Crown Cleaning and BS3998 - A Disgrace

[scotspine1]

Recent jobs as examples of crown cleaning terminology -

 

Client calls and asks for crown clean on mature Ash (left) and mature Beech(right). We go to job, remove large hazard deadwood down to 1/2 inch smaller stuff on both trees due to vehicle and pedestrian traffic. During the course of the Beech crown clean, I find a large dead branch with Oudomansiellia mucida (Porcelain fungus) present, its above the air conditioning units, make a decision to remove as it would seriously damage the AC units if it failed (see below).

 

Second example was a Redwood crown clean I was involved with, large hazard deadwood and deadwood down to 1/2 inch diam, broken branches(hangers), badly split branches were all removed.

 

These 3 trees are an example of trees growing in an artificial environment with high value targets beneath, they were managed by professional arborists carrying out crown cleaning operations.

[Stephen Blair]

yes but a 16 year old with a silky and 2 days in a harness could of done them with a correct spec sheet and mobile phone to call his boss when he came across something untoward.

Price has a lot to do with it, if every climber did what he thought was right, the public would have a heart attack and the boss would make no money as little timmy has been doing it HIS way.

I crown cleaned 2 monster cherries with in an inch of there lives when i worked in Glasgow, the residents were delighted and the boss had a fit, he had about £80 a tree on them and it took a full squad with mog and van a full day, yeehaa!!!!!

[skyhuck]

yes but a 16 year old with a silky and 2 days in a harness could of done them with a correct spec sheet and mobile phone to call his boss when he came across something untoward.

Price has a lot to do with it, if every climber did what he thought was right, the public would have a heart attack and the boss would make no money as little timmy has been doing it HIS way.

I crown cleaned 2 monster cherries with in an inch of there lives when i worked in Glasgow, the residents were delighted and the boss had a fit, he had about £80 a tree on them and it took a full squad with mog and van a full day, yeehaa!!!!!

 

Two handed I trust!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Stephen Blair]

Two handed I trust!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

is there any other way:confused1:

[Stephen Blair]

ps, Mr Scotspine. Fell the scabby ash and knock the top out that Beech and it will look like a cracking weeping Beech, 5 cuts max and a little push, job done:thumbup1:

[hazzygawa]

yes but a 16 year old with a silky and 2 days in a harness could of done them with a correct spec sheet and mobile phone to call his boss when he came across something untoward.

Price has a lot to do with it, if every climber did what he thought was right, the public would have a heart attack and the boss would make no money as little timmy has been doing it HIS way.

I crown cleaned 2 monster cherries with in an inch of there lives when i worked in Glasgow, the residents were delighted and the boss had a fit, he had about £80 a tree on them and it took a full squad with mog and van a full day, yeehaa!!!!!

 

Hahaha brilliant.

[Taupotreeman]

I have to say that I actually haven't heard of the term "crown clean". I left the UK in 98, hadn't heard it up until then and neither have I heard it in NZ. Never heard the councils refer to a crown clean either so it's all new to me I'm afraid.

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

The new BS3998 does not include the term 'Crown Cleaning'

 

Has it been been banned by the over zealous arbor ecology lobby? political correctness gone mad? They dont like the term 'Crown Cleaning' so they've removed it completely, trying to brainwash us all into focussing on deadwood as habitat rather than hazard?

 

 

Could it be they've removed Crown Cleaning because none of them has ever climbed a tree in their lives and fails to understand the significance of the term for thousands of arborists/climbers in the UK?

 

Can someone please explain why we (the industry) are losing one of the few tree care specifications that actually makes a whole lot of sense?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hi all, SORRY to come to this one so late and thanks to 'Monkey D' from prompting me.

 

Sorry also for any duplication I may subject you to as I haven't read all the related posts.

 

I think everyone working in the tree care industry has a responsibility to consider, very carefuly, the ecological aspects AND the hazards caused by deadwood etc. and, after so doing, make a professional judgement of what is required on a 'job by job' / 'site by site' basis.

 

My interpretation of the removal of the 'crown clean' term from the standards is that it introduces a principle of retaining deadwood where appropraite and beneficial so to do...again a matter for your professional judgement.

 

The term is a nice catch all thereby avoidng the need to be more specifc and gives some free reign in terms of what we do BUT with the industry moving forward and gaining increased professioanl recognition and status, to the benefit of all, we need to raise the bar and improve our tree work specifications such that trees are dealt with individually.

 

If you still require to undertake 'CC' then this can be done (see sects. 7.3, 7.4, 7.12 & 7.13) but I would avoid using the term and specify these individually.

 

Lastly there are parts of this standard that place a greater onus on us, inc. more time and more thought, but please see this as an opportunity to increase the gap between the tree care professional, who can and understands, and the 'other' person, who cannot.

 

Cheers all and thanks for taking the time to read this post...u feeling sleepy now...oops!

 

Paul

[Ian Flatters]

There goes my pressure washing job on a big Oak next week

 

I just dropped some of my broth over me reading this.