Short course topics

[Harvey2018]

Morning all,

 

As a lecturer in forestry and arboriculture I have recently won some funding from our council to create some short courses to deliver to contractors at no cost.  This is to encourage upskilling in the land based industry.

 

To begin with I will be writing a 3-5hr short course, below are some potential topics that I am trying to narrow down to just one.  Would this be of any use to you guys and what are your thoughts on the subjects.

 

1- Mensuration for arborists, accurately assessing the volume of timber being removed (save costs on under estimating haulage on tree removals etc)

2- Introduction to planting grants in an urban forestry setting

3- Woodland management plan creations and applications

4- Urban Forest management and creation

5- Climate change and tree resilience, selecting the right trees when planting.

 

Happy to hear any other suggestions would be welcomed.

 

TIA

[5thelement]

2 hours ago, Harvey2018 said:

Morning all,

 

As a lecturer in forestry and arboriculture I have recently won some funding from our council to create some short courses to deliver to contractors at no cost.  This is to encourage upskilling in the land based industry.

 

To begin with I will be writing a 3-5hr short course, below are some potential topics that I am trying to narrow down to just one.  Would this be of any use to you guys and what are your thoughts on the subjects.

 

1- Mensuration for arborists, accurately assessing the volume of timber being removed (save costs on under estimating haulage on tree removals etc)

2- Introduction to planting grants in an urban forestry setting

3- Woodland management plan creations and applications

4- Urban Forest management and creation

5- Climate change and tree resilience, selecting the right trees when planting.

 

Happy to hear any other suggestions would be welcomed.

 

TIA

I would think that points 2/3/&4 would be largely irrelevant to the majority of jobbing Arbs but certainly worth knowing.
1 and 5 shouldn’t need to be explained to anyone in the job with an ounce of knowledge or experience, a novice certainly.

Personally I would look a bit more into the benefits of job pricing, quality TPO applications, and urban planting.

Find some good tree examples locally, work out a job spec, reduction/re pollard/removal etc then get each person to price accordingly with a full breakdown of time, men, wages, machines, fuel, tax/vat etc 

I recon the variation in pricing will swing in the extreme from pence to the ridiculous, I think it’s where most Arbs struggle, too little and doing it for nothing or not getting the work due to pricing too high, either case they are not working.
Detailed and accurate TPO applications using the correct language and written with enough detail as not to be returned/declined due to it looking like a 5 year old completed it and holding up the job, or job going to another Arb who can write comprehensive TPO applications.

Urban planting looking at species, planting pits, ground anchors/staking options and most importantly, aftercare.

The catastrophic losses of newly planted trees certainly needs addressing. 
 

Where do you lecture Harvey?

[AHPP]

Contact your local arborists and ask which one they’d like or whether they’d prefer their money back instead. 

[Will C]

2&4 are a waste of time until you get architects,  planners and developers  to see past flowering cherry, crab apple and silver birch  

[5thelement]

28 minutes ago, Will C said:

2&4 are a waste of time until you get architects,  planners and developers  to see past flowering cherry, crab apple and silver birch  

You forgot Rowan. 👍

[sime42]

And dead sticks. They make up about half of what I see planted on new developments.