Height reduction of a lime in hale, manchester

[Lorry thompson]

Gotta say though think using your company name as your username is a bit silly

[arbclimber]

Gotta say though think using your company name as your username is a bit silly

 

Agree, if someone googles your company name, and finds posts on here saying your work is rubbish, good luck getting much work.

[Dean Lofthouse]

Some customers, no matter how much you try to convince them otherwise, will always want their tree/s topped for sunlight, views etc and if it's topping(let's call it what it is) they want and their willing to pay what can you do when money is short?

 

 

I still dont give them what they want, it's against my personal work ethic.

 

Theres a job 4 doors away from me which I turned down and refused to do it last year, this year its been done by another local tree surgeon whos work ethic is different to mine.

 

I personally think "unmanaged" topped trees present a hazard to the public, neighbours or the tree owners themselves, if they dont drop weighty limbs off in future they will present a hazard to the next climber that has to climb a 30ft limb with a pocket of rot at the bottom in order to dismantle it.

 

I think into the near future not about whats in or not in my wallet.

 

Just my opinion of course

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Three weeks ago i blew off a big oak that the client wanted gone or at the very least "drasticaly reduced" I am a firm believer in pollards, but in this case it was a crime, and I do not want to work for people that have no "natural empathy" for trees.

 

And i am well behind on my mortgage, it was a week ir two before i decided i couldnt do it, life is hard.

[Lorry thompson]

Must take some balls mate when your struggling respect your morals but to be honest I would never leave a tree in a dangerous state but if I'm allowed to pollard a tree and looks a bit crap il try my best to persuade the customer otherwise but I would do it a hobos a job and it's the customer who pays my wages I love trees and love them looking natural same as anyone on here

[Lorry thompson]

Don't know what that hobos bit is these bloody I phones lol meant it's still a job

[Dean Lofthouse]

I think if it got to the stage of me hacking trees (knowing it is a bodge or wrong) because I need the money or things were tight, I'd go into something else.

 

Whats the point of struggling on in tree work if it doesn't pay

[Lorry thompson]

Nothings tight I just wouldn't turn work down I love trees just love money too

[Tom D]

As tree surgeons we do not swear a hippocratic oath as medical surgeons do, we are therefore not duty bound to do whats best for the tree, if this was the case we'd all do nothing but deadwooding and most of the guys on here would have been "struck off" years ago.

 

Give this guy a break, he did what his client asked, I have done the same before, I always correctly advise the client before undertaking such work and 95 times out of 100 they take my advice. But in those few cases where only a topping will do then thats what we do.

I am pleased to note that AA Techie agrees with this, that is exactly the sort of pragmatic approach we need, and little things like that will no doubt improve the standing of the AA in the industry at large.

 

A few caveats: When "topping" I always reduce to a decent fork and never leave a stub with a twig attached, as many seem to, kidding themselves that they are doing a reduction. It is worth noting that lollipopping trees and leaving stubs will inevitably lead to streight upright epicormic re-growth which will rapidly defeat the object of the pruning in the first place. Since most of these jobs are to improve light levels its far better to prune back to a large lateral to reduce the tendancy for epicormic growth even if this leaves an odd shape to start with.

 

I also think it is important to explain to a client that in many cases they are better off felling the tree and re-planting, unless they are prepared to fork out again in the near future.

 

The true cowboy is the one who topps a tree without warning the client of the future repercussions both arboriculturally and financially.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I would love to be money rich, and be able to do a great many things, but i would rather have very little of the folding stuff and live true to myself, than have the latest plasma or LCD tv

 

i need money, crikey, thats an understatement right now! but i am no slave to it, not any more, I found quality of life is non material.