Taupotreeman

Nestegis cunninghamii? sorry for the continous posts.

I hate to admit it but my tree ID has been pretty lax lately. Too long in Auckland trimming Willows, Wattles and Bamboo out of power lines me thinks.

Hama, sorry to sound so thick but is mellia the only species of Armillaria that will kill trees and is Honey Fungus a broad term for all Armillaria species? The reason I ask is that if it is mellea then MAF bio security are going to be extremely interested.

As far as I know only really MAF and some of the bigger DoC centres. When I asked about the possibilty of HF in the region (naff all on the net about it) a couple of people I spoke to didn't even know what it was. Still waiting for another centre to ring me back. If I have no luck I'll try MAF (ministry of agriculture and fisheries) and see what they say. Comes to something when arbtalk knows more than the national conservation outfit. And that certainly isn't trying to be derogatory to the arbtalk community, far from it.

Can you believe this? I ring up Department of Conservation to try and find out a little more about Honey Fungus in the area and nobody seems to know anything. Investigate further I shall.

Having a nosey at some of the cracking photos throughout the site I've realised that my poxy little point and shoot isn't really up to much so thought I might bye myself a bit of an upgrade and maybe a couple of photographic courses to learn how to use one properly. I've no idea where to start and there seems to be an awful lot of second hand stuff out there at reasonable prices. So, camera specialists, what camera and is second hand enough to do the job or should I buy new? Any other advice would be welcome.

That's an absolute doozy. Some of these photos really should be framed. I've seen worse fetching a small fortune and some of the rubbish I see in so called art galleries these days..........

I used to love the pint of milk from Beasley farm at the top. Then walking behind the waterfall on the way down. Good times.

Have you checked the oil pump for a blockage? My MS200's are always blocking up

Better odds than the lotto so it's got to be worth a crack.

Cracking day.

I'll take your word on it Hama, who am I to question? I'll convey the good news to the land owner. Might have a bit of dig in the soil once they decide it has to go. Looks like I'll have to keep an eye on the rest of the trees in the area too. So far only the Rhodies have been affected and this one tree but if it's Honey then I presume the other trees could possibly start showing syptoms at any time?

I've been trying to figure it out. I've seen it before but I just can't put my finger on it. It's probably common as muck but I just can't name it. If you recognize it put me out of my misery.

Dropping logs and items out of the bucket and trying to hit someone I thought was a game. The more limbs and objects you could hit on the way down and still hit someone the more points you got. Seriously though, People should be well away from the work zone so if they do get clobbered then more than likely they are too close.

I think we have only had a couple of instances of Honey fungus but it doesn't seem to be as prevelant as in the UK. I'll pop back and have another look but I thought if it was HF it would also affect neighbouring trees.

Dear oh dear oh dear.

Couple of pictures if that helps. The bark is way too hard to scrape off without a knife. No real smell from the earth around although there is a small soil build up (about 15-20cm square) to one side (with the sprinkler on it) that smells faintly shroomy. The Manuka and other trees to the side of the declining one seem unaffected though Rhodies further around the garden keep dying off. Not sure if the two are related.

At the moment I have no idea. It's a NZ native but that's as far as I've got I'm afraid. There's still some live foliage left on it but with the speed of the die back on the rest of the tree I'd imagine it won't be long before it's all brown. The tree is about 15 feet high. I can get photos if that's of any help.

I've just been called out to have a look at a clients tree. Apparently a few months ago one of its branches began to have the foliage brown off. Within a month two thirds of the tree has browned off. The leaves are soft to the touch rather than dry and brittle. There are no signs of poisononing and a tree within two metres of it is fine and dandy. The land owners have also had issues with Rhododendrons around the garden turning yellow and dying. They have an irrigation system that waters the area although it has been very dry here for the past couple of months until recent heavy rains. No photos at the monet but any ideas out there?

You can buy a bucket scabbard that hangs on the inside of the bucket. It gives you a place to put the saw in between cuts rather than around your feet and means you don't keep having to detach a strop. Been pulled out of a tree once (when I was learning) when a big chunk of wood jammed the saw and went over. I was tied in so was on the end of my rope with the wood hanging off the saw. In all honesty I can't remember how I got myself out of the predicament. I think when it comes to a MEWP it's more the prospect of being attached to the bucket while a large chunk of wood tries to drag you out. Also, if the wood is a big enough piece there is the possibility of shock loading the boom.

Cheers NItree, that makes a whole lot more sense.

Moon monkey; I don't work for free for eveybody but I will sometimes do extras for the odd person here and there free of charge. These people do not go and tell all and sundry that I work for free, rather that I leave a good impression on them and they are more willing to pass my name on to the next person. I'm not sure if you are self employed or not but word of mouth is, in my eyes, the best way of getting work. For the sake of a little extra freebie this extra work is invaluable. As for the hedge is a hedge, a tree is a tree; I think you'll find several members on here that will disagree with that statement and have a much more personal relationship with the fauna and flora they work with. That isn't meant to sound or mean anything distinctly kinky either. Some are just passionate about what they do to the extent that weekends are spent studying the ecosytems within the tree canopies or the fungi that grow on the forest floor. For some of us it is way more than a job. For me to learn something that would be of the betterment of my knowledge or life either now or in the future I would happily do some time for free. Many conservation volunteers do this in order that we, the general population, have a better place to live because we can't be bothered or don't have the time and inclination or both. And, for the final statement; I know and have heard of several brickies and other tradesman who will volunteer their services, for free, for a worthy cause. Some know it as charity but it can come in several guises. It depends on the situation.

What's wrong with clearing a couple of branches of one of those felled trees and parking your backside on that to sharpen up? Plenty of little stumps for the bar to lean in to when you sharpen; easypeasy.

The wife loved the Smash ads; absolute TV classic. No smoke without fire bats-n-trees? We don't get too much fire in that little hill, just lots of smoke, ash and big boulders. Maybe it's time for a change of avatar. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkpl2IpCj4o]YouTube - If you can dream it, you can do it - Toyota Advert[/ame] Toyota seem to come up with some doozies

A long time ago, in a far off place.....the bosses brother in law was helping us out on a job digging out the root of a tree we had dismantled. We dug a large pit around the roots, attached the 4WD and then slowly but surely pulled the stump while cutting the roots one by one. The brother in law grabbed a hold of one root and ran the bow saw through it forwards. Turns out it wasn't a root but the main service cable to the house. Fortunately, because the guy had run the saw in a forward motion rather than backwards, he had put the nose of the saw into the earth as he cut through the line saving him from either shock or something worse. It melted the the blade on the saw though. Turns out the cable had been buried about a foot below ground level.