arb culture
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Everything posted by arb culture
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Thanks Marcus, I've been waiting for the excel version to come out, it makes life a bit easier if using THREATS.
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It depends on what part of the job you're talking about - felling, surveying, tree officer, consultant etc.
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If its just a basic management plan you're doing then the Woodland Trust do some good ones. An example below (but have a look on their website for a range of different ones): Management plan for Acomb Wood, one of 1,000+ woods owned by the Woodland Trust
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Hama, if it's the first one you've done, and you're wanting to do a top job, I'd suggest getting back in touch with the client and making absolutely certain what they want. If they are just wanting a risk assessment with pruning/felling options they won't be wanting anything extra. If you supply it and they haven't asked for it they might just find the extra information distracting. I've had a lot of clients come to me because they are fed up with being supplied fat reports filled with information they didn't ask for. However, if they are wanting a more detailed survey inluding extraction routes, NVC types, mensuration info etc., then they'll be disappointed if you don't deliver. A quick e-mail usually sorts out this kind of question.
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The roots will spread way beyond the canopy spread Travis. But don't cut it down because of this. In the vast majority of cases trees and buildings can coexist with no significant structural problems.
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What's its purpose Hama?
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Travis, have you any photos of the canopy, foliage, shoot extension etc?
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Tree preservation orders announcement
arb culture replied to David Humphries's topic in Trees and the Law
A tree officer friend of mine suggested that he thought all trees shuld be protected in a similar way to trees in a conservation area. At first I thought he was just wanting to have excessive control, but with time I've come round to his way of thinking. The beauty of this system is that it would a) help clear up confusion with tree owners - if they want to do work they have to let the LPA know, b) minimise paper work for tree officers - if the trees aren't worthy of protection, just let them get on with it, and c) trees would be properly protected - all trees over a certain diameter would have the opportunity of being assessed by the LPA for a TPO when they become under threat. -
Unfortunately Tony this is a very perceptive summary of modern arboriculture. You could also easily swap 'value' for 'risk' in the above, and it would still be true. What a scientific profession we aren't - I'm really depressed now.
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Just a quick thought - The ND is recognised outside the indutry whereas the RFS and the Tech Cert are only really recognised within the industry. If you complete your course and then decide to do something other than arb (don't forget you're new to this and you may decide you don't like it) then I suspect the ND might leave you in a better position. To go for a tree officer role you should really have FdSc level or above. Yes, I know there are tree officers without this who do a good job, but they've usually been around for a while and they don't need it. Good luck with it, whatever you decide to do.
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Is that 70% of circumference, cross sectional area, transverse sectional area...? How did you come to this 70% figure? What about a tree with 70% dysfunction but with large amounts of solid (but non transporting) wood? How do you calculate the differences in stability due to crown size and condition? What about differences due to species? Are different soil types and exposure taken into account? What about hollow trees? Etc... I know you are busy, so are my questions answered in your peer reviewed papers, and if so, where can I get them?
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Hello Marcus, I have been following the development of TI for a while because it's interesting, because I see the value of the hardware, and because I want to see the value of the software. So far I have not been able to access any of the calulations used in determining the stability of a tree, so I can't determine the value of the software. Does the 'try before you buy' option allow access to the calculations used?
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Thanks for the reply Fluffy, I think that in a round about way we are probably agreeing with each other. Well, apart from whether the act is discretionary or not. And this question is more a question of law than arboriculture. If I was still working as tree officer I'd ask the legal team about it (or my line manager if the legal team is too costly), make sure I got a response in writing, and then apply the law in whatever way they told me to. As I say, some authorities interpret it one way, some the other - Dean's original problem could well be solved by a simple letter to the LA, or it might not - it depends on the LA.
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I know you're not allowed to swear on this forum, so I won't. But foul language is probably the best language I can think of to describe the sort of people who do this.
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You are absolutely right. It should be used as a last resort. But before you carry out the works under misc prov you have to let the tree owner know in writing of your intention and give them a reasonable time to sort it out themselves. Usually if a tree owner is sent such a letter, along with an indication of the costs if the council undertake the work, they will get it done themselves, and quickly. I still don't know why you only used you misc prov powers when you don't know who owns the land or the person who owns the land cannot afford to get the works done themselves. What about the person who has plenty of cash, but who just refuses to make their tree safe, even when it is a clear and obvious danger?
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Ah, Batiarb, I've just read your posts about auras etc. Perhaps you could use your horoscope to predict whether or not a tree will fail. Back to the science though, as I've said many times, I can see the value of FCIR imaging in tree assesment. It might also be true that Marcus's TI system is the bees knees, but without it being open to scrutiny there is no way of knowing. Marcus you say that TTMS is the ultimate in auditable data, how can that possibly be true when you can't show the client, the planner, the appeal officer etc how the probability of failure has been worked out?
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That's a very long answer. I'm afraid I got a bit bored by the regurgitated stuff about the magic maths and camera sensitivity. I've heard it all before, many times. So just tell me what you say when a client says, "Is that tree safe then?"
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I would advise you to liaise with your legal department. Your use of the misc prov act is very strange. Where in the act does it say that you should only use it when you don't know who owns the tree or the owner can't afford to do the work?
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No, not surely, the word 'may' can be interpreted in different ways. If you hav a power, you have a duty, see Jones v Portsmouth. Ask your legal team what would happen if a tree was reported to you as dangerous under the misc provisions act and you ignored it and it then fell over and hurt someone or destroyed their property.
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Why don't you sign up to a degree or similar?
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Gotcha, but the bit that gets us going round in circles is the bit where the client says, "so is this tree safe then?" I was under the impression that TI was being sold as a product which could give a probabilistic figure as to a tree's likelihood of failure. If you are saying that this is not the case, and that the assessment is based on the judgement of the surveyor, then what is wrong with a simple VTA. For example, in your photo above, what difference to the practical management of the tree did the photo make?
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Sorry, I think I've got it now. You're not knocking PICUS, but you are saying that FCIR is just another tool in the box which can shed some more light on some issues. I agree.
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I'm not getting your point. The sound wood in a chair makes it structurally capable of holding a person and the sound wood in a tree can help a tree hold itself up. Most people just want to know if their tree is going to fall over or not. I know there's no point in asking this because we'll just go round in circles, but I optimistically ask - how does TI show whether or not a tree will fall over? (or have x posssibility of falling over if you prefer).
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I'm sorry, ut I'm just not convinced by your picture on its own. The temperature gradient could be due to all sorts of things other than what you suggest.
