Own Up!?!

[Mesterh]

Another one for you. The reason they are topped is to keep the afluent property owners behind them happy by retaining lake views.

 

Current council tree and berm policy allows for trees to be topped for views when they have been topped before to retain views. I sat in on a councillors meeting the other day where a couple of millionaire landowners want trees topped so they have an uninterupted view of the lake. The likelihood is that the trees (some of them mature oaks) will be topped again and again to give those people those views. Unfortunately removal and replanting has not come in to the equation so far because council does not see anything wrong with topping. The resource management act had just been altered to allow pruning of trees on private property without gaining resource consent, including topping. And Rob D is bang on. You don't do what the customer wants (the customer always knows best) and you get a bad rep and no further work. Word of mouth works fast in a small town.

 

Actually I think those trees look quite good. No joke btw in case you think I am taking the pee.

 

They look different sort of old and gnarly.

 

Surely our job is to manage trees to fit in with the urban environment,whatever that entails.

[Taupotreeman]

Holy heck! how is that supporting all that weight. Mighty impressive.

[Taupotreeman]

"The sawdust will enrich your soil missus, and make your plants grow like they do at the chelsea show, honest"

 

Haha I always tell em it's good muclh for the grass and any loose the mower will pick up. To be fair most customers are always to happy to offer to run the mower over it.

[Dean Lofthouse]

It certainly is Deano, it certainly is

 

 

.

 

If I lived long enough David, I would stake my life on the way that tree would fail

[Dean Lofthouse]

Actually I think those trees look quite good. No joke btw in case you think I am taking the pee.

 

They look different sort of old and gnarly.

 

Surely our job is to manage trees to fit in with the urban environment,whatever that entails.

 

Those trees are starting to form heads and will "if managed" look well.

 

But my point is.... why cut off one branch that is spoiling a view and let it be replaced by ten

 

The key is management, but we all know that doesn't happen

[Mesterh]

Those trees are starting to form heads and will "if managed" look well.

 

But my point is.... why cut off one branch that is spoiling a view and let it be replaced by ten

 

The key is management, but we all know that doesn't happen

 

Quite right.

 

I do have quite a few customers that get us back in to repollard every few years but it is usually just the cost that stops it. The worst cases are usually land lords or HA who just get the tree topped to shut the tenant up for a bit but then don't bother with any further management.

[felixthelogchopper]

"The sawdust will enrich your soil missus, and make your plants grow like they do at the chelsea show, honest"

 

LOL Thanks mate, I might use that one myself

[likeitorlumpit]

Quite right.

 

I do have quite a few customers that get us back in to repollard every few years but it is usually just the cost that stops it. The worst cases are usually land lords or HA who just get the tree topped to shut the tenant up for a bit but then don't bother with any further management.

 

This bit about HA'S is soooo true

Nagging tennant = tree 'topped'

Tennant moves

Nagging stops

Tree not further managed

HA's just want 'happy=not complaining' tennants

[Rob D]

I am with you on that.... indiscriminate pollarding and topping for every tree is totally unacceptable.

 

But as a considered way of managing trees I think it's fine.

[David Goss]

The last few posts is where we are understanding the problem.... Topping a tree just for a view is not a good reason especially when you have an ugly stump in your view of what used to have a nice tree in front of it. When topping work is carried out it is NOT normally managed afterwards. The fact of the matter is that it needs to be managed for the rest of the trees life. This is something i will explain to the customer, you will pay for the initial topping and then 2 years or whenever down the line you will have to pay for it again and again and again... Is this actually what the customer wants? i doubt it. Once this is explained its usually the mind changing factor, along with the if you dont keep doing it then it may become dangerous and when your grandkids are swinging on one of the dodgey branches it may come off in their hands and down they come with a dull thud!

Pollarding is done to keep trees small but is done constantly, a one off topping is just bad practice no matter how you look at it. The only difference being if the tree is in a woodland setting where there is not public danger, fracture pruning etc is done to create habitat blah blah blah...

Understanding of when and where to do all these different methods is what is needed. The work in front of the carpet place was bad practice its that simple, those trees were not grown to be pollards otherwise they left it far too late to start and imo will not be managed.

Anyway the beers are kicking in now so i better stop