ecology reports

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

If you carry out a bat roost survey, you will need a licence and you won't get a licence unless you can show that you are competant. If you are a competant surveyor with the appropriate licence and you say there are no bats in a potential roost when in fact there are and, for example, the tree is felled, I expect the tree surgeon who who relied on your findings and felled the tree would not be liable.

 

We may have a crossed line there. This is what I think is appropriate according to various circumstances:

 

1. Understand if it's a known roost, licence required, no probs with that.

 

2. Tree surgeon arrives at a tree, has a level of awareness of the likely signs that might indicate presence of bats, checks the tree to the best of his ability, either (a) finds no visible sign of presence of bats, cuts tree down or (b) sees potential sign of bats, calls BCT to confirm. If after cutting tree down thinking there are no bats, finds bats, call BCT to arrange relocation of bats. No offence committed.

 

The alternatives would be (a) a licensed batman is required prior to any tree work or (b) nobody works on trees anymore because (looking at the maps on FC link above) ALL trees are POTENTIAL bat roosts.

 

That's how I had it squared away in my mind but open to a new direction if I'm off message.

[Gary Prentice]

That's how it was explained to me. There is no offence unless intentionally or wilfully disturbing or harming them.

[countrryboy]

Hope somebody can help. I have been asked by a client to price up a large amount of work on his small woodland. Its in a conservation area and basicly involves removing anything dangerous and thinning out. I had a tree conservation officer out and I have been told to put an ecology report together... It has not been specified as to exactly what it needs to contain (bats, species, diversity, flora) I have just been told to right a report. has anyone any idea where I should start?

cheers all

 

 

Possibly i've picked this up wrong as no one else has mentioned it, but are u expected to pay for an ecologists report just to PRICE the job.

So u may not even get the job or other arb companies may also have to have their own reports done to price the job.

 

ON the bat subject, u have to be so carefull wot ur doing, i used to go along to the local bat group meetings, they live in a different world, no idea of reality esp. ! farmer phoned up after cutting a tree down and finding a bat, they wanted tothrow the book at him, i told them to get a life and had a big fallout with them

Generally dangerous or dead trees are the most likely to actually have potential for a bat roost

[Charlieh]

Hows about doing a woodland management plan (paid for by the FC assuming the woodland is big enough) which will then cover you for felling operations (so you wont need a separate felling license) and supersede any tpo/ca issues as the FC will liase with the local T/O (being that they work in the offices next door to each other in your case) The management plan template will also guide you into what sort of content is expected.

 

Just an idea

[common lime]

Hope somebody can help. I have been asked by a client to price up a large amount of work on his small woodland. Its in a conservation area and basicly involves removing anything dangerous and thinning out. I had a tree conservation officer out and I have been told to put an ecology report together... It has not been specified as to exactly what it needs to contain (bats, species, diversity, flora) I have just been told to right a report. has anyone any idea where I should start?

cheers all

 

The keyword in the above is 'SMALL WOODLAND therefore in all probability it was a Forestry Commission Woodland Officer requesting the ecology scooping survey. Also they have not quantified 'SMALL' everybody has a different idea of small otherwise there would not be any needs of units of measurements and rulers.

 

It is very unlikely that a small woodland would be within a conservation area as in accordance with the Conservation Area Regulation 1997. Given these conservation area are determined on architectural merit not on biodiversity. I am not sure why anyone thinks that an Arb/Tree Officer within a Local Planning Authority (LPA) would make a site visits to a woodland for the removal of dangerous tree and forestry thinning in a 'Small woodland'?

 

A scooping survey for an FC Felling licence is a reasonable request.

[thtc]

ok so section 211 sent in along with all the details maps etc, however the client has got permission to go ahead with all the work detailed from Natural England (as the site is an SSSI). So who has final say in the work going ahead Natural England or the Park Authority? all the help is much appreciated guys. Cheers Mark 07734324597