daltontrees

David, thank you for replying, I was a bit despondent that there was no reply to this, as I hate to allow something new-ish to pass without building my knowledge. I have seen it in lesser form elsewhere, including in Edinburgh last week, but never where it has been so pronounced and multiple. My thought at the time was along the lines of yours but without association with white rot (although that now makes sense), I thought it was associated with rotational shear forces at points of weakness. Since the shelves don't go all the way round, it seems inevitable that the forces must resolve themselves by localised buckling. And hence the adaptive growth. The tree in question was almost 30m tall, a good 8m higher than the rest of the group, and it was on the top of a steep embankment on the edge of fields and very exposed. Higher up was a large tear wound where a compression fork with included bark and extensive decay come off a few years (I am guessing) previously. Dessicated Inonotus hispidus fruiting bodies were found on the ground nearby, with no other likely hosts than this Ash. I thought I could see old attachment points around the tear wound. It all adds up to exceptional torsion on the crown and stem, which has been partly removed by the loss of the codominant stem at the compression fork. The I.d could have been active in the stem beforehand. Does all this make sense, including the ability of I.h to cause white rot proximally 2-3 m from point of infection?

I've been known to park my truck a street away so that I don't get a bad reputation. I really want to put a huge sign up that says 'I know this is probably wrong but don't blame me I'm only following orders". On Arbtalk, which in my view is not known for being a bastion of morals, the general view seems to be that morals and business don't mix. If Dean O won't do the work someone else will. And they will get the next job from that customer, and the next...

That's the only thing it can mean.

Then carry on, wiht a copy of his written instruction and your advice of caution safely back in the office. The contractor is not the agent but he is not the police either. Unlike a TPO situation, there is no ppossibuility of statutory fines for the contractor because the only penalty here will be for breach of planning conditions and the legal action to resolve that would involve establishing who was in the decision-maker, not who did the act.

Not quite end of discussion. Make mistakes - pay the consequences. And as a footnote... I know everyone on Arbtalk is just wanting to have a bit of a laugh, but seriously it is not for anyone to speculate about whether the tree's onwer wantied it gone anyway or is jumping on the compensation bandwagon or whether he should have built a 6 foot fence to repel invaders or whether the tree was a good one. I'll bet there's no such chat down at the Housing Association. They should and inevitably will pay up and they should sue their contractor if he read the spec wrong. Everything else is dog-ate-my-homework schoolboy excuses and rather ugly merriment at the expense of a couple who may be genuinely saddened by the irreplaceable loss of their tree. Come on Arbtalk, try at least and pretend to be professionals, so that the public who read this forum don't just decide that they would be as well getting their gardener to do their tree work.

Amazing! I can't figure out how it ever came about...

You also need to protect yourself and your reputation and your potential liability for being an accomplice. Slightly at odds with RH advice, I would not call the TO out because that's not your remit. You seem to be the developer's contractor, not the dveloper's agent. Big, big difference. I would tell the developer that he appears to be in breach and that if you are to proceed with removals you want his express instruction (in writing, even just an email). That will soon sort out whther he respects you or was hoping you would blunder on to get him what he wanted and a get-out-clause.

Sycamore?

First prize in the 'still trying the hornbeam joke 2 years on' contest.

Hmm, as suggested by Treseer it also suggests something has bashed it recently.

And Oyster musshrooms...?

Thanks, I must have been thinking of Straw Mushrooms (Volvariella volvacea).

Paul, I have an interesting challenge for you. Why should Arbtalk members use the Induistry Code of Practice? If it takes you more than 25 words then you will probably lose the audience.

I thought shiitake grew on straw...?

You're so lucky that you'll never have to read the draft.

Tell that to Arbtalk! Even the sub-forum dedicated to SRT is called 'Single Rope Technique'.

SRT seems to be recognised now in the just published Industry Code of Practice. Industry Code of Practice: Tree Work at Height It's being called Stationary Rope Technique, which makes so much more sense than Single Rope. What's the reference to two parallel ropes about? Does that still come under the heading of SRT? I wouldn't think to out a fricvtion hitch around a doubled rope.

I see the new Industry Code of Practice has been published now by the AA. I am pleased to see that it is a vast improvement on the draft, which was almost impossible to read. I made some suggestions to the AA myself and was relieved to see that they had been taken on board. Others must have done the same, it is definitely improved. Industry Code of Practice: Tree Work at Height So, I went from thinking I might try to get through my professional life without ever having to look at the ICoP again, to now thinking it is quite a good summary of the H&S issues in aerial tree work. Already I am thinking that from both the consultancy side when drawing up specifications and from the contracting side when drawing up quotes it could be a really useful shorthhand to say that the ICoP (or at least the relevant parts of it) will be observed. Anybody else looked at it or got any thoughts on it? I'm not a plant from the AA PR dept, (honest!) I am just as ever interested in where the industry is at.

Oh dear, I think I am about to be told of several guttating fungi species commonly found on Oak... No, this one had the colour and visual texture of I.dryadaeus, with light caramel coloured droplets and darker bigger ones. The pore surface hadn't developed, or was completely buried in fine debris a tthe bottom of the knothole. Here's a close-up. Please please correct me if I am wrong. I can take it!

Not possible. To see it at all I had to grab either side of the knothole and do a pull-up. With my weedy arms, viewing was restricted to about 30 seconds at a time.

Indeed it is but I am 100% sure about the ID. It was deep inside a dryish near-horizontal knothole about 200mm wide and about 300 deep, at about 2.2m above ground level. On Q. robur, mature, exposed location but knothole on sheltered side. Shropshire.

Seen last week. Anyone know what has caused these lumpy shelves on this Ash?

Bit of a poor picture, but Inonotus dryadaeus guttating away quite happily at the base of a knothole last week.

I think it might be Muehlenbeckia, just reached that conclusion after a half hour search of books and internet. The whole genus seems to lean towards obovate leaves.

I think it's one of these but I don't know what it is. Maybe juvenile Eucalyptus camphora. eat my SWEET DUST: heart shaped leaf