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Mmmm...I accept your point MrT...infact, a level 3 qual is described as a prerequisite for the course.... I reckon if you are smart, you can wing the PTI with little or no experience or training...it really doesnt go into very much detail... Nevertheless, it is assumed you will have an " adequate" understanding of the various facets involved....A worthwhile training session also for what its worth imo.

Glad to hear you are being given the opportunity to do this technical award by your employer...How did you get a job you are not qualified for n the first place? Perhaps the local council authorities should seek out appropriately qualified and experienced employees...how comes this PTI award was devised in part. Sorry to say it annoys me that inspectors and surveyors are all too often not up to the mark...like bad tree officers.....a tree surgeons nemesis!! Good luck....I enjoyed it but then I'm a bit strange ......!

shabz1978...to some extent I sympathize with your view with regards the fickle nature of best practice for want of a better expression...but feel very strongly that there can be no room for complacency in this respect when the possible damage resulting from the use of chemical controls may well be irreversible in terms of the environmental impacts. I am not also condemning the use of this herbicide perse, although my personal view is that there may be little to recommend it in the final analysis; nor I hasten to add am I trying to suggest that you are using it without referring in the proper manner, to the guidelines provided for this "herbicide". I too have used it as posted previously in the belief that all was well ( within reason...instinct says chemical control can never be without consequence somehow..) It is also my view that it may be all too easy to seek to apportion blame to large conglomerate corporations. There may well be legitimate concerns regarding the nature of this herbicides' use however as it relates to fragile and or volatile, credit ridden economies. Such issues are likely to detract from the real business of the subject, muddying the waters and putting us all in a weak position as we go unheard and powerless to change anything about our practices because of the constraints of commerce. Catch 22. Enough....I actually only meant that with a failure rate as high as 80%, glyphosate seems barely to help...so why use it atall, question mark(?) In all seriousness, I find the issues of the effects on aquatic and amphibian lfe cycles quite clearly cannot pass unnoticed....Great thread...sorry for waffling people.

Perhaps shoulda started a new thread but figured this was a continuos theme so here goes.....Interesting little article vis a vis fungi and trees/wood and the role and place they occupy in our the order of things here abouts!! http://www.ehponline.org/docs/1993/101-3/innovations.html

Likewise...I am based in Norwich which is conveniently central , within easy access of the East of England.

Dont be confused mate.....apart from the enlightening information and view points being expressed in this thread ( aswell as some downright rude outbursts ) Rest assured nothing that is expressed or unearthed in the course of this thread will really impact the actions or policies of huge corporate business. If as you say, so much is applied by so few...the thread is by no means a waste of space or indeed that confusing... Take your time and assimilate the info .... It simply isnt all its been cracked up to be. The F.C is far from a viable concern as far as forestry production is concerned...Ifail to see the urgency where they are concerned...but as was expressed above...I also have no wish to undermine the commission for any reason.... The roadside /verge issues may be more persistent however....I feel absolutely certain that I am not telling anyone anything new...They are essential corridors , used by wildlife in this country as both habitat aswell as migratory routes.... Add to this the figure/precentage of roadside plantings that are "expected" to fail post planting ( this is a failure to become established ) It was as high as 80% last time I was reading this material...so then...it is no great leap of logic to see that continued and repeated use of a pesticide whose real nature " may" well be unreliable and misunderstood is a justified cause for concern!

I was told/have heard that the Armed Forces are no longer prepared to insure your life/medical requirements after a bungy jump ( assuming you are signed up naturally ) ...based I understand it , on the fact that your spine may well be , what..." modified" I suppose, post the jump...!! Reading between the lines then, it can be assumed to be a violent and probably not so great way to treat yourself if you plan on climbing in the long run!?<><><><

Didnt think a post in fungi pics was quite appropriate a place for this but hope some of you will enjoy this excerpt from Lynne Boddy and radio 4.....an interesting insight into the relationship between trees and fungi.... http://speechification.com/tag/lynne-boddy/

Is that some kind of joke...? Of course you realise that BS3998 does not cover use of anything other than "flexible" bracing ( cables then...... ) Where is our updated bs standard? All drilling and bolts and such....why are we waiting??

