Nick Harrison

Great thanks, job going well, getting out a lot which i'm enjoying, interesting seeing it from the other side of the table now. how's the team going, must be standing room only in the office now!

Is anyone else aware of changes to the scientific names of some fungi? Piptoporus betulinus = Fomitopsis betulina Polyporus squamosus = Cerioporus squamosus I had a look on the British Mycolgocial Society website but could only find reference to the 2 changes below but not those above? Inonotus dryadeus = Pseudoinonotus dryadeus Phellinus punctatus = Fomitiporia punctata

This may not be relevant to most but thought I'd post for those who are considering coming off the tools. The London Borough of Harrow are currently advertising a permanent full time tree officer post. i was there just over a year ago and would have stayed were it not for relocation issues to do with family. If anyone is interested and has any questions, feel free to mail me. cheers

Nothing to my knowledge but then I'm rarely in contact with our highways tree lot so probably wouldn't get to hear about it anyway....think you had the worst of the wind down there though

Thought it looked familiar, it's just down the road from where I grew up. There's a primary school just round the corner from there and it's usually quite a busy road so very lucky no one was hurt. Any news on cause of failure?

is that highgate way?

have spent many an hour fiddling with the carb settings and idle screw, all to no avail. will check the various previous suggestions and so if i can cure the problem....will post the solution if something works

i've always kept the saw very clean, used an air line on it a few times too all with no luck. have always used stihl oil too which doesn't seem too gloopy in cold conditions

so would opening the tank cap and replacing help if this were the problem?

once i get it going again it runs fine, until i take my finger off the trigger for more than 5 seconds and then it cuts out again

will check the gap on the fly wheel. have a compression gauge instrument that i used a few years back whilst restoring a classic car, will see if it has the same size fitting as a chainsaw spark plug and if so take a look a the comparable compression readings. thanks for advice, fingers crossed!

have tried all the above except fuel line and filter...my logic says if there was fault with either of these it would be evident as soon as you start using the saw?? haven't thought about checking compression at different stages, whats your thinking behind that? bear in mind also that this fault has been there from new..took it back to the supplier at the very beginning and they maintained there could find no fault, as mentioned before, is difficult to diagnose a fault when it doesn't appear until at least after 20 mins of near constant use...eventually gave up arguing with them and have just put up with the problem ever since. worth noting that in a previous role working for a LA we had exactly the same issue with their 361...problem was never sorted during my time there....but perhaps more than just a coincidence.

Evening all anyone ever had or know of persistent problems with tick over on the MS361? have had the saw for about 7/8 years now and it has always had the same problem...it will run fine for the first 20 mins or so and then turn into a proper pig, fine whilst on the trigger but as soon as you put it down with chainbreak on or off it cuts out and can then be a bugger to restart!! have had it looked at by a couple of reputable mechanics but the problem has persisted. it's difficult for a work shop to replicate the fault as it only happens after near constant use of about 20 mins...weather temp seems to make no difference either. bumped into a stihl rep shortly after buying the saw and he accused me of using the wrong mix, i explained that all my other saws all worked fine but he was having none of it....what you'd expect from a sales rep i guess! any clues or advice please??

Anyone able to recommend an Arb supplier in the West Yorkshire area?

do you know if it has any benefit other than amenity?

as luck would have it the contractor involved has just called asking for an update. i explained my dilemma and he's happy to go with whatever is recommended. garden is fairly manicured so doubt the owner would appreciate an area of grass dying back due to an evergreen tree in the middle of his lawn. nice suggestion though, think i often forget to consider evergreens for some reason? cheers for the info, didn't spot Lime on the list so may suggest that

now i no longer have a Humphries sat next to me, can anyone recommend a suitable tree replacement species that has resistance to M.giganteus? it's in a massive garden with lots of sky and ground space so a big tree would be nice, preferably native?

