Jon Hartley

Do any of you guys who have completed the first year have any book recommendations for the year?

Our specs are very clear.

BUT

When a customer who essentially employs five crews has a tantrum it's best to give him back his dummy

What did you do then- go on - let us know

Did you say go swivvel or

did you go back all humble and remove every last bit of wood- then get another call saying the tennant has complained that there is a dip in his garden filling up with water that is a safety issue.

Then you went back with 2 tones topsoil and spread

Tennant complained that it wasn't green

back you go and turf

tennant complains it has gone all yellow and how could they water it as there is a hosepipe ban and the corners are kicking up presenting an H&S issue.

Reminds me of the song ' theres a hole in my bucket'

Don't you just love it

We went bent over and took our medicine!

2tonne of topsoil and seeded the garden!!!

The customer is always right

Big trees, small drop zones, long days, insects, heat, no ppe except helmet, decent money, career progression consulting arborist in the city's or start your own gig!

This isnt far off the mark but there are some companies doing the right thing.

I can only comment on my area. Council do have there own arborists. Mostly from a non arb specific back ground though. when you get here you can enrol on a TAFE course to do the Level 5 Diploma in Horticulture/ Arb. course. This is the base consultanncy qualification. You can submit your present qualifications as evidence for Record of Prior Learning (RPL). This will negate the need to complete the whole course as you may be awarded certain modules as a result.

The industry here has come a long way in the last 5 years but the "Joe Bloggs Tree Lopping" end of the scale is diabolical!! Most companies are coming round to the fact that helmets MUST be worn and chaps Must be warn when using a saw...yes, even for one cut! I think the industry in a similar place to where it was in the UK 10 years ago and it is moving forward. If your going to climb, find one of the companies leading the way.

I cant see that Council would offer sponsership for a position that it could fill from within the country but I may be wrong. Council dont pay as well as the private sector either.

What quals and experience do you have and where are you thinking of living?

have a look at arbjobs there is plenty there

Good luck, its a massive move but a fantastic lifestyle!

We removed some young Weeping Figs at a Government owned housing association style property a few weeks ago.

We were asked to remove the tree, grind the stump and surface roots. Figs have a load of shallow and surface roots which can cause quite a lot of structural damage.

We did as we were asked but as you can imagine, grinding a whole area instead of just the stump produces a fair amount of spoil and this is quite woody due to amount of root involved. This is generally raked level so there are no holes or significant lumps and bumps "trip Hazards" and left for which ever contractor does the landscaping or to break down naturally.

Basically we removed the tree, ground the stump and surface roots.

I got a call from a house inspector yesterday to tell me we had to revisit the site, rake up ALL the spoil and take it away. I explained that if we raked the top "woody bits" off there would be more underneath to a depth of 150mm ie to the depth of the grind and if he was concerned the area should be re-landscaped by an appropriate contractor.

Long story short...The MD got a call from the head of procurement in the government department and I was told in no uncertain terms to get a crew back there tomorrow!

Why has this gone so far I hear you ask?

Because of "a Health and Safety issue". The tenant has made a formal complaint because the spoil is "a potential choke hazard for the kids"!!!!!

Why are your kids eating wood?

When are the public going to realise that there is no such thing as risk free and assume some level of responsibility for themselves?!

FdSc northcountryboy.

I did the RFS Cert. Arb. in 1999 (not at myerscough). It was a real eye opener for me. Id been climbing for 3 years by then and the knowledge I picked up in that year made me realise what I was doing poorly and why I was doing the things I was doing well. It really did start me on the way down my career path proper

A really good course, I know you will get a lot from it and I truly hope you enjoy it!

Very happy to say that I have been accepted onto the course and start in September!

It seems that I will be in good company with several others here also starting. It sounds like it may be good to be able ask the odd question here and get a quick response from one another rather than hanging out for the official response from tutors!

I must admit that I am a little worried about time management with working full time and baby on the way...its going to be a busy year!!

I wouldn't over thin it or thin it at all, it will have little effect on light levels and may cause to much adventitious regrowth creating even more shade.

 

A lift will have a greater effect on ambient light and as the pruning wounds will be shaded the regrowth should be minimum, coupled with a very light thin should give a better result.

Sound advice!!

sorry to here its a little rubbish, a pint of tea goes a long way to help though!

The Ausies got a day off today for Anzac Day (a bank holiday for rembemberance day) its been a beautiful day in the surf with the turtles for me!!!

.....as far as the walnut goes, Id leave it until its in leaf.

it wont be generating energy, not till its leafed up, it is USING reserves stored over winter and in the roots and zylem.

 

best to leave it a while but if the client wont wait a light thin should be o.k reduction definitely not.

correct me if I'm wrong but...the tree will be producing energy. It will have been respiring away like mad using the stored carbohydrate in the xylem and roots to produce the energy it needs for growth. It will start producing more carbohydrate when its leafed up!

This was a good article i read which got me thinking Secret forest sell-off 'shopping lists' drawn up by conservation groups | Environment | The Guardian

Interesting article.

It probably is pie in the sky, but it doesnt do any harm to dream!

Thanks

Thanks teequip, I think there was a lot TV references in there!

