Paul Barton

I bought a bottle of this last week. It's far too drinkable. Truth be told it's a tad sweeter than I like but worth a try.

Try GIS Cloud or GIS Kit. They're not tree specific apps but will let you place points on a map and create your own forms to record whatever info you want.

Yes, iOS only.

Walnut. Robinia always felt like it was going to snap under my feet but never actually did.

Nice one!

I have recently bought and trialled the iOS app GIS Kit to use on iPhone or iPad. It's pretty handy; you can create your own survey forms or use one of the templates and it streams lots of different maps including Google aerial photos. If you can't get 3G on site you can cache the maps before you leave the office. The app is £60 which is expensive for an app but about a tenth of most GIS software.

I would encourage you to try a few before you buy as there these devices really vary in their quality. You can hire devices from James England (link below) and he gives really good advice. Mobile GIS, Tree Surveys, GIS Consultancy, Environmental Consultancy, ArcGIS, ArcPAD, PocketGIS, DigiTerra, ESRI, Web mapping, WebGIS

Exceptions relating to applications to carry out work on trees subject to a Tree Preservation Order | Planning Practice Guidance

Unlikely as it sounds, the standard is a good read and full of good diagrams.

The tree root system you have posted a picture of is poor, probably due to late or no undercutting in the nursery field. The rootball should have more small fibrous roots than that to give the tree a fighting chance of actually being able to move water and nutrients from the soil to the crown. It's a shame that so many people still leave hessian and wire on rootballs when planting. Why on earth would you do this?! Surely we want the tree to develop a root system that spreads laterally in to the surrounding soil that it is planted in, not whirl round and round a subterranean cage. Here's an extract from BS8545 which is all about tree selection, preparation, planting and post planting maintenance: The removal, where feasible without root ball disturbance, of wire baskets, hessian and twine used in the rootballing process ensures that that future root development is not inhibited, once the tree is positioned in the planting pit. When left in place, hessian and twine can remain strong for several years and this is long enough to cause serious constriction in the basal stem area. Wire baskets can last for as long as 30 years after transplanting. Where a wire basket is left in place, the top of the root flare usually grows into one of the horizontal upper wires and roots become girdled as they develop. This causes the transport of water to the stem and carbohydrates to the rest of the root system to become restricted.

I used it for a survey at a private school last year. To be honest I regretted it as the tree information (location, height and crown diameter) was highly variable. It commonly plotted far more trees than were present, I think because it took multiple top points from broad crowned trees.

You've changed the question! Perhaps you should start your own thread discussing the merits or problems of retaining dead wood?

Have you bought an arborcheck thingy?

Whereabouts is the tree? You may find someone on here to come and inspect the tree for your parents.

Yes, you need to have a plan of the existing site to add your trees on to. Ideally this is a topographical survey plan produced by a professional land surveyor but for small jobs it's often just an architects site plan or an Ordnance Survey map.

I don't think Chris sells Arborcad anymore.

Hi Reuben, I really like it - it produces nice looking plans with minimal fuss. Some CAD knowledge is essential though as it is essentially CAD with bolt-ons. It saves me days and days of work, as when I first taught myself CAD I had to draw every element of each tree from scratch...crown N, E, S, W...RPA...reference number....it could easily take half a day to do one plan. When I got Keytree LT I wanted to test how fast it was, so I fed in a spreadsheet of a site that had about 1000 trees on it. It took about 5 minutes

I am looking in to putting together a training course for exactly this subject so it's good to have confirmation of the demand! It will likely be run through CAS so I will post any news about a forthcoming course in the CAS forum on here. In the meantime, as others have suggested try getting a CAD professional to do the plans for you. I can recommend ActionCAD | Building Information Modelling | BIM. I use a program called KeyTree LT, similar to the Arborcad program mentioned above. However, even with these programs you need to be fairly familiar with AutoCAD to get the most out of them.

You can borrow my MS200T if you need one soon.

Oh no, sorry to hear that Pablo. Hope you can get up and running again soon.

Looks like Zelkova to me.

No, don't. Not that I'm not intrigued myself but Arbtalk has a no naming and shaming rule

Thanks Kevin. http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/cas/80199-tpo-course-november-7th-malvern.html#post1192675

Hi Kevin, Sorry for the confusion on the web-page. I am sure the course is open to non-members. Best person to contact is Mark Chester on the email above. Cheers, Paul

Due to high demand, additional places have been made available for CAS members for this one day course hosted by Malvern Hills District Council. Led by Richard Nicholson, the course will cover the core principles for making effective Tree Preservation Orders, and administering them. It explores the role of local authority and consultant. There will be a special member offer for tree officers attending, and remember that you don't need to be a tree expert to benefit from the course. It is important that those involved in the process appreciate the parameters in which they operate. Cost is £60 + VAT for the seminar and £60 + VAT for those who also wish to complete the Lantra assessment, which is highly recommended for CAS members, and will qualify you for inclusion in the directory under the Tree Preservation category. This One Day Course Covers: The role of Section 197 and 198 of the Town & Country Planning Act History of TPOs and key changes, including the 2012 Regulations How to make a successful application What makes a good TPO How to object to a TPO How to spot an unenforceable TPO This will equip delegates to: Check how to read a TPO document and challenge accuracy Manage Area Orders Undertake a TPO Review Specify Tree work conditions • Enforce/avoid TPO offences • Pursue Appeals For booking and enquiries please contact Mark Chester at [email protected] Read more at TPO Course Announced | Consulting Arborist Society