You're right in assuming the LA is not looking to take action on the potential of damage occurring, only if it does. The letter sent out ticks 2 boxes, it makes the tree owner aware of the situation and will also, hopefully, help to maintain healthy trees (which is what this whole thing is about at the end of the day). I agree that some official letters can come across as quite intimidating, especially to joe public who are not always aware of tree legislation. Most times though, these types of letters are sent out to people who are deliberately pushing their luck, know how to use the system and are not the least bit intimidated by a council letter. No-one relishes going to court, least not a cash strapped council. As bolthole has pointed out, the LA have been given the legal obligation by the justice system to protect the amenity of the environment for the good of all which is for the benefit of all of us, surely?

As was mentioned in old posts since removed, the article doesn't necessarily paint a clear and accurate picture of what went on. Newspapers notoriously omit facts if it isn't entertaining or detracts from the view their trying to promote. As for the courts, just because the judge said so doesn't mean that's a representation of the reality of the situation....remember O J Simpson?? Unfortunately, much attention is paid to how the courts will view a potential prosecution, and obviously for good reason, it's not cheap if you lose. Gathering adequate evidence is sound advise, I've yet to stand up in court but I would like to think I had my facts right and properly recorded before being grilled by a solicitor.

The view on this sort of thing is clearly subjective. I know from the outside it can sometimes seem that the LA is being big brotherish or even bullying but that's not been my experience from the other side after working at 3 LAs. When a person decides to purchase land that has protected trees on them, they should be made fully aware of what that entails. Perhaps it should be a legal prerequisite as part of a conveyancing procedure? If a TPO is slapped on after someone has moved in or purchased then I would certainly sympathise if the council started denying certain activities on their property. I personally don't feel it is right that someone should expect a LA to allow the wilful destruction or damage of protected trees just because it is their land, and then feel aggrieved or bullied when the local TO sends a formal letter explaining the legal situation. I know others disagree and I suppose ultimately it'll come down to what the courts think, and that's another debate. I just heard today from a colleague, at another LA, who has just been to a magistrates court to hear what should have been an open and shut case in favour of the LA. As it turns out, the magistrate saw it completely the other way and a perfectly healthy protected tree has been taken down with no punishment for the perpetrator. Just goes to show there's no clear answer when it comes to the law. Thanks for reposting the article arb culture

I have had to unfortunately ask for the previous thread to be removed due to some potential issues going on in the back ground with this case, sorry to those who put up some useful and worthwhile opinions. Apparently the mods weren't able to simply delete specific posts so the lot had to go. there was a very relevant link to a previous similar situation in Bradford in 2007, so Arb Culture, if you're happy to, could you re-post that please? I'd still like to continue the discussion but I'll need to be careful what details I include for now. As a brief recap: A land owner has recently introduced livestock onto their land where TPO trees sit. A letter has been sent informing the owner of the potential repercussions of damage that may occur to the protected trees unless adequate protection is installed. The previous thread had seemed to centre on whether or not a council would be successful or just in prosecuting an individual for damaging TPO trees with livestock on their own land. My feeling is that once an owner has been made aware of the potential damage that may be caused, and they fail to protect the trees, then they should be open to either enforcement of some type or even prosecution. There are obviously many variables with this but I don't want to be too specific at the moment. As far as I know the land was not previously used for agricultural purposes and the livestock are a recent introduction, so it's necessarily a commercial decision to introduce animals onto the land.

not yet, job got delayed apparently due to mechanical failure with the mewp, passed by on Thursday and not much had been taken down, will take another tomorrow hopefully

was just on my way back from the dentist and didn't have my knife with me. The tree is being taken down Friday so will try and get back there to get some pics of any basal decay. Was been heavily reduced in the past, presumably for a valid reason, will put pics up if a get any good shots

could this be the early stages of P.fraxinea/Ganoderma? not the best picture, there may be old fruiting bodies underneath, didn't get my hands in there as it's dog toilet territory and didn't have any gloves with me.

the last 2 posts have made it much clearer to me now....will pass this info onto our planners as well as I think they should have this knowledge too...thanks again