sean

i did mine online with myerscough....cheapest option....hard work.....and needed discipline but managed a pass first time. Would reccommend it.

Yea you right Rupe......and a quote has gone in (i'd be out of a job tomorrow if i refused). My raising the question is more as an educational tool for myself.....its an area I do not know much about so am genuinely interested in learning more. However.......sssssshhh I'd love to save the big oak!

Havent read it no.......will do now. Thanks David.

We know who you are!!!

so.....is this on a par with Bruce Wayne/Batman? David Humphries/MonkeyD:biggrin:

sorry....it's london clay and the diagnosis is that the water uptake of the trees is drying it out and subsequently causing subsidence.

Went to quote a couple of fells today on behalf of a surveyor and insurance company and i'm a little concerned. Both trees are approx 10mtrs from the affected properties whose owners have been told that due to the amont of water being taken up by them. They are both Oaks. No 1 is a real beauty... trunk diameter 730mm. Previously pollarded, the last time being around 40 years ago i'd say. Oak no 2 400mm. Surely removing both of these trees in one go, both at the same time would surely have the opposite effect and completely waterlog the clay soil therefore contributing to the problem? If they needed to go at all wouldnt it be better to bring them down in stages until back to the original pollard points? At which stage there would be a manageable balance on the water table? It would be a terrible shame to lose these trees and i would love some advice on the matter. Thanks.

yea....caterpillar neck.......good you didnt find any although there has only been a couple found on that side of the park..........for now. You coming back to do anymore? You enjoyed the surroundings then?

The guy that wrote it is one of if not the leading authorities on ant colonies which he has now managed to incorporate into fiction. a must i feel.

this book is supposed to be amazing.....written by the Professor of Entymology at Harvard..,.. Anthill | W. W. Norton & Company

MonkeyD has obviously not passed the message on to you then Janey.....all cameras to be left at the gate!.....its all mine mine mine. Damsels are very nice though. The beech with the fomes shed its limb about 4 weeks ago. Mighty fine brackets though eh?

blimey mate he hasnt even taken delivery of it yet.......dont burst his bubble just yet.

yea i like the idea.....when i get some time i may work on a proposal.....on the back burner burning with all the other ideas/projects etc etc.

Know what you mean mate....i know some great artists too but all they seem to draw is the dole....boom boom:biggrin:

perfect job for him then. I'm sure you could get him motivated Tony. Explain to him the importance of the project, of how his work can be used as an important tool in the education of the masses! Get to work on him sir!

like this one.....the guy in the lorry with me remarked " i love it when people go around manipulating signs.....wish theyd go get a job though":biggrin:

thats a cracking idea tony......have the idea and get somebody to do it!! I'm people on here would know of somebody:thumbup:

I'm personally up for carefully selecting specific trees in the urban environment and 'veteranising' them to accelerate the process. I dont mean going round and wrecking every tree i see but i know where i live there are a few candidates that would be perfect for the job. Theres a school with about 5 oaks in a little woodland that they have which i would love to work on. Generations of kids could record the development of an eco system become educated in the important roles that trees play in the environment and leave a legacy.

oooops sorry......forgot to delete parts of these notes. I hope i didnt come across as being too critical of those responsible for the works. I cannot comend them enough for initiating the project in the first place. I have read the posts with interest and taken on board what has been said. I still feel the first Horse Chestnut is way too high. I have created many of the same in Richmond Park and witnessed their demise in a relatively short time. The photos do not show the extent of decay and extensive cracking of the limbs. I personally feel that there is a high risk of failure before the 18 month time scale as suggested by Hama. I know the kind of budgets that tree officers have to juggle with and feel taking many aspects into consideration that monolithing this particular tree would be the better option. As Bundle said if we are to convince the public that these kind of works are the way forward then why take unnecessary safety risks? Money that would be used as part of future mangement programmes on trees such as these would be better utilised creating educational programmes around eco arb and creating more wildlife habitats in the urban environment.

