loads of trees being felled around sommerset and new forest area. Some fungus is seeing loads of trees get the chop.

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No no and no

Yes, it's the dreaded "oak sudden death syndrome", or some such. Hate to mention it round here but it has arrived with us from the US. No idea where they caught it from, and I don't think they know, either.

On the minus side, oak ain't used much in guitar building - unless we all want to build Brian May Red Special replicas with that guitar's oak fingerboard.

On the plus side, fungus sometimes leads to excellent spalt type markings in wood. Maybe we'll suddenly start building oak guitars after all!

On the minus side again, I've planted about 25 oak sapplings over the last four years. I want long and happy lives ahead for them!

This is like a game of Good News - Bad News, ain't it?

Cheers - C

Right, there's a fungus among us!!

Very sorry, I'm quite tired right now.

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You dig?

The pest to watch out for is the Emerald Ash borer, a beetle imported from China in 2002. This bug threatens to kill a lot of ash trees. Recently some of the pests were found in central Pennsylvania; the wood was quarantined and pest eradication measures were done.

This will probably raise prices on ash as there will be less trees available or suitable for use.

http://www.emeraldashborer.info/

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2007 Classic Player Baja Telecaster
1991 Strat Ultra
1990 Gibson ES-347
1986 Yamaha SBG2100
1980 Gibson L6-S
1971 Stratocaster
Fender Stage Lead Combo
Marshall MOSFET 100 watt Amp

The nihilist in me says who cares? Chop em down now and take the timber. Some time back i expressed that the same process for genetic modification of vegetables and crop could be used for trees. Its widely stated that trees produce more oxygen in growth than when fully grown. Why no acceleration of tree growth when its 'green policy' is the main stick our goverments use for taxing us. Surely some of that tax money could go into researching GM trees.

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No no and no

Good grief, we're under attack from all sides!

My part of the world we've already lost nearly all our elm trees to Dutch Elm Disease. Now we've got two different pathogens attacking horse chestnut trees - a beetle and some sort of infection that causes the sap to ooze from the bark in bucketloads and kills the tree. And now this emerald ash borer.

Streuth: soon there'll be nothing left but miles of tedious larch and spruce...

Mind you, although Sudden Oak Death (a fungal infection) has arrived it apparently ain't responsible for all the harm being laid at it's door, according to this report:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7263459.stm

Oh well: shortly all the bees will have died out and then, with crops not getting fertilized, so will we. Then nature can get back to happily looking after itself...

- C

Now bees are something i care about. Far better than wasps (the skinhead of the insect world).

Did you know bumblebees have been a protected species for some years now. A £250 fine if your caught squishing one.

Ceri i fear theres little that can be done for our treeline. Time to research a good accelerated growing method.

Imagine mahogany grown in your garden, ready to fell in 10years. And more air for everyone.

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No no and no

Could one of you find a way to make me some sort of mutant Brazilian Rosewood? I've had about enough of this Indian Rosewood crap. Thanks.

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Custom Shop '59 Strat with John Cruz Master Design Pickups
Vibro King
Fulltone Clyde>Deja-Vibe>TS-808>TS-9>Boss Tuner

Oh man - if it comes to that I'd like a very fast growing ebony that produces particularly even black timber and will grow in a temperate northern climate. And I want it soon!

Please...

- C

I'll put my best people on it.

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Custom Shop '59 Strat with John Cruz Master Design Pickups
Vibro King
Fulltone Clyde>Deja-Vibe>TS-808>TS-9>Boss Tuner