Scary stuff...I have used it many times in and around watercourses on behalf of The Wildlife trusts...sometime ago now but all the same...I am not impressed that this was the stipulated method of control in supposedly sensitive areas...( SSSI's ) Touched on this topic of debate recently in the realm of arboricultural education...I wonder we wont see its use banned entirely......?

Read first para..." Toxicity"..... Also find other link defective.......

Where is the tree as the AIAS maybe interested enough to investigate the root system post fell?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endophyte

The Art & Science of Practical riggin' is good....tho' judgin' by how much you guys whinge even about a few extra quid on a decent harness I am surprised to read that the d'ble dvd is worth it...personally no but hey.. For anyone interested.... treeremoval copy.pdf

Perhaps the best text for the PTI is Lonsdale's- "Principles of Tree Hazard Assessment & Management" in which there is a chapter dedicated to fungi...be aware tho" I would say that once identified as being of relevance to the course...the detail is lacking as it applies to the course requirements and so you will need to research further....I have not done the PTI however so I may be wrong..... You will benefit from a certain familiarity with Schwarze's seminal work "Fungal Strategies of Wood Decay in Trees". I would recommend this particular text to any, if not every, arborist. A knowledge of the anatomy of fungi . An understanding of their relevance to tree work and tree hazard evaluation and so it goes without saying, their various methods of decay processes.......I did at one time post the reading list that was recommended for the course......try searching for it maybe. I have heard differing accounts of how difficult the cert is....People with degrees in ecology find it beyond their capabilities whilst newbie know nowt arbos have said " what a piece of p**s"......I will find out for myself next week!

Hi Stuartsharp...welcome..... When trying to id your mycological finds, you will find it helps to use a key to deduce the culprits real identity...Precisely because the brackets are notoriously wide ranging in their host choice, position on hosts and in color...not to mention a penchant for "now you see me , now you dont" theatrics....... Classic Fomes.....cheers.

On this note I want to reiterate my request for a copy of bs3998 myself....cheers.

you could try posting the picture here......? http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/british-fungi

I too have tried to read it ( in the last 2 days or so ) and find it induces drowsiness! By reading between the lines it appears quite changed from its most current incarnation? The cost is a pita, thats 4 sure. The draft is by all accounts very comprehensive...covering just about everything on the face of it. I am dying to read a current 3998 standard for comparison and need2kno.....Perhaps someone can point me in the direction of an accessible copy atall? BS standards clearly need updating periodically if they are to remain current and of any real value to the industry.

A barberschair is promoted by the collapse of the stem beneath the felling cut due to the downward forces ( weight ) and the moment force at the time the directional cut ( gob ) closes and the " hinge" snaps effectively. In truth, the holding force of the wood needs be overcome at this time and if so, no barberschair......( I would not argue that this not the only ocurrence of what I have longsince regarded as barberschair failure)....read this ( Application of Engineering...etc..( view pdf) ) http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=4477 More stuff on canopy design and mass damping....." Aerodynamic Features of the Tree " ( view pdf ) http://joa.isa-arbor.com/articles.asp?JournalID=1&VolumeID=16&IssueID=9

This article appeared in Arb' Journal 1989.....( view pdf ) http://joa.isa-arbor.com/articles.asp?JournalID=1&VolumeID=15&IssueID=5

Andy...if you read my post, I think you will find thats exactly the point I make...perhaps with one exception....I do not value urban treestock as " a white elephant" ftr...the average life expectancy of an urban tree has been estimated @ 30 yrs....

Uh...! I'm not sure what your point might be trying to say in light of the hugely expensive and massively over-budget Olympic effort....Its seems a popular choice to spend out on a project aimed at promoting our profile when imo it is awkward timing to say the very least.... Olmpic games are fine but we are not competing to see who can waste the most money .....( Hard to believe I know when you look at the attempts made by governments to kickstart failing economies with money we havent got!!)