Jack-Arb aka Tiago Sinclair-Julio.

Hi Rentachimp, The one tip I know about wood to burn is quite obvious but good to know. Ash burns well when fresh because its water content is about 50%, beach as about 90% water content and elm around 140% signifying that green elm is more water than wood. Sycamore logs stood vertically will soon produce a poll on the ground at its base. Water retained like this is known as free water, when wood has lost all its free water, it is said to be at fibre saturation point which in most hardwoods is around 30% moisture content. (green woodworks -Mike Abbott) Tiago

Hi tom, Interesting fact that, just to show how dependent we are to fossil fuels! The day is comeing when the last oil well is dried up, whats gonna happen then all the machines that run on oil, most cars in the world run on oil based fuel it really gives me the creeps to think about this time. T

Hello guys, I am curious to know what is the general opinion of us arborist about climate change! I think its difficult to argue about wether its happening or not, most defenetly it as changed, its hotter winters are alot less colder than they use to be. But what really interests me is it man made or not? So the poll is: climate change man made? Or is climate change a natural thing? What do you think? Theres so much talk about it now days that people just follow what they hear on the TV and media. I have thought about this and because im no expert its very difficult to have proper arguements on the subject, however I think that theres little prove to suggest that its really man made. And a lot of it is paranoia and fear that goverments and organisations that benefit from all this propaganda put in people. Fear is a great tool to make people accept things that are not absolutly proven. Im not saying that one should ignore it but I have serious doubts about wether its man the responsible one. Im the type of person that realizes that the way we live is completly unsustanable and that something as to give in, its not gonna continue like this for much longer. Im against people owning big cars if they dont need them. We all should be much more aware of how important our limited resources are. Save water, electricity, petrol, recycle alot more, not buying things that are over packed and that can be recycled. To be aware of what one eats and where it comes from, why buy apples from south africa when england as plenty of them and things like this... Why wash your car every week I probably sound like someone who really believes man is responsible for climate change but Im not theres no real proof that I've seen. But i do believe that we could do alot better saveing resources. Now makeing this a bit more relevant to us arborist, is it gonna be bad to have olive trees and cork oaks growing happy in the UK? Negative consequences like what I read about beach trees would really suffer if tempertures would rise significantly. I dont completly understand this because I know beach tree grow in Portugal but maybe these ones wouldn't manage to cope with the sudden change! But like everything evolution would have its way eventually I think, we could lose lots of tree but things would slowly balance out.

Hi MattyF, Yes its very bad what happened to those trees. What happened was that cracks started to appear in my grannys house so she had the surveyours have a look at them, and what they established the cause of the cracks on the wall were the 2 poplar in the back of the garden. So they recomended the trees to be reduced, her house insuranse company paid and arranged the work to be done. I havent a clue who did the work on them but they where seriously hammered and left with a horrible shape too. A couple of years after that I had just completed my National Dip in Arb and on one of my visits to her I saw the regrowth was getting big, so I offered to do the job of cutting it back to the previous points and make it into a pollard so every 3 to 4 years cut the growth back and manage it this way. So these pictures are the first cycle sinse the original reduction and when this happens the terrible work becomes very visible! And these days Im living with her and its coming the time to do it again and im not looking foward at all to them. Hopefully when those pollard heads become more apperant it will make the tree less of a abortion gone wrong! Anyway thats there story. Jack

Hi Drella, Here in the UK in most towns you find as a street tree either lime's or London Planes, and both of them are good trees to pollard. So in lot's of city's you'l find street after street with these trees, and in alot of cases they are managed as a pollard, every so many years all growth is removed, generally they are no taller than 5 meters, this is from ground level to pollard heads. Here some typical examples in these pic... Bye, Jack

No I didn't really understand what you meant and some of the American arb slang have no idea what it means. But did understand what you guys call topping there. Thanks anyway, need to sleep now... Bye Jack

My view on the header is simply that I dont really pay much notice to it, as soon i open arbtalk page I straight away press unread posts. The artwork its self I dont find it nothing spectacular, 3d letters coloured in with a wood effect... Maybe something inter active that changes into other things when touched by mouse.... But its fine as well? jack

Hi, My point is what do you call a tree that hasn't pollard heads because its only started the cycle prunning regime. Most defenetly agree that its a horrible reduction work, but the aim now is to keep cutting it back to those points. So it will be a pollard now when is it correct to call it pollard. Jack

