daltontrees

A survey appointment took me past the Meikleour hedge during the week. I thought it would be in wonderful autumnul colours but it was barely turning. And it's well into its spell since its last 10 year trim. Anyway, if anyone ever wondered what it looks like on the other side, here it is. Poor pic because there is so little light in there it was a hand-held 1/20 of a second exposure. Note a big Beech has snapped atthe base and fallen inwards.

In the same vein but not as good, here's one frm a cherry I took down yesterday. Looked better before it went orange like too much spray-on-tan.

PS The usual problem with uptake of BSs is likely to apply here, the cost is prohibitive for occasional use or reference use only for the likes of us arbs. I do wish there was a way that a few of us could share the cost of a copy, I'd be up for that. It kind of irks me that I spent about 15 hours commenting on the draft (it was all over the place, it took a long time to figure out what was right and what was wrong) for no reward and I have to pay to see how it has turned out. Some of my comments have made their way though to the micro-guide, and a lot of other people commented, so I can only hope the BS is substantially improved from the draft. But I aint paying £220 to find out. The draft included a sectionthat would directly affect how BS5837 surveys are done, so at least anyone like me doing these has to find out what it now says.

If anyone's interested, the Bat Conservcation Trust has just published a related 'method statement' for the non-specialist use of endoscopes for investigating potential roost features. It's available on the BCT website. It is stated as being for 'arborists', whatever they are. It dosn't appear to be a method statement, rather it is a method or methodology. Considerable adatation would be required to turn it into a method statement. As a measn of helping me remember what it is for, here's my understanding. a. If a tree has a known bat roost, a non-specialist (an arborist) shouldn't use an endoscope. b. If a tree has a feature that can be confirmed from the ground as suitable for bats, the method shouldn't be used. c. If examination can be doene by mirror and torch, don't use an endoscope. d. If a tree doesn't have a known bat roost but a scoping survey from the ground has noted medium or high potential for roosting, a non-specialist (an arborist) could use an endoscope to see if the potential can be downgraded to 'low'. e. If the endoscope examination is inconclusive, a licensed bat worker must take over. f. If a roost is found, stop. So I'd say arborists shouldn't be rushing out to buy endoscopes based on lots of new work coming up. The circumstances are so tightly constrained that endoscopic examination by a non-specialist will be rare. Funny thing is, this 'method statement' was published a few weeks before the new BS, but doesn't refer to it. The Micro Guide refers to the method statement. I haven't seen the BS.

F. excelsior 'Monophylla'?

Tha't not a fact, that's a magnum opus!

I suppose so, but they are all bound by the same primary legislation and there shouldn't be that much local variation.

Thanks, I assumed yoyu were genuine and I pitched in on the draft.

Is that a question? If so, it's screaming Ganoderma. Give it a few weeks and things might be clearer. Meantime the presence of the fruiting body won't make much difference to the situation.

Another tip. The words adnate and adnexed are annoyingly similar. But adnate gills meet the stem like a T. AdnaTe. A have a ridiculous mnemonic for this, Based on the word Fasad. Free first, adnexed is next... sinuate, adnate, decurrent. This covers the types that can readily be seen and described in the field, progressively greater attachment to the stem.. Occasionally useful, as with Armillaria. The following is probably better to print off than the Kia ora crow profiles.

With those cones? Sawara is C. pisifera, which translates to 'bearing peas', the cones are pea sized and round. Can't tell from your pics how big the cones are.

Yeah but you sponsored the raffle and probably got shooed to the top after a handful of erudite posts. Probably an MBE when you hit 1000 posts.

That's what I thought, it has to be installed by a 'competent person' which includes members of some institutions like HETAS. Or am I imagining all this?

It's the number of postings. Just post any old drivel, like what you had for dinner or what's on the telly. You'll be a senior member in no time.

Sycamore. Burns like coal, but takes longer to get there than ash.

