Will Hinchliffe

Wednesday mornings reduction. Targeted weight reduction of 4 long limbs and some shaping in of the reduction work. Mark did the left I did the right side. We had previously recomended reduction work on the long limbs but they didnt go for it. One of the limbs failed earlier in the year so they have now had the work out so they dont loose any more of the crown.

Its really cool Its going to be even better when its full of comments to:thumbup:

There all junk you know:001_tt2:

Zipping some stuff over a shed for some weight reduction on long limbs and removal of major deadwood.

Thin and lift on a coppiced Sycamore in Coppice close, close to a house.

Top work people:thumbup1: Got my camera back working again, so im going to join in. One from Thursay. Heavy Beech reduction 30%+ Heavy on the top and heavy on the sides! Not my most delicate but a lot of care still went into it.

When we run it dry its done on tick over after emptying the fuel tank so I dont think it stops the engine from being lubricated.

Mostly because my boss tells me to and its his saw. I think its on advice from someone who uses theirs alot and because the 880 got scorred on 50:1, rebuilt and then seized. We also try to empty the fuel tank then run the saw till it dies before it goes away because it doesnt get a great deal of use. I think this is to stop a build up of 2stroke in the carb when fuel evaporates out of the carb but Im not sure. The 395 and the Alpine magnum are also run on a more oily mix.

We run ours on 35:1 so thats 150ml of oil in 5 litres of petrol. Yours all fixed up then?

Excellent article. Do you know where it was published and when. I have been given extracts from it before. I think the consideration of the influences on moisture and airation distribution through the tissue is the most interesting part for me. Apparently Lyn Body (sp?) from the university of Cardif has done experements with freshly cut pieces of wood showing that different endophytic fungi become established depending on the environmental conditions the piece is subjected to. The tissue already contains spores from lots of different species. I would like to read something written by her, I have only ever heard it being discused. Cheers for the post mate. Made me turn of the telly and everything!

I think You get a better finish with a good hedge cutter. They do say that exhaust fumes damage box, so a long reach is advisable. At Longleat they use Electric hedge cutters called Little Wonders so as not to gas the box. Its also very important to clear away the trimmings well.

If I can I might try and enter. Id like to give it a go. Ive not even been to see one before.

I think they are built for climbing. The HSE take a very dim view of them being used on the ground:lol:

Very cool Mr Blair

Certainly some good habitat in the decaying wood, but any suggestion that the above trees are Vetrans or come close to simultaing the habitats offered by true vetrans is way off the mark. Quite brave keeping them in the locations they are but they are never going to be left alone and the full array of niches that the decaying stems will provide will be interupted as further works are carried out. Good post Sean

When applying soil additives or tackling soil compaction I feel it is necessary to have some idea of the impact the change to the soil will have. Consideration of the site history must be undertaken. Habitat destruction is as great a threat to fungi as it is to other organisms in the UK. When adding nutrients to the soil by mulching or adding fertilizers we change the soil environment and the species make up of the microbial communities change. Ancient woodlands have escaped the ploughing, manuring and applications of imported and artificial fertilisers that surrounding farmland has been subjected to. The soils of some woodlands may host fungal communities that have evolved and adapted over thousands of years. Some woodlands have very low nutrient levels and it is thought that even the small increase in the levels of atmospheric Nitrogen due to the advanced technology we now use is influencing the woodland mycota. Nitrophillic Fungi become more prevalent occupying niches previously taken by fungi that are adapted to low nutrient environments. So imagine how drastic an effect applying mulch could have to an ancient woodland soil. Also think of the miccorhizae in a soil. The genetics of the fungi involved vary with provenance. We need to conserve this variation. Changes to there habitat may lead to them being out competed and lost from a site. In my opinion one of the worst things horticulturists and arborists are doing at the moment is adding spores of miccorhizae forming fungi to soils where fungi are already present. There seems to be no research investigating the influence these inoculations have on the soil fungi that are present. I would suggest that as the species chosen for these inoculations are chosen because they so readily form associations they may have a good chance at out competing fungi that is presents especially if you pulverise all the hyphae by use of an air spade. Airspades, Terravent machines, mulches and miccorhizal inoculations all have there uses in managing trees and the landscape. There use in woodlands and on undisturbed soils should really be very carefully considered. More research is defiantly required.

Im all out tonight but when I get time Ill concoct some rant about airspades I think!!!!!!!!!

Compaction is definatly a serrious threat to soils and trees im with you on that one. There is definatly a need to treet trees with more respect but the soil fungi need conserving to.

We have completly derailed this thread. We will have to start a propper ancient soils thread where we can rip apart those that dare to pulverise them with air spades and polute them with inoculations of foreign fungi !!! (Please excuse the spellings)

If a fungal comunitie has existed in a low nutrient soil for a long time then you add a load of mulch you change the soil enviroment. Other fungal species may then become more competetive and the make up of the community changes irreversably. Its not rocket science. Its Ecology which is probably a more complex science as there are so many influences and interactions going on. Soil additives and mulches are great on made up land and industrial sites but its much more complex messing round with the soil under a veteran tree or in an Ancient woodland. I hold my hands up to not being fully read up on the subject but I do think arborists need to proceed with caution so as not to cause irreversable damage to ancient soil communitys. We really need to think about the complex interactions going on in ancient soils before messing with them.

Very interesting, I recently saw what I think was a Laburnum cytusis graft hybrid in a customers garden, the flowers were pink on some branches and yellow on the other. I dont Know what it is but try identing the two leafs seperatly then look them up in Hilliers manual of trees and shrubs.

Nearly a full days work then.

Really interesting stuff Marcus. I would like to see alot more research on this sort of stuff, especialy the effects of soil additives and mulchs on the microbial fauna in the soil. It is well known that fungi - plant associations are formed over a long time and are sensitive to nutrient levels in the soil enviroment. This seems to be often over looked in research suporting the benefits of soil additives. Fungal comunities in the soil are built up over hundreds of years, these comunities once damaged could easily be lost forever on the damaged site. I think the approach being taken by Monkeyd to first investigate before prescribing treatment is fantastic. Keep up the good work. I would realy like to be involved in this sort of work but most of the job oppertunities in these areas are never quite right.

Vintage Raleigh Racing Frame Fixie Track Fixed Gear on eBay (end time 23-Jun-10 18:05:09 BST) Give this a blast

There are so many unloved bikes in the back of sheds and down at the tip, theres no need to buy a new one. Bikes can be repaired and brought back to there former glory so easily it seems daft to buy a new one. For the ultimate cycling expereance build yourself up a fixed gear racer from junk bikes. My brother built me one and I absolutly love it. Cycling rocks I dont get out enough but when I do I fly.