I saw the chap on Grand Designs years ago (I think that is the chap you were talking about)Charcoal burner in Sussex? He did build an amazing home for himself and I think extended for his family later but that may be incorrect.

As far as escape to the country wannabes...I couldnt agree more!

Go on woodlands.co.uk, woods4sale.co.uk and forests.co.uk and you can search woodland for sale. As to building a house in the woodland I doubt you will get planning, and if you do you will have very strict guidelines that will greatly decrease the amount of options you may have.

Thanks for this. There is even advice on planning permission on the woods for sale site!

I've been Down Under for a few years now saving hard. The Australian dollar is looking pretty good against Pounds Sterling so when I end up moving back home to good old Blighty I will have a decent deposit to be able to buy the new family a new home.

I have heard tell of woodland being sold by the forestry commission (is this right?) and have managed to get all misty eyed about living in and managing my own area of woodland!

I am pretty certain that getting planning permission to build a habitable dwelling in an area of woodland will be pretty difficult?

I know some of you will have experience in this area and any advice or info would be happily received!

Youve got a basic qualification that should help you get a groundies job. I dare say you have a first aid certificate from the security work too.

It definitely is the best way to learn the ropes, the best groundies are often climbers.

Dont be put off by any prima donna climbers shouting the odds, there are plenty of them! Its a great industry to work in and modern ergonomic climbing techniques are loads better for your body than they were even 15 years ago. Good luck

Agreed the fire looks to have been intense! There is no real way of knowing what damage has been done until the tree has had time to react to this event, and show through its 'body language' how it is responding to any damage. It doesn't look to be a particularly big or awkward tree to remove, whether there is a new fence or shed underneath it or not. Therefore the costs involved in its removal won't be significantly different either way, so why not try to retain it if you like it? It looks a nice tree, and as said before any dysfunctional/dead wood is great for biodiversity.

It seems an unnecessary shame your insurance company has said it won't be covered. It may be worth asking them if they will cover it following an arboricultural/tree hazard and risk assessment stating whether or not it is actually safe, perhaps highlighting any management options or future concerns. Feel free to contact me for further info if you decide to go down this route. All the best, Kevin

I agree.

In order to make an informed decision the only real option is to wait and see the extent of damage. Nature is remarkably resilient! I would have thought it was worth finding out if your neighbours insurance company would liable for cost of remedial works/ removal, if it is then I don't see why this couldn't be deferred until such time as any damage to your property (tree) is more quantifiable.

Its worth an ask. Good luck.

Hi Steve, Im going to have to wait until Sunday to have a good look. I guess that the content is based on UK/European even Northern hemisphere species? Im down under along with a lot of other British Arbs and there are some differences down this way (especially in the tropical and sub-tropical areas). The screen shots look great. My fungi ident is abysmal and Im certain that this app will be of great help. Thanks.

Full Time positions with consistent 5 days a week plus all the benefits of tax, superannuation, public holidays, annual leave & sick pay all taken care of will likely run $20-35 per hr

 

Sub Contractors without any of the above might be $35-$40 for a novice wanting to get out there, $40-60 for good productive, self-sufficient climbers with their own saws & rigging gear, $60-100+skys the limit proportionate to the the value you bring.

This is sound, accurate advice.

Nice to see a bat eating insects!!! We only see fruit bats in Queensland with any regularity....wierd the things you miss about home!!!

I have an HTC. Im no technofreak but if you can take a call from a client on an Iphone without it dialing for a pizza half way through your conversation Im sold!!!

Have a look here

NPTC | QualificationsForestry & Arboriculture

This is the main qualification route taken in the UK.

Hope it helps

Good advice should be free and not a few hundred quid, your not commercial are you? It's just finding an impartial arborist with sound knowledge to come round and have a look.

Why would you leave the office, drive to a clients home/business, spend time and resources investigating the situation and then give away your product? If this is something you do regularly you are selling yourself and the industry short.

If somebody comes to see your tree and gives you "free" advice I guarantee they recommend works and offer their services for such works. There is an obvious conflict of interests here!

Its very nice if you can find someone to do this for you however!!

Like I said before, there are a lot of qualified people on this forum and if you upload the right pics, you will get good general advice for a whole host of tree related issues.

That trees vitality doesnt look too good! Id have someone come and have a look.

Good advice is worth paying for!

Im sure that there plenty of well qualified guys that are relatively local to you here on the forum. You can also find a list on the Arboricultural Association website.

Good luck

All cutting is wounding. By cutting off all the green bits the tree wont be able to produce food and will become reliant on carbohydrates that it has stored within its woody structure and roots untill it can replace the lost leaves.

Ash does appear to "cope" with the hard pruning being suggested here. It will rapidly (depending on the time of year) put out new shoots in order to replace the leaf area it has lost. The result will be a very dense canopy (which could block more light than already does). This kind of stress limits the trees defences against pathogen attack. Decay fungi are already present in the wood. They are simply waiting for the right conditions to become active. By topping the tree and causing such large wounds in the stems it is likely that this will be the case. This is why we dont top trees.

Its not an easy decision to make but sometimes its better to just realise that it may be the wrong tree in the wrong location and remove it! There are other trees behind so it wouldnt be a massive shock if it was to go and the other trees look young enough to respond well to the altered exposure they would be subjected to.

Didnt you notice the tree before you moved in?