Paul Barton

Thanks for sharing that David - great diary of the job.

Hi Shippers and welcome to the forum. The answer to your question depends on what factors you are considering for 'too close'. Do you mean too close because you are worried about damage to the building from a) roots b) the tree failing on to the house....or are you worried about shade to the front windows and leaf litter.....etc? NHBC standards should have been followed when determining the foundation depth so I would say that future damage from subsidence is unlikely, particularly if you are not on a clayey soil. As for the rest - well it's entirely personal. Some people love having trees close by but others see them as a burden. Personally I would do nothing to the tree for a few years and make sure that it actually survives having been built around...a tree report may well have been written that specified protection during construction but I bet that the soil under that lovely new turf is pretty compacted and full rubble under the topsoil.

I've just got back from a week at Centre Parcs too! I don't want to go to work tomorrow.

Yes I have the full version. Have you phoned the librarian to find out how to get yours? Log in to Athens at: https://auth.athensams.net/?ath_returl=%2Fmy%2Fhome%3Fath_returl%3D%252Fmy%252F%26ath_dspid%3DATHENS.MY&ath_dspid=ATHENS.MY You will find a version there.

I use Keytree - it's excellent, although I am still waiting for the BS5837:2012 update. Tree Survey Software

Oops, I posted that twice. Sorry.

Ok, here's my tuppence worth. Needing GPS or not: depends on the kind of sites you are doing/want to do. If you are doing mostly pre-development surveys and have a topo to work from then probably not. If you do asset surveys for housing associations, local authorities etc then yes, it is a valuable tool. Be aware the Juno will only give you 2-5m accuracy though - if you want sub-metre then you'll need to spend considerably more. Software: for the money Pear technology's stuff looks good. I think it's all set up for 5837 etc. I use Digiterra Explorer which is also very good value (£750 for the Pro version). You can create your own data collection forms to suit any survey and the desktop GIS is pretty good. However, it has taken me some time to master this software - if you buy it definitely book some training. The software support from Hungary is first class. Only other downside to Digiterra - it won't read or export to DWG files (but it will open DXFs) from AutoCAD. http://www.digiterra.hu/ UK reseller: GIS Geographical information systems | Data capture | GIS mapping software | Handheld GPS systems | Mobile GIS software | Mobile GIS Services. Handheld GPs and GIS Data Capture Software

Ok, here's my tuppence worth. Needing GPS or not: depends on the kind of sites you are doing/want to do. If you are doing mostly pre-development surveys and have a topo to work from then probably not. If you do asset surveys for housing associations, local authorities etc then yes, it is a valuable tool. Be aware the Juno will only give you 2-5m accuracy though - if you want sub-metre then you'll need to spend considerably more. Software: for the money Pear technology's stuff looks good. I think it's all set up for 5837 etc. I use Digiterra Explorer which is also very good value (£750 for the Pro version). You can create your own data collection forms to suit any survey and the desktop GIS is pretty good. However, it has taken me some time to master this software - if you buy it definitely book some training. The software support from Hungary is first class. Only other downside to Digiterra - it won't read or export to DWG files (but it will open DXFs) from AutoCAD. http://www.digiterra.hu/ UK reseller: GIS Geographical information systems | Data capture | GIS mapping software | Handheld GPS systems | Mobile GIS software | Mobile GIS Services. Handheld GPs and GIS Data Capture Software

Your tutor is wrong then Or maybe online students have different access rights to online journals (that really would be ridiculous!). I am a student at Myerscough too, and have accessed all British Standards online. I can't remember exactly how I got there, but assuming you have a login for Athens/Shibolleth you should be able to find them all.

If you're a student you can access it for free through online journals. Ask your course leader.

This is a discussion forum! If you aren't prepared for different opinions then don't log in!

But that's just it isn't it? Drug tests at work will show up drugs used days beforehand....it's very difficult to separate someone who likes a relaxing joint in the evening and someone who's been toking in the van on the way to site.

Out of interest, do you think people that use recreational drugs should be allowed to stay in employment in this industry if they are not on the tools? For example, a manager or tree surveyor?

