Tony Croft aka hamadryad

Goaty, contact ashman I think there is no one else waiting? I am glad your all enjoying it, and thanks for reminding me I still havent got the new book off to sloth! sorry dude, been mental past few weeks

me too!

is it definitely Phelinus Andrew? it looks in good shape foliage wise?

good on ya Theocus, last time steve wanted a log tumble weeds rolled by!

the limbs are all included, maybe from a grafting or topping point. P tuberculosus is a Biotrophic parasite and will see the end of this tree 10 years absolute max IMO

agreed cant believe some would let this slide, standards are standards, wouldnt couldnt walk by this without sorting it myself, its my trade.

not \ sorbus then? Tormenalis?

first beech with a buckle that is probably gano induced. whats the long split in the trunk? as for the oak thats likely a life belt formation and an old one now being outgrown and probably fistulina will break from it sometime in the next decade, not a long wait Fella!

Thanks Mark, it will be a valuable sample to me, wont get to dissect many myself. PS between you me and the fence post David hates being called dave! it maybe cos it sounds so common innit:lol:

mark will you please keep a sample of the last cut ring? a thin section of the full diameter, i would be eternally gratefull, and its vital for me at the moment:thumbup1: keep it dry

a possible connection? still looking for an image of the grubs Forestry Commission - Planting and Managing Woods - Plant Health Current Issues

we need to find out what the longhorn grub looks like and fast!

brilliant!

Julian Huxley a name I had never heard of but think he deserves a tipped hat, fairplay Jules! Julian Huxley - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That is a compliment indeed to be associated in that small list:thumbup1: not sure im on tony S level but working on it for sure.

Well done! and it IS a big deal, congratulations. To be in pursuit of bettering oneself is to be commended at all levels we all have to start somewhere and I salute you. Dont let its significance bother you, I imagine how it feels and be proud of yourself, and I hope it encourages you to continue learning and achieving for that is the essence of professionals.

With increasing talk and exposure on forum regarding use of Microscopes i thought I might add this useful PDF on Lens cleaning, some of may even help on camera lenses, certainly the background on effects of dirty lenses. Hope it proves useful to some. From WAB forum = Wild About Britain http://www.zeiss.com/industry/general_clean_microscope.pdf

All anglers have different goals when out, so many ways to fish and stalking odd fish out from groups around the lake is one way to go, and means traveling light and hunting. I am a VERY aggressive and greedy angler when on a lake of the sort your speaking of, I want competition in the groups for multiple catches and a busy time. Floaters and stalking will see you a few fish for sure but youll be on the move a lot as one or two fish will see the rest spooking and you having to move on. for this type of water higher stock? with orfe tench carp around doubles to singles i would get them fighting it with a steady stream of light baiting, draw them up in the water to fight for the source and train them to associate the incoming splashes with a fight for it. at the end half of the day start to slow the feed rate and go deeper, till at the last knockings your bottom fishing for the lumps lurking in the safe zone established by the mug fish above fighting. this will see you bag the biggest fishes of the day and end it well for you. always be in it to win it, play the long game in everything you do, you are not competing with just the fish, other anglers are drawing the fish away from you also, your competing with them too! part of the fun and games for me

They are dying because the cambium freezes and expands, this lifts and cracks the bark and forms strips of dead cambium, sometimes in fact often not obvious till you peel it away or look closely at the cambium edges of the rings/cordwood. I suspect this is why the younger ones die so readily, they dont have the insulating layer of peeling bark or the bark surface area/diameter to get over a few dysfunctional vascular/phloem strips

Not my personal experience in 25 years of reducing beech and studying veteran beeches fro john o groats to lands end see above whilst i wouldnt have put it this way i would say that the problem is that the people that write best practice guidelines (I will go and get back up from the powers that be if needs be!) do not work WITH trees and have only limited information in which to base this largely "studied" perception. There are several issues with regards to beech pruning which can be avoided with care and a well thought out approach to crown modifications and timing is crucial for beech. There is going to be many changes in established dogma surrounding many issues and it is the arbs experience and documentation that will lead the way here. The industry is finally ready to listen to the voice of experience in such matters, but it needs carefull consideration and formal/peer review to end the dogma.

ha knew it, nice try though:001_tt2: will drop you a line later then!

well said, it is a low wage though, but in the current market and the potential to work hard and progress makes the job worth the starting salary:thumbup1:

you up for a phone call?

Orchids but wether they are grafted to something or a flower arrangment i do not know, they all associate with a fungi and are parasites or hemi parasites so its not really obvious whats going on here.

been to chelsea Gollum? I need to discuss some training ideas with you at some stage.