stevelucocq

Yeah Nepal is a great place with great people. I am keen to go back. It was pretty much the right time and right place for gettin involved with the RSPB work. A few years back I was on an IRATA course and one of the trainees was the project manager for vulture conservation with the RSPB, it all started from then. Did you go to Pokhara? Cheers Steve

hi, I was a part of this project working with the RSPB a few months back. This was the best thing I have ever done in my life! Stephen Lucocq's Photos - Nepal 2009 | Facebook Cheers Steve Hope you can access the pictures?

Great...thats enough replies for me...thanks steve

Hes on Amber watch in Kendal.

Hi, Has anyone had any training with treelife? Thinking of attending one of there courses? Cheers Steve

cheers...the climbing pictures were on a easy classic route call Bracket and Slab Climb (Vgood) on Gimmer crag in Langdale. The felled Beech was in a local park in Swansea. The tree pictures were after a long day scrambling on the hills around Patterdale. I saw so many old interesting trees whilst up in the Lakes it’s such a great place to visit. My friend has just joined the Fire and Rescue Service in Cumbria so plenty more climbing trips in the pipe line!

hi a few pictures from last weeks trip to the Lake District (Tree felling Local) Cheers Steve

Hi, I also took it today at Mycercough College (Preston), so now taking the chance to spend the rest of the week climbing in the Lakes (Rock). I thought it was an fair exam but felt i waffled on with paper 2. Fingers crossed for everyones results. I found Arbtalk a great help so thanks to you all! Also if I get through we should try to arrange a arbtalk get together to prepare for the management exercise? Best of luck to you all Steve

Hi, This I feel is a pretty good method statement template. Method%20Statement%20template[1].doc

Hi another bit long winded query about my Tech Cert Exam regarding Risk Assessments in tree work….OK I understand the use and need for Generic RA and Site Specific RA and I understand that these are a legal requirement under The Management of Health and Safety at work Reg. What I am unclear about is does COSHH (if only using petrol and oil), Working at Height Reg and PUWER also have separate risk assessments and are they essential? Or do these regulation just pay weight to the Generic and Site Specific RA? I do remember reading somewhere about keeping risk assessment simple, as this should encourage people to carry them out. What do most people in the industry do? Cheers Steve

Publications & Merchandise about half way down the page. Also any generic / site specific risk assessements would be good too. Cheers Steve

hi, heres one I picked up from the AA web site...its a bit meaty but covers all angles....cheers steve 2008_Generic_Method_statement[1].doc

hi, it was posted on arbtalk, feeling okish, working through past papers...goodluck steve

good effort on the grafting....the dec 2007 is the resit paper so well worth a look....keep up the good work!

hi, how you getting on? it from the Dec 2007 paper http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/training-education/7358-aa-technician-certificate-written-exam-4-weeks-2.html Cheers Steve

Another Tech Cert Question. Explain how an ancient tree situated on the edge of a development site may be protected? So far I have headings of: TPO – under Town and Country Planning Act Wildlife protection – under Wildlife and Country Side Act, Crow + Habitat Reg British Standard 5837 – tree root protection zone (barrier) Any others ?? thanks Steve

Great if we get through these first exams then I will try and get a topic or two going on here for preparation for the management exercises (October). Thanks for everyone help…

wild guess Liriodendron tulipifera (Tulip Tree) 'Fastigiatum'?

Yeah I feel I am making progress but some of the wordings of the past paper are so so.... also spotted this in the Draft BS 3998: 9.3.2 Species and cultivars Species with little ability to react defensively against wounding (e.g. Betula spp.) should be cut as sparingly as possible. Also, members of the Rosaceae and other species with high susceptibility to the silver-leaf fungus (Chondrostereum purpureum) should preferably be pruned only when their starch reserves are high, following good growing conditions during summer (information about the time of cutting is given in Clause 8). When there is a need to prune species such as Salix spp., which tend to produce a proliferation of very dense growth of weakly attached shoots from around each wound, the resulting branches should be managed by cyclic cutting at appropriate intervals, or selectively pruned until perhaps a stronger branch structure develops (see also shoot renewal pruning; F.3). If, due to problems which develop after pruning, crown management ceases to be a good option for managing an established tree, replacement with a species or cultivar more suited to the site should be considered. NOTE 1 Hazards from weakly attached branches which develop after pruning are less likely to develop if pruning is started on a formative basis when the trees are very young. NOTE 2 Where it is important to assess the energy levels of the tree, this can be done by means of a simple iodine staining test (see A new tree biology/Modern arboriculture [4,5]. This test ascertains the concentration of starch in a sample from the last three sapwood increments taken from a small core sample.

Thanks for that, just checked it out: 8 Season Most tree work operations can be carried out at any time of year. At certain times of the year, however, a few species respond to wounding by production of a copious exudation of watery liquid, resin or gum (“bleeding”); except on Prunus species and resinous conifers, work during these periods should be avoided if possible. NOTE The gum from Prunus species, produced in summer, affords protection against certain diseases, e.g. silver-leaf and bacterial canker.

Hey thanks for everyone input it is a real help….I am still unclear about the part of the question that mentions "examples of particular genera where appropriate?" also for C) with regards to increasing biodiversity how about drilling through areas of fungal decay in trees to break the boundaries of compartmentalization to aid the spread of the fungi?

Hi, I am ok with part A) but any pointers for B) would be good. Thanks Steve It is vital for a tree's continued well-being that it is able to defend itself against a variety of causes of dysfunction. (a)Describe the physiological response of a tree to pruning or wounding (as determined by Shigo). (8) (b) Explain ways in which tree maintenance operations can be managed to favour the tree's defensive processes, giving examples of particular genera where appropriate. (8) ©State under what circumstances and in what ways it might be acceptable to use our knowledge of the defence process to initiate decay, rather than prevent it? (4)

Hi, here is a update……ok it looks like it is Inonotus dryadeus as a few of you mentioned G.resinaceum looks more bread like when young…also other FB on same tree showing I think Ganoderma adsperum (smooth, hard crust, functional wood). There are a few of these brackets up and down the trunk and I understand I.dryadeus seriously weakens the wood in advanced stages and G.adsperum is more aggressive than G.applanatum, so it not looking good…….also notice the target….what’s people opinions on this one?

Hi, Internet tree ID is like trying to recognise some body from a picture of their nose!…..good effort Phenom here are the ID’s. Cheers Steve