Callum

I'm thinking that the Mycelium may be Armillaria given that it is on a living tree, but I'm suprised that the crown looks in fairly good condition given the amount of dead cambium and the outer bark hanging off?

Is that white mycelium on the left hand side of the last picture?

Hi Tree selection will depend on soils/site conditions etc as well as desired size and shape. See if you can get a hold of Barcham's 'Time for Trees' loads of suggestions in there.

Hi All I interperate the BS to mean that trees should be assessed in the general context of the site being used for 'development', but that's as far as it goes. The arboriculturist should not be influenced by specific plans or layout design when carrying out the tree survey, because the idea is that the design stage should happen after the tree survey taking into account the constraints posed by the trees. (Although as we all know, the arb usually gets involved after all the plans are drawn up )

Camperdown Elm (Ulmus glabra Camperdownii)

My advice would be to get an arboricultural consultant in who has experience with this sort of thing. He/she can have a look at the plans and approvals and take it from there. Contacting the tree officer may also be a good idea to see what is expected- it may only be protective fencing etc. I don't know if the planning dept can approve standard foundations at one time and then require a change to the design later. Although it depends on whether they are treating the change in design as a new application. all the best Callum

Hi Syd I did the HNC at Scottish School of Forestry back in 2003. It gives a basic introduction to the subject with plently of practical work. I came out with CS 30,31, 38, and 39 at the end of the year. The teaching style back then was 'relaxed' at times so you do have to take the initiative and read around the subjects for yourself if you want to gain a good understanding. Although, Dr Stan Thompson taught us the biological subjects- he was excellent. All the best Callum

You should see the one on the Linkedin ISA group.

Cheers Tony

Hi Jules Will do.

Dear ArbTalk Thank you to everyone who has taken time to complete the questionnaire already! The survey is getting a good level of response from all the places I posted the request but I'm keen to hear from as many people as possible. I've had a quick scan through the data and it looks like there are some really good themes emerging as well as some aspects which I hadn't previously considered. If you carryout tree surveys as part of your work please see the initial post and I'd be very grateful if you could take the time to fill in the questionnaire. There will be a possibility of publishing the work after the project is complete so I think that it is a worthwhile project which will hopefully benefit the industry Thanks again Callum

Dear ArbTalk I am posting to ask members of the forum if they would be willing to take part in an undergraduate research project which aims to explore perceptions of tree risk assessment systems. The project is a component of my final year of the BSc (Hons) in Arboriculture at Myerscough College. As you will probably be aware there are several such systems which allocate numeric values or descriptive ratings to defects in trees in order to give a final risk level . The aim of the project is to compare and critically analyse tree risk assessment systems currently used in the arboriculture industry, based upon the opinions of arborists/arboriculturists. Initially this will involve carrying out a survey to find out what systems are in use and also what people’s experiences and opinions are of those systems. The survey is open to anyone in the arboriculture industry who carries out tree surveys/inspections as part of their work and I’m interested in hearing the views of people who currently use a formal risk assessment system, as well as those who don’t. The project has full ethics approval through Myerscough College (University of Central Lancashire) and all personal details will be kept confidential and data will be anonymised. If you wish to take part, please follow the link at the end of this post which will allow you to access the Survey Monkey questionnaire (it should take no more than 20 minutes to complete). Once all the survey data has been collected, the second stage of the project will involve inviting a small sample group to take part in an internet based evaluation exercise and online focus group. This will allow participants the chance to try a number of different systems in a simulated way and to discuss what they think. The second stage of the project is voluntary, and full details will be given to the participants. The final section of the survey monkey questionnaire allows people wishing to participate in the second stage of the project to express an interest and add their contact details. I am hoping that this project will provide insights into how tree risk assessment systems are perceived within the industry and what the issues are surrounding their use. Questionnaire link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6KMG2CJ If you have any further questions regarding the project please contact me on my university email address: [email protected] I hope that you will enjoy taking part. Best Regards Callum McCutcheon

Hi, Why don't you classify the trees using an age category rather than trying to estimate their actual age in years e.g. 'newly planted', 'young', 'early mature', 'mature', 'over mature', and 'veteran'. You can use the information in the same way to help when you're drawing up a management plan. There is an excellent book from the Forestry Commission 'Managing Native Broadleaved Woodland' it has loads of info on surveying, age structures etc. All the best

Hi The Forestry Commission developed a method for estimating the age of veteran trees. See the link below. http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/fcin12.pdf/$FILE/fcin12.pdf

Hi Assigning a category to a tree on neighbouring land is useful to the LA when they are considering the possible impact of the proposed development. I see what you're saying though- It would be similar if a developer bought land which had a large 'A' grade tree slap bang in the middle of it. He/she could then fell it (providing that there is no TPO) before submitting a planning application and avoid any tree related hastles. Although I don't suppose the developer would be very popular with the LPA if they did do that.