Giles Hill

The pops do look quite ash-like in the first pic - you didn't have much to go on there. The elm is enormous - I was so impressed that I knocked on the owner's door and asked to take few pictures, I was aware that they might think I was mad, but it turned out that I wasn't the first!

Correct! Well done Mesterh.

I'm afraid not SWB. Here's an enlargement of the second one to make it a bit fairer.

Another form one!

Here's my contribution - you've only got the form on this one.

Calocedrus I believe - they seem to get planted in groups for some reason. Chamecyparis have brewer's droop of their leader tips.

I don't know, but it might be worth considering saprophytic fungi, given that damp looking branch fork. It could be some kind of jelly fungus growing on dead wood or leaf litter??

There's no straight answer. It will depend on the species / size of tree, the type of stucture, and the ground conditions. Species / size of tree: Damage can be caused directly by the tree - eg by limbs falling onto the structure, increase in girth of stem, branches or roots that are touching the structure. The likelehood of this kind of damage will be influenced by the species / size of the tree. Type of Structure: Old buildings that don't have footings, or that are flexible stuctures, such as timber frame may not be compromised by soil movement. Modern buildings with piled, raft or suitable strip foundations may also not be affected. On the other hand, rigid structures with inadequate concrete foundations can be cracked if the ground moves. Ground conditions: Clay soils expand when they are wet and they shrink / crack when they dry out. Trees can increase the shrinkage effect by removing additional water. Modern buildings with strip foundations, normally have their foundations designed to avoid the additional shrinkage caused by existing trees. Problems can occur if new trees are planted within an influencing distance of the building and the foundations haven't been designed to accommodate them.

I usually charge approximately the same amount that I expect to earn for a day's work, if a site meeting is 30 minutes or more away. It usually ends up mucking up the best part of a day by the time you've added travel time and done any associated paperwork. The visits don't take all day, but they do stop you doing a full day on something else. That's how I look at it anyway.

Thanks for the comments. P tuberculosis dosen't seem to be mentioned in Phillips, but it does lot like the picture of Diagnosis of Ill Health in trees. Are there any distinguishing features I should look out for in future or is it mostly to do with the host plant? Thanks again.

Being relatively new to identifying fungi, I had to do a bit of research to ID this one, but once I'd narrowed it down in a couple of books, I used the search facility on this site to see what other info was available and I learned about the typical cracking of mature fruit bodies that can be seen in this picture. I think someone also mentioned that Prunus is a common host for this one? Anyway, I’m posting this to add something to the cause, so hopefully it maybe of help to someone else… Here’s my pic: It’s not great, so I’ve borrowed the one below from here: http://www.mykoweb.com Other observations: There were lots of brackets of varying sizes located on the mid to upper parts of the tree. A number of the affected branches were dead above the bracket, some were alive. The tree has put dense epichormic growth throughout the crown and around the base.

The good thing about them is that they are all selected standard and larger, so that when planted, they will provide screening above fence height, whereas you will have to wait for shrubs to grow as tall as the fence before they begin to provide any benefit. The other advantage is they don't take up too much space at ground level, so the garden feels a little bigger. The privets are good bet, they cost around £60.00 each for the green versions or a bit more for variegated. The magnolias and Photinias are nice, but quite a bit more expensive.

Barcham Trees usually have some nice evergreen trees and 'tree shrubs' in stock. http://www.barcham.co.uk/trees Have a look at: Ligustrum japonicum Ligustrum lucidum Photinia Red Robin Elaeagnus angustifolia Ilex castaniefolia Magnolia grandiflora

Ostrya carpinifolia?

That's what I meant - but I managed to phrase my post it with absolutely no tact. Sorry:001_smile:

It might be, I thought the pictures looked like honey fungus - they aren't really clear enough.

On the plus side there's no Phytophtora.

Probably worth getting a second phone line - give the new number to friends and family, put an answerphone on the current line and ignore it or switch the ringer off at weekends.

It dosen't look like any of the pathenogenic varieties I've read about. My guess is that it's probably not doing much in the way of direct harm other than taking advantage of exposed dead material. Based on a quick browse through Phillips - rather than any useful knowledge , I'd guess it's some kind of Web cap (Cortinarius).

That one's almost cheaper than a stick.

I was waiting for someone to suggest that.

I wonder how that compares to the distance you need to get from the tree for the stick method. I guess it depends on how long your arms are. Thanks for the replies.

I'd never got to grips with the stick method, but that's a very clear description and I'll give it a go - the only trouble is when you have a tall tree in a confined space... Do the clinometers get around this problem?

I currently do the 'stand back and estimate method', but often the heights I come up with are very different to those shown on survey drawings - I'd like to check some of the taller ones a bit more accurately. I like the 'half it' idea though and I'll use that instead of what I currently do, which is along the lines of visually dividing the tree into 2 or 4m increments...

Does anyone use measuring devices for tree heights and can you recommend a particular one?