This is just following the declension of nouns in latin, not just reflecting that it is plural but that it is in what is called the second declension group of nouns and is feminine. Why? Because the romans had a name for the service-berry tree - Sorbus. The plurals of other trees known to the romans are (officially) Fagi, Fraxini, Populi, Quercus, Tiliae, Coryli, Ulmi, Castaneae, Salicis, Alni, Betulae, Aceris, Platani. I don't know what the convention is for trees not of direct latin origin. For example a tree that could not have been known to even Rome's expansive empire - Sequoia. The reason for the choice of name by Endlicher in the mid 1800s is not known and it is not even derived from latin adjective, it is merely latinised i.e. made to look latin but how it is to be made to behave like a latin word when made plural is not known to me except that by default it must be deemed a first declension group noun. Hence a good guess would be Sequoiae. It's all a bit purist, and I think that if a group of trees of the same genus were being described the use of the common name would be most appropriate. But what if there is a group of Rowan, Whitebeams and Service Trees? The smart-ass would no doubt relish the unassailable once-in-a-lifetime use of the word 'Sorbi', because the alternative would be to say 'look, a group of trees all of the genus 'Sorbus'. But the romans would undoubtedly have said "Ecce, sorbi!" and their fellow romans would know exactly what they meant. I think it is probably one speculation too many as to whether Sorbi should be italicised or not. I think it probably should but I am not in Italy, never mind Rome and I reserve the right not to do as the Romans did.

got ours done 5 years ago, big tall chimneyhead and 2 storeys of 11 foot ceilings, they supplied the liner and chinaman's hat, put it in, did the register plate, connected up and sealed and tested the new stove. All for £750. Other quoptes were £900 and £1100.

Good point!

Few Limes are, mainly small leaved lime (Tilia cordata) and its hybrid common lime (Tilia x europaea). It's what they do. That's why they do it. The idea of a tree having a straight stem clear of branches to 8ft is artificial. In nature browsers like deer would take new growth up to that height, but in the average urban street there are few browsing deer to explain why trees are clear stemmed. And for a tree, all that light striking the stem is wasted. Some Limes have adventitious buds just beneath the bark that will react to available light and will pop out. And there's your epicormic. And once these are removed, the removal site is thin barked and well served by vascular flows and will produce epicormics again and again. In evolution, it must have served small leaved lime well to produce epicpormics. The whole tree coild snap off at the base through fungal decay or storm damage, and the tree can pretty much carry on from the epicormics alone. Some of the oldest trees in Britain are limes that have been coppiced for centuries and have expanded out into great circles of, essentially, overgrown epicormics. It's a good insurance policy.

Looks like Hinoki Cypress to me (Chamacyparis obtusa).

Here's the basics

I find that the absence of a partial veil ring on the stem rules out Armillaria, except A. tabescens but it has scales on the centre of the cap even when young. I also look for gill attachment. Armillaria is generally decurrent or adnate, whereas the ones in the second picture are free or verging on adnexed. Not trying to tell you this stuff David, just posting my methods for the wider audience to consider.

That lovely aniseed smell is hydrogen cyanide. "Hydrogen cyanide (AC) is a systemic chemical asphyxiant. It interferes with the normal use of oxygen by nearly every organ of the body. Exposure to hydrogen cyanide (AC) can be rapidly fatal. It has whole-body (systemic) effects, particularly affecting those organ systems most sensitive to low oxygen levels: the central nervous system (brain), the cardiovascular system (heart and blood vessels), and the pulmonary system (lungs). Hydrogen cyanide (AC) is a chemical warfare agent (military designation, AC). Hydrogen cyanide (AC) gas has a distinctive bitter almond odor (others describe a musty "old sneakers smell"), but a large proportion of people cannot detect it; the odor does not provide adequate warning of hazardous concentrations." Don't get in to the chipper box to shove it around. Even chipping this stuff in the open I have felt a bit light-headed, it was a still day and I was hemmed in by a hedge and a building.

Funnily enough, as I was rading the scenario I was thinking, that's a good example of how the regulations are worded so that the Council is not liable. The damage was not foreseen by the applicant, and was not put forward as a justification for removal. Therefore the Council would have no need to inspect the tree, if the Council thought the tree still provided amenity for the area it would be a straight refusal without any further justification based on condition. Right regulation, completely opposite outcome. The Coujcilm is not obliged to foresee that the owner would not foresee damage. I think that's fair enough, if condition is not pointed out and made the reason for proposed removal, it would eb unfair to expect a Council to do free tree surveys for every free TPO app. But I could be wrong, compensation is often threatened but I've never has a live case.

Grows again very quick, not great heat per weight but it's a clean smoke, few if any nasty phenolic stuff in it. If you've got lots lof it it's a decent fuel. Dries quite quickly too and straight growth will ring up and ping apart under the maul with almost zero effort.