Paul Barton

I like this video...really nicely shot and some impressive trees! Ascending the Giants on Vimeo

With regards to the original post - I can't see from the photos that he 'took the ears' out to stop the stem splitting up the middle. A dog tooth cut may have been best, but taking the ears out should stop a major split like that as well.

Problems of roots whirling around and never leaving the pit will surely depend alot on the existing soil type. Glazed pit sides occur more in a clay soil - a pit within a well drained loose structure soil shouldn't present a problem. Proper analysis of the soil conditions and reducing the difference between the pit/soil interface is key. Nice work by the way David :-)

BBC News - Tree diseases are spreading across the country

Cool, thanks for posting. What was the reason for the move? Do you know how the tree is doing now?

Living in a country that has a well developed welfare state is a real privilege that should not be underestimated. I have never claimed any benefits of any kind, but if we ever have kids I would feel ok about taking tax credits. My personal beef is with those that are happy to claim benefits/credits but then don't want to contribute to the system. Nobody enjoys paying tax but we are all supposed to do it for a reason.

Welcome to the forum. Are you Mr Badger Wrestlers boss then?

That is freakin' brilliant!!! Just what we need to raise the profile of trees in the UK. I wonder how many people (except arbs) would actually buy/use that app though.

I liked this:biggrin: YouTube - lifesforsharing's Channel

I can't see any of the thick cotton trousers on Honeys website. I'll give them a ring.

Thanks for posting those Journals Bundle 2. I will read them with interest. I agree that resent is most likely when the system is used inappropriately by the LA. No doubt we have all seen TPO'd trees and wondered what the tree officer was thinking! I wonder how many more trees we would have here if the money spent on administering TPO's (I have heard approx. £20 million per year) was spent on tree planting initiatives...

Me too. Hope a stockist pipes up here.

You don't even use punctuation you grammatical Philistine. It bugs me too - fair enough using abbreviations in a text message, but I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of teenagers can't actually write properly because they normally communicate in shorthand. Blimey I must be getting old. I'm off to the pub. Unless it's too noisy and full of trendies...

Following a few chats with people recently, and the current consultation on TPO procedures, I have been thinking about how effective TPOs are in actually maintaining or promoting tree cover in our cities. Do you find that tree owners that have to abide by TPO regs resent the local goverment and even the presence of trees? If TPOs were got rid of, what percentage of people do you think would be straight out to fell their tree/s? Interested to hear your opinions and experience... Paul

I don't know alot but will chip in for what it's worth. I gather they are mostly made from compressed sawdust and hay etc. The processing plants are quite expensive but it can be possible to get a grant to help with the setup cost. I have not yet heard of anybody converting woodchip to pellets. I would have thought it must be possible, but you would need a pretty heavy duty grinder to pulverise the chip in to more of a dust in orded to then compress it. The benefits of pellet over chip are they have a higher calorific value, are cheaper to transport than chip (being drier so lighter), and travel through auger systems better than chip because of their uniform size.

This just out from the London Tree Officer's Association... LTOA-OPM-Guidance-note.pdf

This thread is not about comparing courses or criticising so can we leave it there? If others are interested please email me (course details on page 3 of this thread).

Very nice pics John!

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/tree-identification-pictures/17855-tree-identification-database.html

Good idea for a wiki thing but better to contribute to the tree id database that Steve is starting on this very website?!

Thanks Paul, The AA course was actually my first port of call, and I spoke to Simon (is that right?) at the AA office about the 2 day course. It does sound good but I felt it wasn't the right course in this instance for us. It is a shame there is no longer the option just to do the second of the 2 days for just the report writing part as this is what I was after for our staff. I don't knowhow similar the content of Dave Dowson's course will be but hope that everyone who comes will find it of benefit. Having been taught by Dave and Andy before I can vouch for their expertise at any rate. cheers, Paul

Nice post RobArb - it's great when some study gets you really thinking about things isn't it?! I have also just started a new course of study and it has really got me looking at things differently already. The tree surgeon/arborist thing is an ongoing identity crisis in the industry. In the U.S everyone knows what an arborist is, and arborists are proud to call themselves by that title. Unfortunately most people in the UK don't know what 'arboriculture' means, so the term 'tree surgeon' is mostly used. A while ago on this forum there was a debate as to whether people considered themselves an arborist or a climber/tree surgeon. Some people would prefer just to be known as a climber as they don't want to get too involved in the management/decision making side of the industry. Personally I think this is a shame as any good tree surgeon that has a real working knowledge of trees and an understanding of tree biology/mechanics should be proud to call themselves an arborist and raise the profile of our little industry. As for planting, there is a BS for transplanting root-balled trees, and a few for nursery practices - and a new standard is currently being written and consulted on to be released next year I think. Thanks for posting your thoughts. Hope my ramblings make sense.

Cool. As others have said, very nice job Mr Monkey.

Nice sensitive reduction there. Were you not tempted to wait until the summer to do it? I don't know if you have the luxury of being able to time your tree pruning works?

Ok, I have the some details for this course. Date: Friday December 17th Location: Treelife Training centre, Syston, Leicestershire Cost: £120+VAT per person Outline of the course Construction of a preliminary ground level report of a single tree inspection. Course aim: Construction of a report based on a single tree inspection covering data collection, and the instructions through to management recommendations. The course tutor will provide guidance at each stage of the report construction and you will receive a completed report at the end of the day to use as a template if desired. Course outcome: Candidates can write a good report that informs the client appropriately whilst protecting the report author with a view that they will undertake a report post the course and submit that to Tree Life for written feed back on their performance. (extra £55 for feedback) Course requirements: Essential – Tree inspection equipment, writing materials, reference books, laptop computer, outdoor clothing Desirable – digital camera that links to the lap top computer, a minimum level 2 (NQF) Arboricultural qualification If you would like to book a place on this course please email me at [email protected] I will then send you a booking form which needs to be returned with full payment to secure your place. Numbers are limited so places will be on a first come first served basis.