daltontrees

Well, I suppose 'efficiency wrecking' wouldn't have grabbed so much attention.

Looks like a podocarp. Podocarpus salignus maybe?

Yes I got that. At one oint though he say it's all about getting stuff down as safely as possible, as quickly as possible. But you can't have both. Fair enough he admits to a few mistakes because he's rushing. It's interesting to see how others work. I have my own set of tricks, like I chase cuts through then flip the butt away from the stem with the end of the bar just as it detaches, I deliberately tear branches off to get them to land butt-out, and I have got a 2-sink cut that I use which is along the lines of the multi-undercut trick in the video, you can get phenomenal swings with it. I do that cheat undercut too, but usually when darting things off, it works great but I usually end up planting the dart. I did one once that speared the ground so hard the groundy then had to fell the branch using a sink and backcut. It's never about speed, though. I'm sure we've all done some pretty fast wrecking at the end of a day so as to get offsite for good that day, but speed day after day is an accident waiting to happen, and not having to wait long. And never the luxury of a big flat lawn below that is going to get dug up afterwards anyway. If only...

I don't think I've ever had a job that had so few things to hit below me. Nice to have a MEWP. I wonder about the economics of it. Conventional roped climb would have taken 2 hours for that side. c/w Cost of MEWP hire?

Unfortunately, none that can reliably be seen above ground level.

WOw!!!

It may be Meripilus giganteus. That would be my best guess based on tree species, time of year and one photo.

I got rid of my old Aria Cardinal Pro II bass a couple of months ago and got this Chowny Retrovibe, I can't imagine another bass better suited to me. It was second hand but almost mint, previous owner must have hated it because the set-up on it was dreadful. I added an adjustable nut which made a huge difference, and tweaked the intonation, relief and bridge height over a weekend and it is a joy to play now.

I am curious about bone bridges. Do you think they make a significant difference?

Almost constant adjustments, but yes an initial 20 mins spent on a cheap new guitar (9or a 2nd hand bargain) can add £100 of quality. Capo on 10th. adjust bridge height for action. Then capo on 1st, adjust truss rod for relief. Check and adjust for intonation at 13th fret. Then no capo and adjust nut for action. If intonation is off with no capo, that is a real problem. However, I recently felt like chucking my £300 mandolin because the intonation was impossible, but I solved it last week by slipping a needle under the strings at the nut (creating a zero fret). What a difference! I can't put the mandolin down, it sounds beautiful. There's always a way. My golden rule is never to buy a steel strung guitar that doesn't have a truss rod. With a truss rod you have a fighting chance.

Probably Boletus but there are several species of which the cep is only one. Best to err on the safe side before eating, i.e get a proper identification.

No.

Nice one Gary. I'll need to look out for it.

Think ahead. Software is more important than hardware, but choice of software may restrict choice of hardware. Report is likely to have text, a spreadsheet of data and a plan of location and spreads. 2 and 3 can be generated from suitable software. I use Pocket GIS, which allows you to design your survey template then use it as many times as you want to collect tree data. It then lets you upload the data as a spreadsheet, which in run can be imported into a CAD-type mapping programme. I use PT Mapper which is a bit irritating for anything out of the ordinary, but quick and simple. Choice of device is a matter of personal choice, tablets have better screen size but I use Trimble Geo and Juno because they are indestructible and small and with a stylus they are better in the cold and wet.

Almost certainly a cockspur thorn (Crataegus crus-galli). There are popular thornless versions of it which nevertheless occasionally produce vicious thorns almost 2 inches long on suckering shoots.

That's a really useful publication. I sere it clarifies that there is no diseased or dying exemption and tha tthe dangerous exemption should only be used when - " The ash tree is already clearly affected by ash dieback symptoms; and, It is within falling distance (i.e. the total height of the tree) of a highway, service network, built infrastructure,or a space with frequent public use and, The greater part of the crown of the tree is dead; and Crown reduction works necessary to remove any deadwood would, in the opinion of a qualified professional, significantly harm the vitality (or visual amenity) of the tree. Additionally, any ash tree showing basal lesions,either with or without evidence of secondary infection e.g. honey fungus,would also fall within the scope of the dangerous tree exception" That's a nice clear set of rules. As with any risk assessment there has to be likelihood of failure and someone or something there to be harmed or damaged.

I don't know where you are getting the "dying" exemption. I think there is a real need for us all to wait to see if ash (unless dangerous) recover, because if they do they will be the best source of regeneration of ash woodlands locally. So, regardless of there not being a 'dying' exemption, the FC would be right to refuse license applications. Infected does not mean dying in all cases, even if it turns out to be true with the benefit of hindsight. It's not like sanitation felling is going to prevent the spread of Chalara.

You're not going to concede anything, are you, even on a site that I have seen and you and FR haven't? I know what I saw, and I now what I didn't see. I may have faults but not paying attention to detail is not one of them. The trees I saw were dead at the tips, there were indications that this was a result of lack of water and other abiotic factors including salt and constrictions from planting grilles, there were no symptoms of Chalara, it would have been professionally negligent of me to report Chalara, and if I had I would also have notified FR, especially since there isn't another reported square within 50k. And I would also consider it a grave disservice to society to recommend that the trees not be retained on the basis that they might have or will inevitably contract Chalara. These might be the tolerant or resistant populations that we need. Back to the OP. There are shabby looking ash around whose condition is not a result, primarily or at all, of Chalara. Even FR has produced guidance that includes a list and photos of symptoms associated with other disorders of ash.

The symptoms are not everywhere... Then map shows no recorded cases in the area (Ayrshire) I was surveying in last week, or in a couple of the areas I visited yesterday. UK_chalara_outbreak_Map_Web_Version_5July2019.pdf

I crossed this country (Scotland) yesterday, it's not everywhere. I'm not at all convinced that dieback in ash at the very peripheries which could be explained by the drought we had during leafing in late May (and last May too), but with no classic signs of Chalara, is Chalara.

No way is the OP's pic Elder.

Meanwhile, back to the tree. Here's an unusually large Elder leaf from Falkirk yesterday. Note the 50p piece for scale in the first picture.

Quoting directly from "Diagnosis of ill-health in trees' by Strouts (1994) - "Fraxinus excelsior suffers from a condition, not fully explained, called Ash dieback. It has not been clearly characterized but involves the death of scattered twigs, branches or limbs.Even severely affected trees sometimes slowly recover." A pessimism in the industry about Chalara is sweeping the country possibly faster than Chalara itself. But if you stop and look at an ash closely in some areas you may find no wilted leaf, no diamond shaped lesions, no fruiting bodies on last year's fallen petioles, no specific discoloration under the bark, in fact no evidence of Chalara whatsoever. I recommend people stop and actually look instead of assuming from a general impression of tattiness. As Shigo used to say "Touch Trees".

Long before Chalara was known of, Ash Dieback was a thing. Abiotic. General decline for reasons not fully understood. The ash I have been seeing look awful but have no symptoms that can only be Chalara. How, for example, is it possible for Chalara to cause a well-set bud from a previous year on a good sturdy twig to fail to develop at all?