h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Random,

People here (Canada) don't believe me when I tell them about the noise laws in Germany (no mowing of lawns in the lunch hour, Sundays, etc. etc.) I live in a town some of the time and really wish we had similar laws here.

About using the chain saw. That's good advice to examine how the wood is laying and to be aware of the possibility of the chaind getting jammed. Even though it's detrimental to the motor, the bigger concern is the "kickback" phenomenon. This can be very dangerous! You should always start be relieving the side under compression (and this can mean cutting upwards). But this isns't normally an issue if you are just bucking a small log on the ground. You can take an evening class on chain saw safety here. Probably a good idea.

I have 6 hectares of my own, about half is standing maple. I'm still using fallen wood.

I'm a little surprised by the "most people in Germany build their own houses". I thought home ownership was only around 40% for Germany compared with over 60% for the UK, for example. (These numbers are a few years old.)