Ancient oak tree cut down in Whitewebbs Park Enfield

[kram]

Theres nothing in the drop zone, no reason not to climb it, far cheaper, I'd argue just as quick. A platform is a bit of a pain as you still need to drop the logs, no real benefit.

If you wanted quicker work you'd use a crane, cut and lift each section and deal with it on the ground.

(I say that having never cut from a mewp or near a crane).

 

26 minutes ago, Yournamehere said:

BBC Story Updated

 

Ergin Erbil, leader of Enfield Council, described the felling as "an outrage" and said the authority was "looking at all legal options".

He said: "Our experts surveyed this tree in December and they said it's healthy and could live another few hundred years so I completely oppose the argument from the leaseholder that this posed a health and safety risk."

He , or the head tree officer needs to be sacked. How can we make this happen? Why didnt he TPO it? My experience is council officers are idiots.

 

We once got "caught" pruning a TPO'd tree, cant remember what they identified it as ( not oak)  but it was a bog standard oak, they got that very wrong. We were let off, on account of doing a decent pruning job, just the minimum with good cuts. If not we would have fought it, as they were on the wrong tree or area.

 

Even so, its a great shame to loose the tree, but its due to council incompetence, a contractor that wanted to get paid and a land owner wanting minimal furture risk (prune managing may have cost the same as removal, plus future costs)

 

Edited April 16 by kram

[woody paul]

52 minutes ago, Steven P said:

Reading around the story, it does seam a lot like as quick as possible, chop it down and run.

If that was the case early morning big saw and start at base. 

[Mark J]

1 hour ago, Yournamehere said:

Just out of interest, would a job like this normally be done from a platform or would it normally be roped?

I was wondering if it was done from a platform because that would be quicker (because able to drop bigger lumps) because they knew they had to get in and get it down on the ground as fast as possible: ie before too many people noticed/could do anything about it.

TIA

Yourn

HSE reckon that the first port of call should be a MEWP. Which is impractical for most people. Then you have to justify aerial works, with two ropes, which is probably safer than one on rare occasions. I personally think that if you're going to goose your main line and your strop you're probably best on the ground. But I didn't get where I am today. 

Also, most the climbers I know got into tree work because they like climbing trees, they don't necessarily like riding MEWP's. 

Edited April 16 by Mark J

[AHPP]

Assuming I was satisfied with legality, I'd have an operated hire picker drop a climber onto each stem (3x £500 for 3x hotshots with a 462/500/661 each) and then support them with saws/fuel or a bit of basket time as required. Boss on the floor for security and saw admin. If anything needed rigging, I'd swap the picker for a grapplesaw and use that to run climbers and gear around instead.

 

Saturday morning:

07:00 ring bark it with a battery saw while people gear up and get up

07:30 start saws and rain it down

09:00 down to the splits

10:30 down to ground level

12:00 stump will be flakes

Swap stump grinder for chipper while lads have lunch

Chip up and ring up until close of play

Locals will take the wood

 

This all assumes you couldn't just make three cuts at 20 feet. Then it's even easier.

 

£10,000 in advance, another £10,000 on completion. And I'd put boards out with company details facing every direction. Fabulous advertising to developers etc. Big tree gone and not coming back before the pubs are open.

 

It's the regime of TPOs that causes this kind of nuclear option to be taken. The fear of your property being burdened. If there was no such danger, a lot more would get left standing. I'm aware they're leaseholders btw. My point is general, not specific. But I'm sure there's a reason they did it.

[Mick Dempsey]

Shame, but no TPO, no crime.

 

Non-story for me, soon to be forgotten. 

[Peter 1955]

As a mere pygmy among giants here on such topics, the niggle I have is that it has been alleged that the tree isn't on GK owned land. If that were the case, then surely it's simply a case of getting in touch with ( presumably ) the council and notifying them that the tree is dangerous to their customers, thus resolving GK of any responsibility, and cost. 

Am I being too simplistic? 

Edit: I may have attributed it to Greene King, and I see elsewhere it could be Mitchell and Butler. My point still stands. 

Edited April 16 by Peter 1955

[JLA1990]

6 hours ago, Mick Dempsey said:

Shame, but no TPO, no crime.

 

Non-story for me, soon to be forgotten. 

Virtue signalling at its finest! As you say soon to be forgotten but people love to feel like their opinion matters. 

 

They used a mewp because they should & could, most commercial guys including myself use a mewp for 95% of our works due to HSE guidelines.

[Stubby]

Are there two threads on this subject ? If not my meager contribution has pissadeared !

[Yournamehere]

1 hour ago, Stubby said:

Are there two threads on this subject ? If not my meager contribution has pissadeared !

I think it was mentioned briefly on another thread and then this one took over.

(Han't checked but maybe in the news thread. Someone started with "OK which one of you did this?")

 

ETA Check on Your Activity, find your post and go from there

Edited April 17 by Yournamehere
afterthought

[Yournamehere]

8 hours ago, JLA1990 said:

Virtue signalling at its finest!

<snip>

No. People don't like to see beauty & grandeur destroyed by ignorance & greed.

These things become part of people's personal landscape: it leaves a hole when they are taken away.