Today's reduction from team JB

[treequip]

No tree quip it does not and I stand corrected as usual by you no they don't but they will make your life hard or they will say no you can not reduced that tree by 36% or what ever you have put in for ....but always when I have my consent forms returned it say all works to be carried out to BS 3998.

 

I don't see how they can make your life hard, its a system with a set of rules for both sides to follow, they can condition the works to the relevant standard but then you were constrained to that anyway.

 

That's the legitimate conditions I spoke of earlier.

[treequip]

Nothing stopping a tree officer declining an application made my a certain individual, without stating thats the reason. I think thats what Matty was getting at

 

Accepted, but they do have to have a reason to decline, and if they become unreasonable, well that's what the ombudsman is for.

 

When all is said and done we are a service industry and if the client still wants the tree mullered after you have explained the pros and cons that's their good choice in the same way they can paint their house bright pink with polka dots if they so choose.

[Mark Bolam]

I also have to disagree with you Matty.

Some of my apps have been accepted....

[Wolfie]

I also have to disagree with you Matty.

Some of my apps have been accepted....

 

They do sometimes make life difficult for us.

Cambridge City tree team twice refused works applications to the Robinia on the right and then a local firm does a job on the one to the left.

In a conservation area, how very dare they!

[frets1]

I have had a tree officer send me a photo of a tree, with a red semi-circle around the canopy saying they want it to look like this!!??

 

I would like to think they make life harder for people who do poor work, rather than a contractor who's work is known to have the trees interest in mind as well.

 

We have all heard stories of felling being done on a Sunday in a sensitive site. Or ring barking loads of trees. If I don't do it, someone will blah blah...

 

Maybe the council should keep lists of good contractors and bad, rather than rely on the arb association.

 

Didn't mean any offence in previous post mate, just fed up with seeing hat stands as trees in towns. The customer has no idea about trees, its left to whoever is quoting to go through the best remedy, for them and the tree.

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

[attach]145611[/attach]

 

Hi Ben,

 

Whilst the reduction is quite symmetrical, and thereby aesthetically pleasing to the clients / tree owner perhaps, unfortunately it does not accord with the industry standard BS3998(2010) Recommendations for Tree Work as it is deemed excessive. This means there are no suitable secondary growth points, i.e. smaller side branches which are at least 1/3rd the diameter of the parent branch, for sustained / continued growth.

 

The likely response, provided the tree has good vitality and adequate energy reserves, is a proliferation of regrowth which will create future management problems.

 

Now, provided the client is fully aware of this and doesn't want to follow your best professional advice otherwise, i.e. a lighter crown reduction overall and maybe 'heavier' over the houses (or phased pruning, very difficult to convince) AND, ideally, you point out the work doesn't comply with the BS, then its your choice whether to accept the job or not.

 

Hope this helps the understanding a little.

 

Cheers..

Paul

[Joe Newton]

Well said Paul, yet we've all had clients who take no heed of your best advice, and all they want is "about half the size and nice and round".

 

You can preach best practice and pruning methods to them til you're blue in the face, but they don't care and want it their way. It can be frustrating, and being an employed climber who likes my job, I have had to carry out similar works, against my better judgement.

[SKStrees]

You can preach best practice and pruning methods to them til you're blue in the face, but they don't care and want it their way. It can be frustrating, and being an employed climber who likes my job, I have had to carry out similar works, against my better judgement.

 

In the same boat mate know exactly what you mean, but they're paying the bill and where I work that makes them right.

[Kenty]

Oh dear. If thats what the boss & the client want as an employee you do not have a lot of choice. I hate seeing work like that when driving around as many of us are in the business to educate the general public in arboriculture & passionate about our vocation.

[Adam Bourne]

I don't care to be honest! I'd rather turn down several customers to work on what they want!! than I would do what they want and have a potential few hundred clients see the tree on there way to where ever it is there going day in day out!!