Topher Martyn

I've got a new colleague who is a highly competent climber and chainsaw operative, but has no MEWP ticket yet. My question is whether he can go up in our MEWP on his own, with a qualified person on the ground, or whether one of the qualified people needs to go up in the basket with him (which then raises its own set of issues!) Many thanks.

Just posted the following on Hort Jobs and Indeed: If anyone's interested please get in touch through one fo those sites. Thanks Arborist/Estate Worker, Syon House, Brentford Syon Park is 200 acres of secret countryside hidden in West London. It is both an historic landscape, much of which was laid out by Capability Brown, and a thriving collection of diverse businesses. The Estate has been the London home of the Dukes of Northumberland since 1596 and successive generations have developed a collection of over 400 tree species, a collection which is still being developed today. In addition to the arboretum there is the famous Great Conservatory, a couple of eighteenth century lakes, parkland grazed by cattle and the only un-embanked section of the tidal Thames which provides us with a Tide Meadow which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. THE POST Most activities in Syon Park are carried out in house and the post holder will need to be able to cover a wide range of operations. The post holder will need to be motivated and capable of working flexibly as a member of team and on their own initiative. Professional development is expected and training will be provided. The role will be across the estate but with a focus on the tree collection. Tree Work • Carrying out tree work from the ground and at high level, including the use of chainsaws, a 28m MEWP and a PTO driven 8” wood-chipper • Assisting with the management of the tree collection, including recording, inspection and new plantings • Involvement in the planning and maintenance of future tree plantings Machinery • Operating a range of machinery including tractors, mowers and a wide variety of horticultural and agricultural machinery. • Assisting with the maintenance of the machinery General Estate Tasks • Carrying out a range of general estate maintenance tasks including fencing, strimming and pesticide application • Maintaining a range of grass and turf ranging from hay meadows and parkland through to flower meadows and fine lawns • Working with the Gardens Team on a range of general gardening operations The successful applicant will: • Work closely with his/her colleagues at all levels • Have opportunities for professional development and be willing to learn • Be encouraged to initiate and develop projects • Be fully involved in the Health and Safety process • Assist with the management of the cattle • Be involved in the assessment of priorities and the development of plans for the future of the gardens and parkland as a sustainable historic landscape. Essential qualifications and experience: • Arboricultural training to level 2 • Chainsaw qualification to CS30 + 31 or QCF equivalents • Experience of aerial tree work from MEWP or ropes • Experience of basic tree inspections • Good working knowledge of tree species • A general knowledge of gardening • A full UK driving licence • Experience of working with machinery Desirable qualifications and experience: • Higher level arboricultural training • FEPA PA1/PA6 • Tree inspection qualification

Phillyrea angustifolia. Very special tree.

We've got a 28m trailed MEWP, great bit of kit. Recently it has developed what I assume is an electrical fault. Fitters have twice come out from a well-known national company, and made diagnoses which have proved to be incorrect. I've twice phoned the workshop to try to take this further, and each time have been promised a call back which has never happened. I know these machines are complicated, but I'm getting rubbish service on every level, and its not for the first time. Does anyone have suggestions of someone within reach of west london who might be able to actually fix it?

Plenty coming up along the East Devon/Dorset coast. Very fine tree in the right place.

My 28m trailed MEWP is due its 6-month LOLER test. Facelift (who supplied it) are going to charge the best part of £500 to do this, of which about half is represented by travel. Strikes me as a bit of a cash cow for them, methinks. How much should I pay for LOLER testing of a MEWP? Does anyone know anybody nearer/cheaper who coudl do it?

Stihl 261 does sound interesting, but its absent from Stihl catalogue and website. Seems like tis not available in this country. Hey ho.

I'd go with physical damage before anything else. Probably not got any roots left, either.

Our Stihl 260 has just bitten the dust. I'm looking to replace with similar. I want a small, light, saw for clearing brash, cutting up limbs on the ground, light felling etc. Maximum of 16" bar. I've already got a MS200T to use up above, an old 039, and a 660. I recently bought a 441, which is a smashing saw, and highly recommended, but total over kill when you're just knocking a branch around to fit into the chipper. But all of these are completely inappropriate for the countless jobs where you are going through 3" branches or stems, like the lump of lime thats just blown out by my gate (its windy today). I fail to see the point in lugging 5+kgs around for such little jobs, and have even wondered about buying one of the saws that Stihl list as for 'property maintenance. Much more bothered about getting the right bit of kit than the best price. Suggestions?

