janey

As far as I am aware, even to abate a nuisance you still need to apply for permission so a TO can assess if it is a reasonable request and state the minimal amount of work necessary. Tis a tricky area of the law.

You already have plenty of experience - every time you are on site you will be doing a VTA and and written R/A. Combine that with your technical knowledge gained from the ND and you are more accomplished than you think. What are your IT skills like? You'll find that this is just as important when surveying trees as we've all gone new fangled digital. To a certain extent - depending on the software package - you can still be a very good inspector with little experience, as the application takes you through a step by step inspection. Have you tried approaching your LA or any companies about maybe getting some work experience? LA's have a legal obligation to inspect all their tree stock on a regular basis, so even in these dodgy economis times there are still plenty of opportunities about. Employment agencies are also worth a try. Good luck with it all (and ditto on the LANTRA Prof' Inspection Course. Expensive but does wonders for you CV).

Conservation Area, TaC Planning Act again. Regular site inspections. A good working relationship with site Manager. SSSI? If tree is on site boundary, then establishing who owns it. If you don't get a Distinction in your Tech Cert, I wanna know why!!!

And these people are actually allowed to breed??? Gawd help the gene pool.

How about some attractive, ridgid steel rod cable bracing while you're at it? It's the way of the future, i have been told .

Grrr, I'm sharing the frustration . Both with the neighbouring vandal and the LA legal system. The first sounds like a complete, sanctamonious NIMBY eejit. And as for the second... The sad reality of TPO enforcement is that unless the LA has an almost 100% chance of getting a conviction, their legal team don't want to waste time and money by taking further action. So a stern letter and a wrist slap is about as much as most TPO infringements are likely to get. Which seems so wrong as it is statute law beeing broken and, really, the police should be involved .

Interesting question. When i was climbing, i was largely self reliant. But now i am in the position where i have to monitor my Contractors, i would never allow the same thing. As part of their work contract, no lone working is allowed and at least one of the groundstaff has to have their rescue tickets and a full climbing system. Ironic, innit

Don't think the £250 from YBF will pay for much of the new roof. Muppet.

I may have ended a few days like that, but i've never managed to start one in that state. Might make a day of answering complaints a bit more interesting tho...

Might actually turn out to be a good thing for him: a not too serious reminder to take your time and NEVER get complacent. And i though i only got the joys of seeing blood n' guts by watching Casualty .

Islip Manor Park, Northolt, Ealing, London, suburban bliss.

Innonotus dryadus always looks like fresh bread rolls to me, just like the piccies above. The water droplets are another classic indication that this is dryadus - it is actively removing water from the wood to make a better enviroment for itself. I have never been able to find much info' on the significance of the decay it causes though - so perhaps someone here can enlighten me? PS - i have some piccies of mature I. dryadus on Q. robur in my gallery .

Perhaps the gardener was a closet Satanist with an ironic sense of humour ???

I had a call out to see what the delightful yout' in my Borough had been up to after a few too many alcopops yesterday, bless 'em: You can't really see from the photos, but the whole of the base of the tree and several of the big buttress roots have been hollowed out to well below ground level with succesive fires - this is only the most recent one . It's a stonking great tree that has got some seriously large lumps of wood in the crown, a large wound at the crown break from a torn out leader and lots of smaller areas of necrotic bark and / or decay. I'm going to keep a check on the foliage over the next few days to see if there has been any major damage to the sap wood layer and also see about getting some of the top weight taken out, if the multiple bird holes look unoccupied and there are not signs of bats. What a sad fate for a grand old veteran

I know chicks did scars, but that's a bit extreme I hate that "I really shouldn't have done that" thought that goes through your head at those moments. I'm glad that it's not too serious and that you'll be mended soon, but tis a good reminder to all of us. So thanks. I think...

Nice try. The other psychiatrist tried that old ink-blot-disguised-as-an-innocent-tree-picture routine with me before. We are not falling for it again

When willows attack. The trees have evolved their own version of the Venus fly trap !!!

Very handy thread for all those wanna be stalkers amongst us. I could post a piccy of my view, but I don't want to risk making you all jelous of my grey, suburban world, with it's badly pruned Pissardii

Had my motorbike racing fix, done my chores, still far too wet to wash the bike (hurrah for crappy Inglish weather ) and all I have to do now is decide which particular beast or fowl to have for dinner. All without ever getting out of my pj's . Sometimes there's a lot be said for having a slack day.

Sounds great. Can you adopt me and take me as well? LoL.

The Gardener's Encyclopaedia of Climbers and Wall Shrubs: Brian Davis - AbeBooks - 9780670829293: Greener Books Less than £2 if you want it.

It's hacking down outside, so I have the perfect excuse to stay in and be self indulgent. I will be watching the Moto GP later to see if Rossi has taken my advice, then a gentle afternoon of not doing very much. Mmmm, can't wait. How are you gonna spend today?

Awww, you hero, you When cats do something that stupid, it does make me wonder about Darwin's theory...

Like every modern young laydee, i wanted to know how to use a chainsaw . I used to rely on a wood stove for heating and cooking and got thoroughly peed off with using a bow saw. The only free course i could find at the time was the C&G Arb, and that was that - i was hooked

Sure it's not expanding foam? From the bygone days of filling cavities Laetiporous would be my i.d. as well. As for books - I highly recommend the great God Lonsdale's "Principles of Tree Hazard assessment and Management". It gives a comprehensive list of the most commonly found wood decay fungi and more importantly, the type of decay they cause.