Callum

Hi All Don't you think people are being a bit irresponsible to offer advice on the extent of the decay and level of hazard when all there is to go on is a few photos from on side of the tree. It may well be that the cavity is within recognised safety limits, but without seeing the tree and having a proper examination we can't tell with any certainty. No one has suggested getting the tree examined by an experienced arborist - given the proximity to the target I would have thought that may be a sensible idea. Callum

Hi You can download a H&S policy template from the Health and Safety Excecutive website and I think there are risk assessment forms on the Arb Associations website.

Hi Sloth You have to maintain professional integrity and in the long term the relationship you develop with the LPA is just as important as the one with your clients. If you loose credibility with the LPA then every report you then submit will be questioned and doubted which then causes clients problems. I don't think I'm there to tell the client what they can and can't do. I just let them know what options there are and what implications any plans will have on the trees. It's up to them to way these options up and decide whether the LPA will go for them. As far a supervision, I report back to the client and copy the tree officer in to any emails regarding the trees. This is made clear in the supervision method statement so the client is aware of this before anything happens. Often the client will be using subcontractors on the site so they may be unaware of what is going on day to day and not all damage to trees is deliberate. Having the arb consultant on their back inspecting everything regularly can speed up the build because they have less meetings and problems with the LPA.

Hi All My understanding is that if you are managing a woodland for sustainability and habitat you should be aiming to achieve a mixture of young understory trees, middle aged intermediate sized and mature overstory specimens (as well at good amounts of deadwood etc). The species mix and management plan will depend on what's there at the moment, what's suited to the site etc. Callum

Hi BS5837 has a table with recommended minimum distances between trees and buildings in order to avoid direct damage.

Hi All If you go to the FC website-library-publications-what's new All three docs are there in pdf format for free.

Hi Just a quick mention that students with an ATHENS account can get a copy of the standard for free! Callum

Hello, I am currently in the process of developing a smart phone/computer based application as part of an arboriculture degree course which I’m studying. The aim of the project is to develop an easy to use smart phone or computer based application which would assist people responsible for planning or maintaining urban tree planting schemes. As you will probably be aware the mortality rate for urban trees is very high in the first few years following planting and a lack of adequate water supply is a major factor contributing to this problem. The ‘app’ would allow the user to select options such as tree size, planting pit size, and soil type using pick lists. It would then link to a climate database and give the user a 12 month watering schedule for a tree in a particular location. At this stage I’m looking for feedback and opinions from people involved in arboriculture and urban landscape design on the overall ‘app’ concept; features which you would like to see; how or if you currently work out watering schedules for urban tree planting schemes, and if you would be interested in evaluating a prototype application. Thank you in advance Callum

Also think about Bark, thorns, hairs, resin and anti-fungal/ bacterial compounds and chemicals.

Hi There I've just been looking at NJUG Vol 4 and have a question. The tree protection zone is divided into 3 different zones: the prohibited zone (within 1 metre of the stem), the precautionary zone which extends to 4x the tree circumference, and the permitted zone which is outside the other two. Does anyone know if '4x the tree circumference' means 4x the stem circumference (and if so at what height) or is it 4x the circumference of the whole tree (seems a bit over the top) How does this compare with the BS:5837 root protection area (12 times the DBH). Thanks in advance. Callum

Guess 1 Fungi: Pholiota squarrosa Tree symptoms: Oak die back Maybe unrelated?

Maybe they are being shaded out by the neighbouring trees?

Hi all. If the fungi is growing up through the tree and encounters the hollow tube full of air from the larvae maybe it thinks its reached the extents of the wood and begins to form a fruiting body. Space is obviously very limited and so it only has room to fill the hole with mycelium. The dark coloured reaction zone in picture 6 maybe supports this.

Looks like Ganoderma- causing root and butt-rot. Possible wind throw hazard given proximity of houses.