JaySmith

If a developer removes your trees to facilitate development then should the owner not be compensated?

There is always a conflict between the highway (road and footpath) and the trees. The white paint is usually to mark the area for the contractors to show them what to do and to measure and spec the job. It also acts as a heads up that it is being dealt with. It can’t be used as get out of jail card. There are often options with regards to engineering solutions, such as Flexipave or the equivalent but it can be expensive. Although the cost of flexipave is far more significant than normally tarmac it doesn’t often need redoing time after time so can become more financially viable long term if you think some footways are patching nearly every year! The rub comes when you are told there is no engineering solution as the damage is so significant and they cannot relay within the tolerances. In this case the tree often has to come out and a replanting arranged elsewhere. There are docs online from the Dept of Transport that outline best practice and tolerances. If you struggle to find them let me know. I am lucky where I work in that we have a designated highway stewards who deal with things like the tarmac, I purely advise on the tree, whether it has long term viability and what they can or cannot remove to facilitate the repairs. The stewards then work out if the footway can be patched within tolerances. Sometimes they will open the footway and we will say yes or no to cutting some of the roots to smooth the patch. If you get involved with section 278’s and your assets are lost could you go for CAVAT and put that towards replanting?

Not a Picus but potentially a resistograph. Picus largely focuses on the main stem, with the resistograph you can drill down into the buttress roots to get a reading. However as Ben as said this may prove difficult where the soil level looks to have been altered at some stage. Because of what we know about Kretzschmaria, the location of the tree and the host I would treat carefully and get all of the facts before deciding what to do

I think at the moment there is an abundance of work all over the UK. Down South there is certainly a massive demand for staff from groundies to consultants. Depends what kind of work you want as well, for example in London you may be doing a lot of street tree pollards and the like.

Was thinking it looked like being in the US Think it is looking at the street furniture, cars and on the Google image there is part of Pensilvania showing in the text

Hi Ben, could be challenging but not unachievable. Ultimately it will come down to how much you want to try and whether you wanted to try and save the trees. I know of trees that have co-existed with Kretzschmaria for many years, ok maybe not in such a high target environment as this but like I said I think we are often quick to condemn trees when potentially mitigating works can prevent the removal. Could you plant more trees in the location now to supersede them and retain the beech for a few years then remove? Only giving a balanced view, I’m not saying that I would keep them but I would certainly explore all of the options. This is easy to say without seeing the trees in person and as they seem to be in the US that won’t happen!

There are a lot of these type of scams going around at the moment. One of the bad things of every bodies info being in the public domain. Some will be genuine cold callers working for a real publication who get their leads from the planning portal. Probably similar to the way that some tree surgeons ring up people who have submitted tpo applications on the council site to see if they can get the job. Should have gone for the front cover@mark bolam and I’m with that extra work you could of upgraded that Chelsea tractor for a shinny Bentley and some champagne!

Sounds as though the soil level was altered a long time ago by the look of the root flare. This may have began the downturn of the tree before other issues such as Kretzschmaria, sounds as though water and nutrient starvation may have been at play even before the excavation work. Also what you said about the small branches could just be cladoptosis if they are small and infrequent. However if they are more regular then could be a result of a potential compromised root structure. That being said and without even seeing the trees in situ I would certainly look to do further investigative work. I think in the past people (including myself) hear Kretzschmaria and panic which leads to trees being taken down when they could have potentially continued. Don’t get me wrong established Kretzschmaria in a high target environment is nothing to be flippant about. In a big open space with exclusion measures places Kretzschmaria and beech can co-exist but then mitigating measures have been implemented, obviously that’s not an option in your case. I would certainly being done additional investigation work before deciding what to do. A quick probe around the large buttress roots with something like the IML probe will give an idea about current degradation. Depending on what that revealed I may then drill the roots with a resistograph to confirm /challenge what I was thinking. Appreciate that this is often not done as things like resistograph drilling arrest cheap if you don’t have one in house.

Soil level has definitely changed/been messed about with. If you zoom in you can see the fiberous roots exposed and lack of root flare on the image above. In the other image there has been soil scrapped from the buttress roots. Even though the excavations that were 15ft were unlikely to affect anchorage but would have probably severed smaller roots. If the roots were severed and pathogen got in it’s not a great combo. Is the waste pipe water tight as well? What’s the crowns like on the trees?

