sean

Hi mate. We are a new CIC (Non Profit) company. TREEspect CIC IS A COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY (Not-For-Profit), WHOSE AIM IS TO ENGAGE AND WORK WITH COMMUNITIES IN ORDER TO ENABLE THEM TO FORGE CLOSER RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR TREES. TREEspect CIC will provide Educational information to facilitate a better understanding of the environment and trees. Independent consultancy in relation to matters of an arboreal nature and especially where notable/veteran trees are threatened. Develop & implement projects that will enhance and promote an understanding & appreciation of the cultural aspects of trees. Campaign for the protection of trees and promote environmental & tree related activities. Offer basic tree care programmes, tree walks & talks and tree trails etc. Operate in collaboration with other tree organisations.

The Brimmon Oak in Wales is the tree that literally forced a by pass to be moved in order to save it. With relentless campaigning from landowner Merv Lones and Treehunter and TREEspect founder and director Rob Mcbride a petition of 5000 signatures was handed into the Welsh Assembly and it was decreed that the bypass should take a slightly different route to allow a 15 mtr protection zone for the tree. The Brimmon Oak went onto to take runners up in the European Tree of the year completion and now stands a beacon of hope and inspiration in our continuing fight to secure better protection for our Nation’s Ancient and Veteran trees. We at TREEspect came up with the idea that the new bypass should be named ‘The Brimmon Oak’ bypass in recognition of this fine tree and ensure that its story and name lives on for many years to come. Please sign the petition to ensure This from landowner Merv Jones whose land the Brimmon Oak stands on. “From an initial inspirational idea from Sean Harding (Treespect CIC) Rob McBride (@thetreehunter) and I have submitted a new ePetition to the Welsh Govt. 'We the undersigned call upon the National Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh Government to consider our proposal to officially name the much needed, & historic, new road section of the A483, the ‘Newtown Brimmon Oak bypass’. We would be so grateful if you would sign the petition and felt that this naming would be just recognition for an ancient Welsh Oak tree that has come so far from the threat of being felled to where it is now. THE BRIMMON OAK - known worldwide! Dioclh/Thanks. #SaveOurGiants #TreesInNeed #Treespect #DinosaurTrees Rob has today, set out on a 80-100 mile #Walk4Trees from The Pontfadog Oak in the Ceiriog Valley, past the Oak at the Gate of the Dead below Chirk Castle, and is navigating down to Mid-Wales using the stunning & UNDER PROTECTED ancient trees of our region, eventually arriving at the Brimmon Oak. Lobbying as he goes the Welsh & Westminster Govt’s for PROPER PROTECTION for these gems of our countryside. Anyone who wishes to join the #Walk4Trees please message Rob directly) e-Petition: Newtown Brimmon Oak Bypass READ MORE by clicking on link >>” https://www.assembly.wales/en/gethome/e-petitions/Pages/petitiondetail.aspx?PetitionID=1339

I get my motivation from looking at my kids and knowing that I need to be a Dad still andvim no use to them if I sit around feeling sorry for myself and that life can be shit but we have the power to overcome all that is thrown our way. Cheers for your kind words.

Went shopping and caught a glimpse of myself in the supermarket window and had one of those ” How the fuck did I end up in a wheelchair” moments. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be, it wasn’t in the script!. But then it obviously was because here I am, in the wheelchair. Everyday for the last 3 years has been a battle. Everyday there are obstacles, new situations to deal with and pain to combat. Not just the physical pain but the mental anguish of not being able to do things I used to. What I miss most is being able to take off for a stomp through the countryside or woodlands, aimlessly wandering. Yet I feel blessed because I know how much worse it could have been and I feel blessed to be surrounded by my loved ones, my Rock Susi, the kids who have been amazing and my amazing family and friends. I feel blessed that I can drive, I can take Jasper to football and sit in the freezing bloody cold as I watch him (Hmmmm maybe not blessed)? I can go places alone, I still have my freedom and with perseverance and my off road chair I can get myself places that I thought may well be beyond me, even if sometimes it does go horribly wrong and I have to dig deep to get myself through it. There are many days when I really cannot be arsed with it, that it would be easier to just stay indoors and hide. There are days when I yearn for my old life and drive myself mad thinking of all the things I can no longer do but i have to concentrate on what I can do. Susi has been saying this since the beginning and I came across a quote from Stephen Hawking which emphasises what she has been telling me. “My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn't prevent you doing well, and don't regret the things it interferes with. Don't be disabled in spirit, as well as physically," Anyway I’m still rolling up and down the road and send all my love and thanks to all those that have been there for me and my family in so many different ways. X Peace out. X

Nice one. Looks like waterlogging could have finished them off?

Found this in my files last night. Just zoomed in and its not even bloody dead by the looks of it. Durr

Bring the thread back.

