benedmonds

A parish council has just asked me to tender for some work which IMO at best doesn't need doing and at worst shouldn't be done. They want to reduce about a dozen trees, including a nice beech 30%. We've done work for them before and I had accepted the pointless bracing and did some works which were dubious. Should I tell them that the work is stupid and will cost them more in the future (as I would with a domestic client) or just get on with it? With the current economic climate and domestic work possibly slowing down. I don't want to turn down several grand of work. What would you all do..?

Our kwik chip 222 blew up this time last year, it's been sat for the last year needing a new lombardini engine. About time we got it on the road again.. Any one know any one good at refurbing chippers. We are in the East Midlands. Cheers

pollard the willow, fell the ash and replant.

Arbocop This thread was not a attack on the AA, although I'm sure you can find some threads which are.. If you read the posts you'll have read that cerneARB wanted - advice on "decent courses on tree hazard inspection." The AA course is not this. My issuses were that it could have been a course in tree Hazard inspection if correctly run. That is where I think the AA have gone wrong. The course leader was over involved with the details of health and safety and NO attempt at teaching occured. A decent teacher could have made it worthwile. If it is just an assesment it should be 1 day if it is a course then teach something. Or use decent pedagogy.. (google it).

I was on one of the early courses and I admit they have changed the wording, but I was really looking forward to it, and it was not what I was hoping for... The instructor was not good.. A half decent teacher could have delivered a decent course, simply doing group inspections where we discussed our results would have made the course worthwhile. Put me right off the AA..

You may have got from my last post I was a bit cross.. about the AA course. I am self employed and It was a 3 day £400+ course! I have a BSc in Ecology and a PGCE in Secondary Science and at the time over 5 years as a climber.. I know how to teach (I spent a year learning) and the course did not even try to give any training. In 3 days you should be able to teach tree inspection to people who know about trees but have not had any survey training. Having studied plant science as an undergrad I didn't need a biology lesson but some basic methodology and survey techniques. I may have been miss-sold it as a course but the assesment took 3hrs what is the rest of the 3 days for?

Ditto to what Tony said. I did the AA course and was very disapointed. There is no reason they couldn't have taught some tree inspection but they didn't! First day they send you out to inspect trees with no instruction or anything. My course "instructor" spent more time telling us about the risk assesment for sitting in the class room then inspecting trees. We all had to read and sign it and later when walking around the highly dangerous merrist wood campus had to wear yellow hi vis (orange were not acceptable..) The thing that was most irratating was that on the course were a number of very experienced people including several full time consultants and a lecturer. They could have taught me loads about tree surveys and I would have brought my years of experience gained from climbing and felling trees. My request to do the tasks in groups were not appreciated. We just had to walk round inspecting trees which at that time I had never done before. The QTRA people do a good: Practitioners Guide to Visual Tree Assessment http://www.qtra.co.uk/

Had a **** job today, felling a 40 inch diameter ash tree. In the centre of the tree there were several peices of steel. With only a a three inch hinge remaining I ended up with three blunt 36 inch and two 25 inch chains. We had the truck on it and some big wedges but it was a nervous time having a large lump of tree hanging over the road with not much holding it.. It got worse later in the day having to avoid being stabbed by several dozen syringes when we were clearing up.. Don't you just love the varied nature of the job..

I just spent £200 on a goretex high viz from fristads. Got it last week so expect a dry winter! It looks very tough and well made. I had a decent gortex northface jacket in black and some black US military overtrousers previously. I've had my North Face jacket since 1999 and it's still great. I just figured I was a bit difficult to see. Theres no such thing as bad weather only bad kit. Or something like that. I like decent kit and think its worth paying the extra.. I don't like being cold and wet!

My initial thoughts were just to leave be, mulch and keep the quiet people from meditating under it (it's in a silent retreat). But after a walk round I thought taking some weight out, especially the right hand limb would be better than having the limb break out. I don't think bracing is a good idea.. for any one accept my bank balance..

I forgot my hammer... I'll return tomorrow There is no sign of decay and I guess the cambium is still intact. It's not coming off in big patches, but flaking in small strips, if you gave it a good poke you could stip of lots of small pieces, but not like you might get with the honey fungus mycelium..

Got a nice veteran Sweet Chestnut, it's doing fine and the owner wants it to stay, do you think it's worth reducing prevent it breaking out in the future or should it be left well alone?

Any one know whats going on with the bark on this lime? Should I be concerned, it is a 20m tree within 4 m of several properties. The tree officer thinks its not significant. ..

When I was in Chistchurch, New Zealand, it took me ages to realise that all these big mature street trees which looked european were elms.

I like the plastic ones, don't trap you fingers..

I know of a bloke who swung into a peg and punctured his lung...

I did the bats in arb course last year, mostly because I'm into bats. It was interesting but basically warns you that bats can be almost any place.. which isn't that helpfull in the real world. Did tell us who to call if you disturb a roost etc. But with up to a 5K fine per bat if I did disturb one I'm not sure I'd want English nature to know.. It was not related to surveys however.

I brought one a year or so back and had some fun with it, but have yet to find a market for my fantastic burred oak, posts. Worked fine with a 064 and 36'. Simple to use, but takes a while. The drying of the timber seems to be the big issue. bar.http://www.canopytrees.co.uk/sawmill.htm

I'm after a employee contract.. if anyone has one. I can send anyone who wants the generic risk assesment which we use (its too big to post).. HSE blokes who visited liked it and has a simple A4 tick box to do for each job.

I'm looking for decent high viz orange water proofs for climbing in. It's got to be breathable gortex or the like..

Just thought I'd add a different take on partnerships. I went into partnership about 3 years ago. I was an experienced climber, he was a dairy farmer getting out of farming thinking about getting into tree work. He'd been doing the odd tree job and selling logs. I had the necessary tree skills he has a farm, space for truck, chipper, wood and a tractor.. We both brought different things to the business. Together we had enough kit and saws to get on with the job. We also both added about 6 grand, enough for a truck and chipper. We can share quotes, paperwork, maintenance ect.. If one of us needs time we can trust the other to get on with it. Now as we are expanding with two trucks we always have one of us out working with the crew. The other can go out and do quotes in the day time and work can still get done. So my advice would be find yourself a farmer, they work hard and don't expect much cash in return. I would also add that untill recently I could have earnt more money working for someone else. We paid ourselves a low wage keeping cash in backup so when sh*t happens like your chipper blowing up it's not game over.

In my old house which was built in the 1880s, I pulled out the 70's gas fire and stuck in a nice morso squirel wood stove, I didn't bother with the liner, I didn't even properly seal the flue in. Worked a treat.

The latest saw to go did have the s61D carb, the one before I couldn't find any numbers. My thoughts are a mix problem we generally mix 20 litres of fuel up at a time. We do shake it up but I guess that could be the problem..? Any one had similar issues?

This relates to my post on the equipment thread, as I'd like to know more about saws. Does any one know of a decent chainsaw maintenance course, more than CS30.