Sure, but how would you use these observed benefits in a meaningful cost/benefit analysis?

Hi Treeseer, Sorry, I haven't seen your previous posts with your own reports. You've asked some very pertinent questions in response to my post, thanks:thumbup1: To be honest, in my local situation I don't think the benefits are being calculated at all so a cost/benefit is very tricky! Elsewhere in the UK, some local authorities are starting to use CAVAT or iTree to calculate benefits - hopefully this will lead to better analysis of whether fell and replant is really 'better value' than propping up mature trees starting to decline. It's a very delicate balance isn't it? I think it's now beginning to be recognised that where possible, large trees offer more public benefits in urban situations than small ones - this will hopefully lead us away from the planting of so many small ornamental species in street scenes and back towards larger canopy trees with longer life expectancies.

A paltry 2 miles this morning in my 'barefoot' shoes. I am trying to re-learn how to run with better posture and technique. So far it's killing my calf muscles! Barefoot Shoes ? Shop Barefoot Running Shoes from Merrell

I would add this though: in my experience trees showing decay symptoms located next to a highway are removed pretty quickly (provided they are picked up in the first place). I believe this is the case for 2 reasons: - this is not the location in which to try and retain decaying trees due to the high risk zone - typically local authorities managing street trees are managing a very large population of trees - the area I survey in has more than 90,000 street trees. Budget constraints mean that felling and replanting are normally preferred over extensive detailed surveys and pruning for management. I am not saying these points are right or wrong but I do see the rationale.

This is a hard post to respond to Treeseer, because: - in all honesty I am not sure what a 'typical' UK report is like (I've read plenty of good and plenty of not so good) and I don't know if the report you have posted is typical of a US report. - I would also feel uncomfortable critiquing another persons report without their knowledge (particularly on a public forum!). Are you Ed Milhaus? If you want a UK perspective on one of your reports then fair enough....post one up for us.

Hi David, It sounds like the trees could be displaying symptoms of acute oak decline. I've attached a paper about it for you. Paul Acute Oak Decline.pdf

I am looking for one or two qualified (minimum level 3 in Arboriculture or LANTA PTI) tree surveyors for short term contract surveying street trees in Birmingham. Position available in the next few weeks. Training, PPE and handheld computer provided. Would suit a self-employed arboriculturist ideally, but a temporary contract of employment may be possible. If you are interested, please email me a CV and covering email: [email protected]

Cheers Steve.

Hi arbtalkers, On October 16th myself and some other tree geeks are cycling around 30 miles around the West Midlands, stopping off at various schools and community centres along the way to plant trees and generally big-up trees. If you could sponsor me even a small amount it would be really appreciated. My sponsorship page is: Virgin Money Giving | Fundraising | Ride for Research Birmingham's fundraising And you can find out more about the Sylva Foundation at: SYLVA • reviving Britain's wood culture Thanks, Paul

The Met Office don't mention anything about this in their 16-30 forecast for the UK: UK Outlook for Monday 15 Oct 2012 to Monday 29 Oct 2012: Indications are that this period of October is likely to see fairly mixed autumnal weather across the UK. There will be some dry and bright periods, interspersed with showers or longer periods of rain. Rainfall amounts in the south in particular are more likely to be above average than below. There are hints that some northwestern parts of the UK may be drier than normal for late October. Temperatures are likely to be generally close to average, or perhaps a little below at times with some chilly nights possible and some wintry showers for upland parts of Scotland. Updated: 1237 on Sun 30 Sep 2012

Hopefully slow! Here's a corker of a host I found today in a busy park in Worcester. The third picture shows the tree just to the left of the occupied bench centre frame, so the target is pretty high. I assume the park is aware as the tree has been quite heavily reduced in the past.

With only 6000 words to play with, I think you will need to focus the project on one particular use of cellweb. For example, temporary use on a construction site as part of tree protection measures, or permanent use for a new road/footpath. There have been several articles in the AA magazine about this topic recently - a report from Geosyn with some fairly simple research and some responses from tree officers etc.