Hi guys, I have and want to understand, what is the meanning when - generally speaking arborist mean by certain terms,because I have a feeling that words like pollarding, reduction, topping can have little different meaning's for different people in certain context's. As an example - to most people, a pollard is a tree that from an early age as been cut back to a dertemined hight and on a regular cycle all the growth is cut back to the same points of previous years, creating pollard heads.... At times this is done not in the early years of a tree, but its still a pollard if from there after a regular cycle is created to manage the tree, to me this is a pollard even dough it wasn't done in the ideal way! So if a tree as its crown reduced by 20% and lets say that every 3 years all the growth is cut back to the same points, its a pollard, but the first work on it was a reduction to establish the desired hight and shape. So what I'm trying to say is that all trees that have been pollarded at a late stage have been topped or reduced to begin the regular prunning clycles. So then the first set of works have been bad practice for alot of arborists but after a few prunning cycles it becomes acceptable pratice... Or a pollard is only a pollard if done from an early age and cant be no higher than the first few crooks? To me its more the prunning cycles and the pollard heads, than the age of its first time done or its hight.... So lots of questions arise from this, like any one off reduction is detrimental for the tree therefore seen bad practice for lots of arborists. Can a tree be reduced by 20% and be considered a pollard or its just a pollard if more than 50% is removed, regardless of any future prunning cycles? The ather day speaking about these definitions my boss said that theres a lack of a word to express the difference between topping reducing/re-shaping or the start of a prunning cycle regime, in other words pollarding, and I do agree with him. Do you guys see it like this or not? Curious about people's response to this!!! Ciao Jack-arb ps-Removal of growth back to the same points of original reduction done 3 years earlier.... Are these pic of a junior pollard or not? Or simply bad long term tree management?

Hi guys, Around the first few serious jobs, up in the top of a tall tree a sudden thought strikes your mind, something like - f1ck1ing hell do I want do this for a living? The ones who overcome the shakiness sensation of blowing in the wind along with the tree and execpt that a chainsaw + rope are going to become really good friends of you! Once one's ok with this crucial fact, and execpt it - then yes you are tree surgeon. This is more or less what happened to me!!! Jack

This photos are of a huge ruber tree in Sicilie, its one tree only it really is a monster! As far as I know its a South American tree, but the size of it would make one think that its 500+ but it cant cause we still didnt croos the atlantic then! I dont really know my history that good but it might have been brought over in the time the spanish and portuguese were in south america, maybe! jack

Hello Phenom, I think I understand what you going through, the only advice I can give you is what I would do in your shoes... If you feel that the Thec Cert is really what you want to do, and sinse you say the course sounds great, dont let the price be the thing stopping you from doing it. Theres always ways around these things, contact you're Local Authority find out if theres grants or any type of help for mature people to study. This was suggested to me by someone at Merristhwood, on my interview day (last monday). The travelling thing I know its a bugger, me too its made me think about whats the cheapest way to get there. And its a difficult one, but again it cant be the thing thats gonna stop you doing the course. What I thought of, is once the course starts and one gets to know people, with some luck theres someone with a car coming from the same sort of way! And most people are happy to give a lift and for a few pounds a week towards juice it might be a win-win situation good for both. I know lots of if's and but's.... But what I mean is go for it, dont let stupid fee's stop you doing it. Cause in the end you have a great qualification that opens lots of doors. Anyway good luck - it will all work out! Tiago

Dazlog One other thing is your course 2 or 3 years and one extra year for the Honors done in a Uni isn't it? This one at Merristwood is 3 years + the extra one in Uni!!! Four long years in total... Im sure that some places do it in 2 years + 1.... How many people are in your course? In this one 6 so far, quite good i think small class can make big difference. Cheers good night, Tiago

Hello dazlog, Had my interview yesterday, it was my first time at Merristwood and I was quite impressed with its grounds. Lovelly veteran oaks spotted all around the campus, and a nice little wood as well, very nice.... Yeah the interview was quite informal, one of the course coordinators or tutor spoke with me for a while. Most of it was speaking about my passed qualifications and experience, where I previously studied and the outcome of my passed arb qualifications. Then about where Im now and where I want to be in the future... We talked about the structure of the course and what sort of input one needs to aim for... All in all I felt it was quite helpfull and usefull. I was offered a unconditional place in the course, that was nice to hear, at this stage its all still open, no comittements from either part. I still need to hear from the Northampton college. Does anyone know anything about this college in Northampton? I've heard very little about it compared with Merristwood, wonder how long they've been doing arb there. From what she told me its a full on course lots of assigments and practicals in the lab etc... The another thing she told me that I wasn't at all aware was that its almost essential to be working because a lot of the work is connected with your current job and what one is doing. She said its a three way contract almost, all parties have a roll in it. Is it the same kind of set up at yours? She basically was saying that its designed for people who are working in the industry. I didn't realise this at all. The subjects where pretty much the ones you said. Thanks and good night Tiago

Hi monkeyd, Yes I do think its a very good idea for a thread. I need to go to Portugal and take some photos of my great cork oak trees, I have very few pictures of any of those trees. I have a couple that I'm gonna try and post here but its not of any spectacular specimen. Anyway when I saw the pic of that Boab, it came to my head something I read about them that was quite funny. It was something like this - God dropped Boabs trees from heaven and they landed upside down, thats why there crown look like roots in the air... Or something along those lines, quite funny I thought cause it does make sense. Great thread im sure thers gonna be some nice pic posted here soon. Bye Tiago