Kretz and beech often go hand in hand, like parties at number 10’and don’t often end well. I would start by probing around the buttress roots to assess the extent of the decay. Kretz is largely concerned with the colonisation of the roots and anchorage and often trees with full crowns look healthy but then have the issue of little anchorage. Target area is a real concern here though

Difficult to tell from the pic and how degraded it is. However the scales on the shank point me towards Pholiota squarrosa but that’s a stab in the dark if I’m honest

I certainly wouldn’t pollard or top them as others have agreed. Trees or rows of them like them should be seen as assets and valued. I appreciate that it is a balancing act between what the customer wants and delivering a suitable solution. In terms of a reduction you could probably look towards a max of 3 - 4m looking at those pics. As long as they were all cut to growth I would expect them to come back and continue. If you hammer them then they may panic and put on prolific re growth meaning the shading becomes an issue again. I can see they have been lifted over the highway previously and left lower over the garden side. You could crown lift over the garden, maybe not to the extent of the other side but to give some balance. This will let more light in and in conjunction with a crown reduction a good option? You would have to make sure that you didn’t leave them looking like little lollipop trees though. As you say if they aren’t TPO’d or in a CA then you are free to do what you/the customer wants. If I were quoting the job I would be looking to try and retain them and outline the benefits of having them, but appreciate sometimes customers aren’t interested and as you say if you don’t do it then somebody else will. Maybe when you give them the cost to fell they may have a rethink.

We’ve got a Hunter hawk double sided stove. When we were doing the house up this was one of the only ones that would fit in the gap. To be fair it’s a bit of a waste really as we rarely use it as our Rayburn does all of the heating and hot water. With the log burner on as well it takes the house up to nearly 30 degrees. It’s only a small cottage for reference.

Indeed, thing is they were planted because they are fast growing and relatively tolerant of most conditions. Issue is they get big quickly and long over extended limbs and then the residents want them reduced, this then leaves large wounds that don’t occlude well, new poorly attached regrowth and the downward spiral begins!

When I did my ground based tickets I used an old school Husqvarna orange lid and when I did the climbing tickets the Stein lid, that was a while back mind so I’m sure standards have been amended since then. I think the instructor and accessor will be more likely to check that your saw has basic features such as positive on/off switch and chain catcher than the lid you are wearing. Obviously lid needs to be compliant and fit for purpose.

Yes the damage to the buttress roots does look like it originated from mechanical damage, such as strimmer damage. When the builders were digging they probably wouldn’t have gone through the large structural roots that are used for anchorage as they look like a fair distance from the work that would have taken place. They probably did however go through a number of the smaller fibrous roots that are used for water and nutrient uptake. The fact that there was all ready a concrete pad there before you extended will probably mean that the roots avoided that area, as there will be easier area to exploit in the grass verge. All of these factors combined are probably the overall reason the tree is struggling. The MOD have a policy with regards to trees ( it will be online ) and there response will be in accordance with that. If the land is MOD owned I would raise a fault/enquiry with them and ask them to inspect the tree. They may decide to leave it at present and re inspect in the summer months to get an idea of canopy cover and vitality before condemning the tree.

Looks as though the tree has been on a hiding to nothing for a while. Starting at the bottom there is historical damage at the buttress roots, you can see where the tree has tried to occlude the wounds and not done a bad job considering other issues that’s going on. Further up the main stem there looks to be signs of a bacterial infection and cambium damage, again not great for the tree and essential functions. There are also large pruning wounds which may have contributed to the demise. The extension that was done may also be another contributing factor to the down turn in the tree, before construction was carried out was a 5837 survey carried out with reference to the trees and protection measures put in place? Also when construction was undertaken was damage done to the roots of the tree? Were materials/diggers stored on the root plate? Not having a go, just my observations. Also looks as though brambles were growing up the tree at some stage, was the tree engulfed in them hampering growth? Either way the tree is definitely suffering and I feel has very limited lifespan. What was the growth/leaf coverage like on the tree like this year? Looking a the condition without seeing the tree in person it looks like there is only one long term solution here.

