ScottF

I guess the question is of proportionality. The tree is question was fire damaged by vandals, and a replacement has been requested. Aside from the supply issue, from a horticultural point of view, semi-mature trees are orders of magnitude more expensive to buy, move around, plant and maintain than an extra-heavy, for instance. A tree which I could supply and plant as a 14-16 might cost £300, whereas the same species as a 45-60 might cost £1800 to buy, plus £200-400 delivery, plus plant hire, plus a maintenance program. Easily £3k+. From plenty of experience, I would say that extra heavies would catch up with semi-matures in a reasonable time frame. I'm a practising landscape architect, and would only specify a tree of that large size to a client with greatest ambitions (their choice)and the deepest of pockets. Would it be reasonable to expect a homeowner whose TPO tree has failed, through no fault of their own, to fork out the cost of clearing it up, only to be hit for a bill for £3k+ for the "largest possible" replacement tree?

Agreed.

When replacing TPO trees I've generally offered an extra-heavy standard specimen (14-16cm), properly staked and cared for through to establishment, and that's almost always been taken as sufficient. To me, extra-heavies offer a pretty optimal balance of year-round availability, ease of establishment and reasonable visual impact. I currently have a development site where some TPO trees, additional to the original consent were removed (due to condition/defects not visible at the time of the original 5837 survey, damage etc), and replacement trees are being asked for by the LA. Apart from timeliness (some of these trees were removed in 2016 and the site has been largely accessible since then), I have no issue with this, but they are specifically asking for 45-60, semi-mature trees. They say this is their policy irrespective of tree setting or species, although they do not have a written policy or SPG which states this. I appreciate that the TPO guidance refers to replacement trees "of a suitable size", but has anyone else out there been asked for replacement trees of this size. Is this reasonable? Would welcome some thoughts.

Looking for an experienced surveyor to undertake a bs5837 survey in Manchester urgently. Currently a one-off but could lead to further work. Will need extensive experience of data collection and the British Standard. Please PM if you're interested.

Looking for a surveyor with experience in undertaking BS 5837 surveys to undertake a single survey in Totteridge, N London urgently. I'm currently working out of the country and can't get down there myself. I can provide pro-forma tables and a copy of the topo survey to annotate by email. I just require the data collection and some photos to be emailed back. Data must be factual, accurate and robust please. Please contact by PM if you're interested with your day rate (this is one day's works, not a huge or complex site). Thanks

Don't do a great deal of local authority work (maybe 10% of turnover), mostly development site work for a range of developers and landscape architects/planners. In terms of investing in kit, I'd really wait until you've got a good client base before spending loads on decay detection kit, for example. Getting your data collection and mapping software sorted should be your main priority. Lots of different solutions out there.

Could easily work 7 days a week at the moment- 5837, tree safety and site supervision work all flat-out.

I've been working in Brindisi, near this area for the past few months. The potential for spread is colossal because intensive olive cultivation is so widespread. When you drive down the motorway it's just olive groves as far as you can see. Terrifying.

Am looking to buy the Arbotom and Arboradix root mapping device later this year. How are you finding the Arbotom in terms of reliability and robustness? I ran a Picus for 4-5 years and spent quit a lot getting it repaired and calibrated. Cheers

Currently looking for experienced tree inspectors for BS 5837 and safety surveys in North Wales & NW England. Initially employing on a per-day basis, but there is scope for full-time employment to promising candidates. A minimum of an ND arb and ideally PTI preferred, but happy to hear from experienced surveyors with alternative qualifications. Experience of development site work and site supervision (watching brief) would be an asset. We don't do utility survey work. All hardware (handsets, GPS etc) and software provided, along with training on specific applications used, but candidates should have a good grounding in tree species, general pests and diseases and risk assessment. Own transportation required initially, but if employed full-time, a vehicle and other benefits would be provided. Please PM for more details. Thanks

Essentially Amey have got the contract to look after all of the council's stock, and the bean counters have determined that it's far cheaper to chop a proportion of the mature trees down now (in 2016 money), than pay for their maintenance for the next 10-20 years. Simple, ruthless, avaricious mathematics.

Hi Chris. When you say "If you are looking at working on the TPO tree for reasons which relate to risk management then you are required to provide written evidence from a professional." do you mean the guidance in "Protected Trees: A guide to preservation procedures"? I don't find the guidance in there that prescriptive, and it's certainly not interpreted that way where I live. Can "professional" mean an experienced contractor or must it be a "consultant"? Would be interested to hear how other LA's are interpreting this guidance.

Are those 3-4 points of exudation on the last picture, or are they just bark features?

Message sent on FB. Cheers for the advice

Morning guys. Any carvers interested in carving a stump of a Lawson we took down over Christmas in Llanberis, Gwynedd?