Tim Williams

If it were imminently dangerous a 5 day notice would not be reasonable ie it needs doing now because it is 'imminent'. a five day notice is required where it is not imminent but would be prudent to carry out the work and unreasonable to have to go through an 8 week application process.

could your contact with the TO be construed as a five day notice- if so the faqct the TO has refused to accept it would i imagine place the client/you out of the loop. If you were to fell the tree without the exception or permission this may well lend you in court and the judge would then have to decide whether you have committed an offence or not. I would actually air on the side of caution in that you've stated the TO said there is no evidence of heave, root lift etc and these would be the tell tale basal signs of a sudden developed lean. i often come across landowners who believe trees have suddenly developed leans especially after bad weather and 95% of them are not, they show evidence of having grown in that fashion over time eg edge trees often have a leaning form with an assymetric crown due to the shading effect of surrounding trees.

A TPO would just require full consideration is given to the trees within the development ie developer cannot just fell the trees prior to submitting a planning app. once the site has a valid application all trees whether TPO'd or not are given the same consideration as each other, a TPO'd tree could be removed if there is sufficient justification and need for the development to take place. A TPO placed on a site just to prevent any development could end in a high court challenge. The current BS5837:2012 will answer most of your queries in regards current standards.

it all depends on whether you have a term maintenance contract or not, individual one off jobs are more expensive than if you have a schedule of rates. but your probably looking around £80-100 per tree to repollard every few years, if not on a schedule of rates it will be higher.

speak to the Local TO, i would suggest that as it is a legitimate use of the wood some common sense is required. if the damage is too roots on existing tracks then i would hope this could continue, for example a TPo could be placed on a commercial wood, would a logger be prosecuted for damage to tree roots on an existing track that is damaged as he drives the harvester or forwarder into the woods, i would doubt it.

i did mine through myerscough distance learning, the course info was good but you've really got to be committed. there wasn't really much in the way of coursework/assignments so it was difficult to work out how well your doing but if you can read and retain information then you should be ok.

congrats, passed mine too, certificate arrived today. i agree it is a big weight of my shoulders too.

The pole has a street light on it, this means there is a street light circuit on the network, most street lighting is maintained by the Local Authority Highways Department and a ssuch the supply is not within the control of the power company, they are also notoriously difficult to earth as they are on timed switches which can turn on without warning. I would not attempt this job without a shut down organised by the power company. not worth the risk.

If anyone is interested in becoming a Local Authority Tree Officer, a certain North West England Unitary Authority is currently recruiting. You will be joining a small close team of officers dealing with tree enquiries, TPO's, Development control and providing expert advice. Further details can be found on Hort Jobs or by following this link Environment Officer - Trees with Cheshire West and Chester Council | 305452 The job will also be advertised on Arbjobs and Arb Association Website.

did you do it the retest at AA HQ too. my tree inspections were a norway maple and a beech with an adjacent ustulina infected stump.

paul did my retake exam at the AA HQ, he made some good comments on my report and was really fair, since passing the exam i haven't looked back and gone from utillity climber to highways tree inspector to Local Authority Senior Tree Officer in 3 years.

TKF are very good and have high pass rates, I did UA2 (i)(ii) and my UA5 through them and they are excellent. i'm suprised they haven't got back to you.

Here's another

not one of mine but very funny

as big as a dinner plate