Howoldisit?When a tree is growing in average conditions, its girth may be a guide to whether it is ancient or not. Consider the largest girth of the species of tree (see chart below) and relate it to that. There is a way of estimating the age of a tree – see White, 1998. However, always bear in mind that soils, altitude, climate, growing conditions and whether the tree has been pollarded (cut repeatedly through part or all of its life) can affect the rate at which the tree grows so this method can only be used as a guide to ageing a tree. Ancient trees growing in environmentally challenging places like the uplands may be signif icantly smaller. The more we look at trees in different growing conditions, the more we learn about tree girth as a guide to separating ‘ancient’ from ‘veteran’ and ‘notable’ trees. We have provided a provisional guide to typical girths of some common tree species growing in average conditions, but as we gather more data we may need to adjust the ranges. Key characteristics* of an ancient tree • Crown ‘growing downwards’ or flattening (in conifers) through the ageing process What is a veteran tree? Veteran is a term describing a tree with habitat features such as wounds or decay. The terms ancient and veteran have been used interchangeably in the past, however, it is important to know what the differences between them. A veteran tree is a survivor that has developed some of the features found on an ancient tree, not necessarily as a consequence of time, but of its life or environment. Ancient veterans are ancient trees, not all veterans are old enough to be ancient. A veteran may be a young tree with a relatively small girth in contrast to an ancient tree, but bearing the ‘scars’ of age such as decay in the trunk, branches or roots, fungal fruiting bodies, or dead wood. These veteran features will still provide wildlife habitat. thanks for taking the time for posting phenom. These trees bear many marks associated with the term 'veteran'.....cavities, flaking bark, cracks, hollows....they are surely vets in their own way as providing all the hallmarks necessary for wildlife habitat?

i use the .90m as supplied.....works for me.

Is it not better to reduce down to a monlith now be best option? Leaving the right hand limb for another 18 months will result in the removal of any invertebrates, bats, fungi that have utilised it. Monolith it now and enjoy its development?

Firstly I would like to say how pleasing it was to see a London Borough’s tree officer adopt a very inspired approach to there tree management in the is urban environment. Not only have they made an inspired and brave decision but they have also had the foresight to explain to the public exactly what they are hoping to achieve by doing so. My problem with it is hopefully apparent when viewing the following images. How exactly have they alleviated a “significant public safety hazard”? The Horsechestnut in the first 8 images is around 13mtrs tall. It has been dead for quite some time with the 2 remaining limbs extending from a decaying fork. As can be seen it is on a well used public green with a footpath very close by. Only last week there was a funfair on this green. As a wildlife habitat this tree is fantastic with cracks, decay holes etc and could be used as a vital resource for the education of local children and the community at large but it needs to be reduced in size drastically. By their own admission the tree posed a “significant public safety hazard” AS IT STILL DOES!! By making such an admission to the public through the attached notice surely they are leaving themselves wide open for litigation should any failure occur with any injuries or damage? The 2nd HC is also a tree with valuable wildlife habitat potential. It has already put on a lot of regrowth and I just hope they have taken this into consideration with regards future management time and costs this tree will obviously need in the future. TOP MARKS for not felling it however!! And the pine…..once again the sign has been attached saying that “remedial tree works” have been undertaken to make the tree safe! Ummmmm I’m glad I’m not living in that house. These works have been carried out by a contractor working for the borough. Whether the spec has been interpreted wrongly or not carried out correctly or possibly the tree officer, although commendably, has tried to initiate such a programme without being knowledgeable enough about this type of tree management. I don’t know but I feel contact should be made and a chat about it had. Maybe they haven’t even seen the finished results? Once again though I have to take my hat off to them for initiating it in the first place. Would be interested to hear what others think about it.

that looks a stunning place to spend time tony......sure you had a good un but must have pined to spend some quality time alone their......presuming this is where you did the bat weekend???? Nice shots too:thumbup:

cheers tony......think thats all pretty clear now.......one more thing.....are the young fruit bodies similar in appearance too and do the tubes still differ in colour at an early age?