Its nice hear from someone who's doing it, glad to know you run a business at the same time you study, im sure its hard work combining both but in the long run its worth the effort... Are you finding it a lot harder than you expected, does it require much more weekly hours than you thought it would? How many subjects are there in the first year and how many assigments does one have to write for each subject? Im applying for Merristwood - Guilford and in Northhampton and depending on how many days it is a week and which days of the week its on I'll make a decision to which I'll go to! Theres quite a lot of factors involved in this plan of mine that I need to consider and not all of them I have control over, but hopefully it will all come together and work out. I'll keep in touch, take care! Tiago

Hi dazlog, Thanks for that! Where are you doing it, and how are you finding it, hard work? Are you doing it part or full time? Im thinking of doing it part time and work at the same time, but im a bit worried about how many hours one is expected to put in it to do well. Cheers and good luck for the rest of the course! Tiago

Hi monkeyd, Pity that the pic are a bit blured cause theres so nice photos there! What a day it didn't stop pissing down for a moment... I tend to disagree with topping trees in any kind of scenario but now im chaging my mind in certain cases, and this is a good example. I prefer to have a mature topped beach tree than no tree, or a baby replacement. I know that some might argue that theres no dignity left in the tree, but lets wait and see how well the tree reacts, it just might put lots of growth and form a nice lower canopy and live for a few more decades! Wouldn't have done this on a open growing tree, that I think would have been wrong.... Ciao, boa noite! Jack

Hi Mr Bish, What I mean by it can become harmfull if left unchecked, is that theres nothing one can do to treat it, but between now and the time the fungii as completly damaged the structural integrety of the tree, theres quite a lot of time. And theres things that one can do to prolong the time that the tree is no longer safe to be left standing. Depending where the tree is standing and what are the targets around it, this will play a big part on how soon the tree will be removed. By the looks of the tree its very healthy at the moment so i think theres no imediate need to do anything. I'm not an expert either on fungii but I think chicken of the woods is not particular fast decayer, (could be wrong). But surelly there is a few good years before it goes, in the mean time I think its important to dertemine how extensive is the decay on the trunk. Being a big tree a crown reduction or even a pollard might be apropriate to reduce sail affect, and sweet chestnut cope quite well with heavy prunning. And regular inspections to see what symptoms the tree shows and how solid the stem sounds could give you a good idea to when the tree is no longer safe to be left standing. Thats my opinion but do some more research on the subject, im not a fungii expert. But from work I do know that chicken of the woods is a potential stem decayer that can make a tree fail! Keep it posted. Jack

Hi Mister T, I personally like to use the dog's tooth when doing a fell. Its a brilliant cut, and a lot of times I use it without having a leaning tree, like the text book says to do! I just find it a nice tidy cut with loads of control. Easy to create the perfect hinge... In your picture it looks like you used a ruler on that hinge! The only thing I would say about that whole cut, (and its not even that important) but I would have done a little differently would have been the height of the back cut. I would have tried doing it a little lower. I dont mean the dog's tooth bit, the actual boring cut just a bit lower. Any how nice pic! Jack

Hello chaps, I've recently applyed for the Foundation degree in Arb at Merristwood and today got a call from them inviting me for an interview. Thinking about it, it occured to me, what sort of interview is it going to be? Are they going to make a decision wether to select me or not according to how well I do in the interview? Or is it more like a formallity to find out more about my background in Arboriculture? Either way, should I be worried and pick up the books to revise stuff? Has anyone gone through this or have an idea of what exactly this is all about? Drop us a line, if you know what I should expect? Cheers, Tiago

Hi Mr Bish, Its growing on a Castanea sativa isn't it? My guess would be the same as Mr Ed's, very early stages of chicken of the woods, and if its the case you might have tell your client that after all its quite harmfull if left unchecked doing its thing. Not quite sure how fast this fungii decays sweet chestnut. Check it out when its a little more mature, cause the Chicken of the woods I've see around here at these early stages have been a good month ago... Let us know what it is! Tiago

Hi, Yes I'll use a ladder to get up the first 15/20 foot, not always but any thing that makes life a little easier I well come it. Ciao Tiago

Hi there, I do know that spores are in the air in there milions, and that they can be in a tree for years until the conditions are just right for it to activate itself and start its life cycle. But what I dont really understand is, can one say with a degree of certanty that a tree got infected through a particular prunning wound or any other place? And does the location of the fungal fruiting body on the tree mean that the infection entry point was around that area? I dont think so because like any disease, symptons not always reflect what area the fungii is! Is this correct? Thanks any one who could make this a little clearer for me! Tiago

Hi Dave, Just read your post and agree with most of the things you say and the way you decided to manage that particular tree. The one thing I dont really understand is how can one say that the tree was infected via one way or the other. When I think of fungii that have spores as the way of colonising other trees always makes me wonder what are the chances of these tiny spores blowing in the wind, and findind a open wound to enter there host. The chances seem so small, but there not cause theres plenty of infected trees around to prove it! But yeah my point is that I'd never really heard of infection entry point being that clear cause any broken branch or prunning cut are pontentially an entry point... Any how, good way to think about these things! Good night Tiago