time. And never had a problem with Forestry Workers often stop and chat and all have been cool.

Never saw the video, so cant really comment.

I built and riden 🙂 and lost 🙁 many trails in Wentwood. But thats just part of our game IMO.

The NEW Trail will be better. However, I never really got over losing the “Lost Trail” over Gray Hill way :-(.

+1 for rusty

+another for Rusty.

On the front page now as well;

Forestry Commission announce investigation into ‘assault’ video

+1 for rusty..
mtb bell end IMO

edit: and name and shame the bell end please…stw pitchforks at the ready 😆

Came here via the ST front page too…

Expenditure :
Harvesting and haulage 41.2
Recreation, etc 56.0
Other 58.1

Income :
Timber 77.4
Recreation, etc 18.7
Other 23.0

Agree with all the comments about the provocation of camera boy, but as an aside I found these figures interesting, especially the difference between what the FC spend on supporting recreation as opposed to what they get back from car park fees, etc etc…

AS an aside I thought the brash was left so as it rotted down the nutrients went back into the soil?

The brash is left until most of the needles have fallen off as they contain most of the nutrients. Also the income from the brash is greater than the cost of applying fertliser.

The timber income acheived by FC for it’s clients (us) is far less than the private sector acheives for it’s clients

Leaving brash also fulfils the requirements of FSC accreditation to leave ‘x’ amount of wood on site for habitat. With bio fuel power stations, it’s now quite easy to sell the brash if you have a baler, but FSC/UKWAS accreditation is still valued.

The clear up is also more likely to fall to a different team/contractor to the felling. If the site is replanted the brash will probably be rowed up and if you are lucky, you will find that brash mats would have been built over trails to protect them during harvesting.

FC timber fetches lower prices as the standard tends to be lower than private estates. They also conatin a lot of Larch which is getting crap prices right now due to Phytopthora ramorum flooding the market with the stuff.

Not seen the video due to it being pulled, but one of our biggest problems at work is numpties coming through barrier tape and onto site, just because you can’t see us or a big machine, doesn’t mean there isn’t a tree flying your way or hanging over your head.

I know one contractor that works over that way, but he isn’t a patient man and this guy would’ve had a lot of shots of his intestines.

And remember, trees are a crop, like wheat, just a bit slower.