Steve Bullman

Crown and Canopy Management Conference focuses on the heart of arboriculture ‘Crown & Canopy Management - Working with Nature’ University of Exeter, 8–11 September 2019 The 53rd Arboricultural Association National Amenity Conference The UK’s Biggest Arboriculture Conference The Arboricultural Association has announced the full line up of 32 speaker sessions for the 53rd National Amenity Conference titled ‘Crown & Canopy Management – Working with Nature’. The schedule for the UK’s biggest Arboriculture Conference includes 13 prominent international speakers who, alongside UK based experts, will take us on an unparalleled exploration of the science of crown management. The focus of this year’s Conference takes us back to the heart of arboriculture – managing trees and tree populations, from the macro to the micro, through canopy and crown. It’s a topic which impacts on all professionals involved in the tree care industry. From those dealing with policy at local, regional, national or global levels, or working on individual trees as a climbing arborist, to consultants, specifiers and practitioners. Returning to the University of Exeter, the landmark event provides an engaging programme of carefully selected experts, with pioneering new perspectives, who will challenge current working practices and take our knowledge and understanding to new levels. An enlightened approach to the Urban Forest Under the four broad topic areas of ‘Natural function’, ‘Governance, guidance and application’, ‘Pruning methodologies’ and ‘Challenging current practice’, we will explore the latest understanding, theories, technologies and procedures while taking an honest look at past and present practices in order to help drive the industry towards a more enlightened approach to our day-to day relationship with the urban forest. The event will culminate with four in-depth practical workshop sessions on the final day, which include the legendary University of Florida Professor Ed Gilman. A world-class Arboriculture Conference In 2018 a record 426 attendees enjoyed one of the most successful AA conferences in recent memory. “This year's Arboricultural Association Conference at Exeter, Soils & Trees, maintained its position as one of the best in the world.” Jeremy Barrell – Barrell Tree Consultancy (UK) “Some really good stuff on day two of the Arboricultural Association Soils and Trees Conference - reinforcing the notion that every site and situation is different, and our specifications should never be used as recipe books. A truly enjoyable conference and such a privilege to be able to be involved.” Mark Roberts – Roberts Consulting (New Zealand) You can view in-depth speaker abstracts and biographies at www.trees.org.uk/arbconference

STIHL has launched a series of updates to its cordless arborist saw, the MSA 161 T, providing professionals with a more ergonomic and robust tool. The MSA 161 T is STIHL’s lightweight professional chainsaw that succeeds the MSA 160 T. As well as boasting a 40% higher chain speed (16 m/s), it also delivers a 15% increase in engine performance, making it ideal for removing deadwood, crown maintenance and light reductions. The cordless nature of the tool means that the MSA 161 T is so quiet in operation that any disruption is kept to an absolute minimum The improved MSA 161 T is now designed with three different trigger combinations that can be used with the new ‘trigger switch lock out’ feature, including a combination ideally suited when performing multiple cuts consecutively. These new uses have been created to be convenient to operate while also ensuring user safety. On the updated version, the ergo lever – located under the palm of the hand – has also been enhanced, meaning it can now be fully pushed in flush against the handle, which prevents impact-induced damage as well as improving user comfort. Other changes to the MSA 161 T include a revision to the chainbrake with new metal thread screw joints. Powered by STIHL’s range of 36V AP batteries, the AP 200 battery and AP 300 charger are recommended for the MSA 161 T, which affords professionals an impressive run time of up to 42 minutes on a single charge whilst leaving the saw well balanced. Alternatively, when using STIHL’s AP 300 battery, users can benefit from a 50 minute run time. For more information on STIHL’s MSA 161 T or its range of arborist saws, please visit www.stihl.co.uk.