Google it I suppose

OH WELL WORTH A TRY

Right.Ok.

Go to settings....click on General then Keyboard and switch 'Autocapitalisation' off

To be fair he did so back in August 2017 also. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-40885758

Yep another disaster for sure. Twenty plus ancient woodlands under threat.

From what I gather Gary the Council and Amey have contradicted themselves when discussing the contract and seem to skirt around the actual wording. This is what is found within the contract “ Amey shall replace trees "at a rate of not less than 200 per year so that 17,500 are replaced by the end of the term in accordance with the Highway Tree Replacement Policy". The contract adds that this figure can only be changed if Sheffield Council “approval has been obtained for deviation from this policy”.

No not at all but sometimes things can only change when random acts ensure maximum publicity. There is now no work undertaken whilst people are in the work zone. People are removed and then herras fencing erected. The arrests of people recently have been for refusal to move in order for fencing to be erected. Some of the arrests have been for ridiculous things as highlighted in my post. All those arrested in the past few weeks have been released without charge.

Have you seen the protestors? Go have a look at the footage and decide for yourself. In 3 years there has only been one that has been found guilty of anything and that was breach of an injunction!

Me too.

Yea just step aside and let those in authority do what the hell they please with no remonstrations. Great advice. Lets live in a dictatorship and question nothing. Let those in power do what they like despite lots of well respected professionals calling for it to stop, that the tree replacement policy is a sham. Very intelligent advice. Thanks

The Sheffield Street Tree fiasco has over the last couple of weeks reached new lows. Despite wide condemnation from professionals ranging from Arboricultural experts and Highways engineers SCC are still ploughing ahead with what amounts to an ecological and environmental catastrophe. Not only that but they are now being aided and abetted by what amounts to a platoon of private security guards and South Yorkshire police that are employed on a daily basis to ensure the Arb Contractor can ‘do its job’. What we are seeing now just beggars belief. Pensioners are being forcibly removed and prevented from exercising their right to peaceful protest. They are being arrested only to be released without charge. There have been assaults on disabled women and only yesterday a woman was arrested for ‘disturbing the peace’ with a Vuvuzela for heavens sake. Disturbing the peace? The irony of this was certainly lost on the arresting officer as the chainsaws and chippers raged on! A 73 year old pensioner was arrested for the intimidation of a 20 stone security guard. There have now been a number of protestors who have needed hospital treatment due to injuries sustained at the hands of security employed to protect the contractors. This clearly cannot go on like this, not only are vast amounts of money being spent for very little work but somebody soon is going to be seriously injured in the process. The rate at which Sheffield’s trees are being removed however has fortunately been reduced down to 1 or 2 a day due to the commitment and resilience of its residents. This does however come at a financial cost. To fell half a tree over the course of one day last week it took 30 plus police officers, 3 inspectors, 20 plus private security and all the contractors. Only today there is a report highlighting the plight of our police force and their ability to respond to emergency calls due to budget restraints and falling police numbers yet here we have 30 plus officers attending tree felling sites on a daily basis. Sheffield council keep wheeling out the same line about this all being part of a tree replacement program yet this in itself is just a well rehearsed sound bite designed to discredit campaigners and appeal to those residents of Sheffield and observers from further afield. The Tree replacement program is a systematic failure on many levels. Trees age, they decay and get diseased and of course a well managed tree replacement program is required in all our towns and cities to ensure canopy continuity and consequently enable us to benefit from all that a urban tree has to offer. A well managed tree replacement program would identify trees that are nearing the end of their ‘shelf life’ and will be removed and replaced by specimens that will be given every chance to reach maturity. These trees would also be part of a carefully planned ‘staggered’ replacement program to ensure the ecological and environmental benefits are maintained. This would be enhanced by careful tree species selection and optimum planting conditions and after care. What we are seeing in Sheffield however is the opposite of this. Trees are being planted with complete disregard of British Standards, insufficient tree pits, shoddy plantings will ensure that these replacements will be lucky to survive one or 2 growing seasons let alone go on to reach their potential and become part of the urban landscape and ensuring that they are able to ‘do their job’. As it is it is estimated that 25% of new plantings fail to survive beyond 3 years. It has now emerged that within the contract it states that up to 17,500 trees can be removed. That amounts to approximately half of the cities tree stock. This is not only unsustainable but utter madness. This is all being over seen and instigated by a Labour Council. There have been petitions and numerous emails handed to the office of Jeremy Corbyn requesting he steps in and over sees a mediation with SCC which is Labour after all. The lack of acknowledgement let alone a failure to get involved is very disappointing to say the least. This is a man who throughout his political career has fought for justice, he has campaigned widely on environmental issues and the cause of the under dog but for some unknown reason he is failing to call his own councillors to task over what is an environmental disaster over seen by his own party. I have been to Sheffield numerous times to assess for myself the decisions being taken for the removal of trees and have spoken to consultants who have also visited to see for themselves what is going on and the view is unequivocally clear that the decisions to remove a large number of these trees is wrong and totally unjustified. Of course there are trees that are reaching the end of their life that need to be replaced but there appears to be serious contradictions in identifying those earmarked for removal. There are trees causing damage to pavements and kerbs that are being retained yet further down the road there will be a tree causing no damage that is on the removal list. I saw trees that are in poor health that have had a stay of execution yet perfectly healthy trees have already been removed. 2018 sees the Centenary of the end of World War 1 and SCC in their wisdom are going ahead with their decision to fell a number of memorial trees on Western Rd which were planted to commemorate the former pupils of the local school who sadly lost their lives. In some of these cases there is substantial damage to kerbs, pavements and the highway but there are engineering solutions aplenty which would enable work to be carried out whilst at the same time preserving this fine avenue of trees which serve as a memorial for the local community. I do worry that given the history and the sensitivity surrounding these trees that the campaign to protect them could become more volatile especially when taking the hired security’s previous insensitivity towards campaigners into question. The lack of condemnation from organisations within the Arboricultural industry is also cause for concern and bewildering. Yes there have been statements released questioning the felling policy but these have been few and far between and have on the whole been what appears to me to be token gestures. The Woodland Trust over the past year have supported the campaign to a degree and have been promoting their 'Street Trees' campaign, a fantastic initiative aimed at getting communities to celebrate and fight for the preservation of their urban trees. At the same time however they are failing to publicly question and put pressure on SCC for what amounts to a catastrophic street tree removal campaign in Sheffield. Yes there have been small statements from the Woodland Trust and the Arb Association (of which one of the contractors in Sheffield is a member) over the past year but organisations such as these should be hollering from the roof tops and using all their influence to force SCC to re evaluate what they are doing in Sheffield. They should be writing strongly worded statements to people like Corbyn whose council are responsible for an ecological and environmental disaster. These organisations are in a position where they are listened to and they are failing in their roles as promoters and protectors of our nation’s tree stock to use their influence and expertise to really put pressure on those who can put a stop to this debacle right here and now and to force those responsible to hold their hands up and admit they have made a huge mistake. They should be calling for a suspension of the tree felling program and offer to sit down and talk about how a sustainable tree strategy can be put in place to ensure that this catastrophe can be brought to a halt before the damage done is irreversible.

