paradise

Can't make this one as I will be in Norfolk pruning apple trees and drinking homebrewed cider from the orchard.

What would people feel about doing it somewhere on public land? - Epping Forest say. Off the paths a bit where people won't really notice....

I've climbed in parks in London. I was expecting to get booted out but I'd forgotten that all the park keepers now work for outsourced companies and don't really give a toss about anything except their job sheet. No one has said a thing so far. I really wouldn't ask anyone in authority though - the answer will probably be no. Just try it and see if anyone stops you.

Yep, I know it's down to supply and demand. You pay what the market rate is, and what you feel your profit margins can allow. I know all that and I'm not having a go at anyone. I'm just saying don't kid yourself it's a good wage for the nature of the work. It isn't, it's a pretty crap wage, and I'm not surprised when employees complain. So when you can afford it, please try to be nice and prioritise wages over increased profit margins Here's hoping the market picks up soon

This is the thing, what the original post gave are quite normal wages, but that's quite a different thing from them being good or even adequate wages for a harshly physical job with some skill and high risk involved. I understand employers here are going to say 'You should feel lucky to have a job at all' etc to the low-paid groundies etc, because they feel their profits being squeezed, and ultimately the wage is pretty much set by the market anyway, but you shouldn't confuse what the situation *is* with what the situation *should* be. I think anyone who thinks you should get the same wage for lifting tons of wood every day, using chainsaws, being out in all weathers, as you do for working in a pub or stacking shelves is probably talking in their own self-interest. I think wages in the industry *should* be higher than they are, and I think some of the employers on here could be a bit more sympathetic when workers complain of low wages. You may feel you can't pay more - and that may even be true- but I reckon arb workers often deserve more, and if they think that too, maybe it isn't out of ingratitude, just a realisation that they do a dangerous job that's often mighty hard work and they ought to be paid accordingly. Rant over

Great thread idea and some cool pics - I'll keep an eye out myself

A great harness - for me nothing else has come close to the comfort of this harness. The non-opening leg loops are the only irritant so hold out for the new one if you can.

I think you've been using oil caps that don't have the problem people are talking about. I'm sure there are plenty that work just as intended. There are also many that are faulty. It's not a matter of putting them in right. It's that two parts of the cap come loose from each other and prevent the cap from locking. You then have to fiddle around with the cap to get it back into working order.

As far as I can make out a lot of these caps are outright faulty. Two parts of the cap come unstuck from each other and twist around in a way they shouldn't and then you can't screw them in properly until you fiddle around with them to re-align the bits correctly. I assume the people who like the caps just haven't had this happen to their caps yet I'm sick of fiddling around with them for ages with cold fingers, and the other day I spilled a tankful because I didn't notice it wasn't on right. IMO if they are faulty caps then Stihl should replace every goddamn one of them with an improved cap for free.

It's a pretty useless ad all round. Links to a site that doesn't work. Doesn't explain where you might be based or how much travel would be involved, or even what the nature of the work is (utility I'm guessing, but who knows?). And it's one of my pet hates when people say *excellent rates* in an advert rather than saying how much they are willing to pay. You tell me the rate and I'll tell you if it's excellent

What's the tree?

I might be up for this. What time are you guys meeting?

I'm thinking about it, yes. Trying to work out if it's realistic at the moment, and how easily I could get PI insurance to pay for itself.

Thanks arb culture - only just spotted your reply. I suspect the hardest part - as with so many things - would be breaking into it to start with. I don't really want to do it on my own but if it comes to it I'll just have to sell myself hard I suppose.

The skylotec is pretty good. The leg loops are solid so they can't slide into your crotch very easily.

Haven't seen one in an arborist shop but rockclimbers use something similar: Needle Sports Aid Climbing

The BTCV handbook is online for free: BTCV Handbooks Online

How many small companies/larger contractors do this? Do you have regular surveyors/inspectors you use and how do you pick them? Is it difficult to find people who know what they're doing? The going rate for hazard assessment on one tree in a garden seems to be around £100 for a report here in London - is that the case elsewhere? I'm also trying to work out how much work is out there. Does anyone here do this sort of work full-time? Thanks for any help. Just ponderin' for the future

No drill fans then? I've been thinking of getting a long bit to try it out for myself.

Does anyone still use a standard DIY drill with a long bit? It seems like the cheapest option if you want to go beyond the mallet/pokeystick approach - and only leaves a marginally bigger hole than, say, a resistograph. Requires a bit more interpretation I guess but for such a cheap method it seems worth it. I suppose the downside is that it might not look so 'professional' to the client, but that's all about how you present it.

Tony I had the same thought when I saw the Z-brace - there's no space for movement in the system so what is the point of the pulleys? Potentially worse than useless in that it could be overly restrictive of movement. The others look quite interesting though.

While googling reductions I came across this, which someone was proud enough of to put on their website: Hunts Tree and Garden Services Ltd Interestingly it was a TPO job so I bet they said it was a 30% reduction.

hamadryad could you explain what lonsdale says the ideal is for those of us who don't have the book? Does he say it means leaf area? Anyway, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one confused about this

I see what you're saying arb culture, and I realise that many clients would never accept 30% of the leaf area as the maximum reduction. I guess my question was - recognising that we all end up doing work that isn't optimum for tree health and putting that aside - what is the 30% guideline figure for preserving tree health *meant* to mean?

Setting that kind of limit makes sense to me because what it kind of does is limit the wound size. A 30% reduction in branch length on a big tree can leave huge wounds, whereas on mature trees (species differences aside) removing 2m would likely leave more or less the same wound size whatever the size of the tree.