Does Elm burn? I've never found it any use at all! May be wrong, but I reckon it's pretty useless.

Anyone else finding it a bit quiet this year? We only sell a few logs as a sideline, but last year we'd shifted about £500 by Xmas. This year less than half of that. Has anyone else found sales sluggish this year? Have put the price up to £5, but that is a full bag of seasoned hardwood, often delivered, and the people who have had it have not complained. Thoughts?

Well, many years ago my Dad bought an old table from teh local paper, knocking the seller down as he did it. My mum gave him hell when he got home as she thought he'd underpaid, so he duly went back and gave them another £20. Only when he cleaned it up some time later did he realise it was solid Walnut. Seats twelve. I think there might be some sort of moral in there.

I think Saturn are great and have used them for a while. Very quick and helpful. Mind you, I think they still have a blade off my baler, so thanks for reminiding me!

So what does more damage to the environment? Me recycling waste wood from the estate, buning it into the wheelbarrow, seasoning and then burning in a stove, or someone pulling non-renewable fossil fuel out the gorund in Kirkuk or Alberta, sshipping it half way round the world, and then burning it in his prosche or four-wheel drive? Bonkers. Burn and be proud, but make sure its seasoned and that you've got a good stove.

Yup, charge a fiver, that's a fair price. I sometimes think we all tend to undersell ourselves. I sell smaller bags for a fiver here in the soft south

Yes, but I don't think it is right to blame HSE. More likely an over-keen consultant or member of staff at teh Funeral Directors. HSE gets blamed for many of the bonkers silliness, but they are about preservign health and safety, not stopping us living our lives. Go to the HSE website, and they have a list of H&S myths... Sad story

hydraulic sockets are called spool valves, on the whole. I have a Hy-Crack machine running on PTO, and it will split anything. Really useful if you have a variety of wood to put through, e.g. typical arb material. I love it, but do be careful of your fingers, I've heard tales...

Very nice work. Now you jsut need to persuade her to get rid of the telly. Its only a distraction. An open fire is the only thing to gaze at!

Petzl Sequoia is great. Really comfy and easy to move in. Shop around though, prices are very variable

As stated, teh load of the chest jammer is straight onto your harness. All you need is to keep it upright. In my caving days, we used to use a loop of bungee over hte head. Small, light and superbly practical. And I did some horribly big freehanging Prussiks in the Alps. When you want to get it out of the way for practical reasons you undo maillon on harness, slipp bungee over your head, and clip it onto your harness, and you're away. However, I've never found traditional SRT that helpful in a tree, although I still use my old jumars to make life easier.

Are there any arborists out there with the training or expertise comparable to a medical surgeon? I know hte term is recognised, but its still bloody silly. And lopping and topping is recognised, but it doesn't make it good practice. Call yourselves arborists, and you can always explain if someone is confused!

Take a good sharp knife, like the Petzl Spaetha that you keep on your harness, and make a number of small cuts in the rope. It will then fall apart as the branch grows. That's what I did at the weekend with the rope on the swing on my holm oak. Don't 'rip' it out if embedded, as you might do a lot of damage. On hte bright side, most wellingtonia branches don't thicken dramatically, so perhaps no major damage..and most could lose a branch or two without trouble.

Yew itself makes great props. Cut a long, straight piece, with a crook at the top, and it can last forever and won't split. Another good source of dead hard, straight timber is dead elm if you can find it big enough. I like the idea of setting a slab under the lawn - it should stop the post sinking. I have a good-sized Aesculus flava, at an angle of 45 degrees. We replaced the prop last year, and lifted the tree up slightly, before winching the prop inot place and lowering the tree back down. Its still sitting there now,, and, actually, the prop (dead elm) doesn't look too bad at all!

i love the front weight on the tractor! nothing if not ingenious...

I've got one being delivered tomorrow -I borrrowed one a while back and loved it. A few sessions of splitting have raised enough cash to buy the machine. I have lumps of wood of all shapes and sizes from big old trees, none of it straight and clean, and have been reducing them to firewood as a way of managing the waste. This machine will steadily split the lumpiest old bit of stem, knots and all. You do need to pay attention, though, as it is possible to spin a log (although we've not done it yet), and pay attention to where your fingers are, and you'll be fine! The new model has a bar for pressing the log against the auger, so hands should be safe! I put it on the back of a 42 or 53hp tractor, and run it on tick over, and its unstoppable. Can't wait for iit to turn up tomorrow!