Bump

Or just no insulation?

As a child many of us had ‘a family tree’. This could have been a gnarly old Apple in a grandfathers garden, bed sheets brought out on a summers day and tied to it to provide welcome shelter and shade whilst sitting inside munching on your Nan’s freshly made flap jacks. Or perhaps it could have been a Horse Chestnut which every autumn would provide all the grandchildren with a bounty of conkers to while away the hours in ‘battle’. TREEspect are collecting memories and photographs for a prospective book entitled ‘The family tree’. What were the games you played underneath and within its boughs. The picnics the family enjoyed under its summer canopy, the joy of picking a ripe apple every autumn. Is the tree still in the family? Are your children now able to engage with the tree as you did? Have you got old family photographs of you as a child with the tree? Are you able to photograph the tree as it is now? Your family tree may not be in a garden but may in fact have been out the front or back of the house or even somewhere else. “The tree measured our growth too. One by one we all got tall enough to swing up onto its lower branches without a boost. It was the high platform from which the bravest of us would jump and flap our arms in our earnest but futile attempts to fly.” There’s a reason trees are always used as a metaphor for childhood, and why the trees we grew up with remain embedded in the landscape of our memories. Trees, like children, mark the passage of time. “When I lived in Yorkshire from age 4 to 11, we had two HUGE ancient oak trees called Adam and Eve. Eve had fallen over countless years earlier and provided wonderful settings for the imagination, becoming a fortress, a ship, a dinosaur or dragon, or anything we wanted. Adam was still standing, and we had a treehouse in it and metal steps on the trunk. Wonderful memories!” “The tree was our playground. We often climbed up into its sturdy branches where we pretended the afternoon away. Sometimes we imagined the tree was a huge military cargo plane trying to make a landing with only one of its four engines still sputtering. We marvelled how my two brothers managed to bring the plane down safely every time. Or the tree became our tree house in which we lounged, giggled, and shared secrets.” Please send your stories (including where the tree is/was) and photographs to [email protected] We will be posting a selection of memories and photos on our blog https://treespectblog.wordpress.com/2018/02/27/the-family-tree/ And please do encourage family and friends to share their memories.

Hacksaw

Treeation’s thread needs a little bit more respect and appreciation I reckon and discussion should be centred around the project he has embarked upon.