Lids won’t have the chainsaw logo because as you say they are not protective against chainsaw cuts in the way that leggings or gloves are. For ground based tickets the lids will just need to comply with en397 but it would be worth getting one that complies with ariel standards (chin strap) if you intend on climbing or being ariel rescue. Have you checked the nptc assesment criteria as it may detail what standards the kids needs to have in that? I’m not a trainer or assessor these are just my comments based on training I’ve done.

One other thing I’d recommend is getting a tree ID book like the Collins guide to familiarise yourself with the most common species of trees. How different species of trees grow, respond to pruning and their general characteristics will definitely help as you start working on them. Also the NPTC assessment criteria is available online, some of it may seem alien to start with but will come clearer when you start your training and may give you a head start.

A lot of guys have used Kingswood Training in Kent who offer the resettlement packages. They often give you 30,31,38 and 39 or whatever they are called now. Best thing to do get the basic tickets then do some work with a firm to learn as you go. You say you have an email other lined up which is great as the college or training place will teach you how to do it by the book to pass the ticket then a good firm will show you how to do it in a commercial setting and operate properly. Good luck, I’ve worked with some good ex military guys over the years as they often have a good work ethic, common sense and know how to put a shift in

Trees aren’t often the only contributing factor to issues/claims relating to subsidence. Obviously trees remove moisture from the soil which can cause movement but construction methods should also be considered. Often trees are a factor but so is the construction method used or the poor building quality. Years ago phased removal/reduction was used but various studies have shown that this isn’t the answer. For me I wouldn’t be too concerned with removing the trees that you have outlined. There is plenty of other vegetation in the vicinity that could have an effect on the water levels in the soil. Ultimately if you are concerned then speaking with an arb consultant who can do a site assessment with regards to the trees and look at geo mapping etc may help.

Obviously we haven’t seen the pictures of the cable companies excavations for context but usually these would be smaller channels of work by comparison to a full drop curb installation - depending on the site layout, work carried out and how over zealous the operatives got! As others have said the cable companies have powers to maintain their network but should be adhering to the NJUG guidelines. The emphasis on should. I have a case very similar to yours, the original application was declined by a colleague due to the RPA but the client is now engaging with a planning consultant to work with an arb consultant to put forward a solution for consideration. They will submit this to the council and we can consider the application, councils can be flexible and think outside the box. In your situation you will have a procedure to follow and potentially put forward a suitable solution for consideration. I’m still unsure how it would work in practice as systems such as Geocell aren’t suitable.

Normally the anthracnose is confined to the leaf and twigs, I’ve not seen it on main stems like you describe. As we know it lies dormant in the twigs/buds etc it may be worthwhile to remove the re growth (repollard) at this stage. This may then do one of two things, the tree puts on re growth in new growing season for essential processes or it sends it into further decline as it’s resources are insufficient for the tree to continue. Shame you haven’t got any pics as I’d be interested to see. Tricky decision but if the re growth is already compromised then repollarding at this stage may be a suitable option? Have you sounded the main stem with a hammer to see if there is further degradation or decay in the main stem, there could be other things at play in conjunction with the anthracnose. I’m not too sure about spraying the growth as I have no experience of this, I know companies such as Bartletts offer this but am unsure of success rates etc

I don’t think that the scenario is unique to Glendale, everybody is struggling for staff across the board whether that be an apprentice groundsman through to a senior consultant. The likes of Glendale/Gristwood et al can have a negative image within the industry due to the work that they do and because historically some have paid poor basic salaries with unrealistic daily targets to hit bonus. Also a lot of people prefer back garden Arb, it tends (not always though) to be better paid, sometimes more relaxed and a better quality of work. I also think a lot of young guys aren’t coming into the industry as they can make better money elsewhere, a labourer with a CSCS card onsite in London can earn more than a lead climber and people wonder who good guys leave. Maybe put the actual ad up for people to look at? Essentially people want to know what they are going to get in their hand not what they may be able to achieve if they smash themselves out for 12 hours a day 6 days a week. Anybody can say earn £45k but if the targets are unachievable people move on very quickly returning you to square one looking for staff again. Just my thoughts though

Definitely still trading