Climbing larch trees for cone collection
The image is from a collection of slides and photographs ‘rescued from the skip’ and handed to Forestry Memories. Generally very little information with or about them and for details we will have to rely on readers’ memories or geographical knowledge.
Very similar image to that which appeared in a Forestry Commission publication at one time. The gentleman on the tree is using a tree bicycle, the steel bands of which can just be seen. He would have to cut all dead branches off as he progressed up the stem and at the first live branch that would support his weight, park his bicycle, fix a safety strop and proceed by holding on and stepping on branches.
Larch and Douglas fir trees were difficult trees to judge for safe climbing as branches were quite brittle. An expensive slow task in its day but if the best quality trees were to be planted in the future this was one of the ways of ensuring quality seedlings from quality parent trees. Over time seed banks or stands were planted and the higher growing trees pruned for safer and easier cone picking or were accessed via lift platforms.
Location and people are unknown.
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Groups: Forestry in Action, Mystery and unknown