Re: OT: America

What's your name, Vamp?

Health and Safety Executive.

So, does it only apply to the UK then or the whole EU? I'm thinking UK only, but just to be sure, I always like to learn new things :-)

UK, as the

website address implies. Other countries have their own equivalents, but no idea what they are.

So, assuming I was reading right, and Conor did mean the UK, the Finland references from, erm, whoever posted that heh, were a bit random?

yes i might even change it from Vamp to Health and Safety Executive

Not everything, just some things.

Yup! I had it on series link too, but it got deleted after the first two episodes. And that one of the guys in the Melvin Lardy gang (haw haw) seemed to have a Prusian Blue t-shirt on, which made me laugh in a wrong way.

I've been to that part of the world (on holiday, not work related) - Astoria, Oregon. It's also where The Goonies was filmed (hence the holiday!).

Which bit is the environmental f*ck up? If you mean the burning (but it'd be a stretch to think you would), then it's due to the need of certain trees to endure a fire to germinate properly (in case anyone else was wondering).

Clearfelling large areas isn't brilliant, due a) massive disturbance and b) soil erosion. Fire again isn't brilliant for the soil as, if it's intense enough, it knackers all the microbial processes in the soil, removes all invertebrates etc. Really, mountain sides aren't a good place to have a forestry operation - they'd otherwise be pretty much disturbance free wilderness areas. OTOH I've no idea of whether anything in the US would bother living there. Carry on for long enough and you're likely to end up with a completely bare mountain.

Forestry as a whole isn't a brilliant process in ecological terms, but then neither is any large scale form of agriculture. I'm not in forestry so I've no idea how an american "road" would compare to a typical european compartment size, or of any of the ins and outs of it...

shouldn't that be 5 pence worth? surely the way things are you opinion is worth less, or maybe we owe you 20p? now i'm just confusing myself

I see, yes, I agree that clearing mountainsides isn't great for soil erosion, but the fires on a small scale aren't anything to worry about

- even if the sections were scorched sterile, they'd not be like that for long. Also, the erosion can be combated by planting grasses (or more likely by not disturbing the grasses which will find their way there anyway). But it is true, having a properly managed 'tree farm' a- la Finland in a more suitable location is preferable. Mind you, I think in the Axe Men show mentioned, the biggest hill-side clearance was a clear-up due to a storm (could be wrong though).

Well, I know not to stand on the wrong side of a falling tree and when using a chainsaw amongst other protective gear you need chaimmail trousers.

Well, there's probably taxes to take account of, and other financial / things/. But you're more than welcome to give me 20p!