Ian Flatters

Nice set Adam, I think you missed an opportunity for a double thumbs up in the black and white one

To be fair Jon, it's one of the most trouble free recoveries I've ever had. From the call to loading was only 20mins and we had managed to get off the m1 and into a petrol station so we were safer and warm.

Yeah it was a good weekend. Even got chauffeured 193 miles home after the alternator snapped its pulley. In fact I'd go so far as saying it was an interesting trip because the first leg driver used to maintain the neutron bomb mobile launchers during the Cold War.

Hahaha lois, let's just say she's wreaked about now..... But by god it's dynamite comedy.

Me and the wife are in Durham for the pole climbers Christmas party. So I had a quick catch up with Paul. We even played with Lego. A bustling and beautiful town. Plus Parts of Harry Potter was filmed in the cathedral

Nathan, where are we all meeting up at and time?

Cheers buddy, it made sense as I'd done well this year through trading timber for carvings so I though who would get the greatest enjoyment from it. Not me but children.

I'll post the old pics but yesterday we delivered this donation and I got a card today. It's probably going to be one of my favourite arb memories and if you ever get the chance to do something like this I'd say go for it.

Mark, I too suffer from it. I found some fleece lined work gloves the best. I think dickies make them. Great all round glove.

Sorry ive just emptied the inbox folder a bit more.

That's a beast of s grinder.

Here we go I pollarded this but was only paid for a half day

Yeah in hindsight maybe I should of said i smashed the top out to start a retrenchment pruning program (if we ever go back as a lot of the time they leave it because they cannot be bothered to spend more money.)

Bump!

I wasn't saying anyone was. I was just aware I didn't want it to start becoming a knock down. It normally starts when people put links up then it gets discussed over and over. I've got to return to an oak I did 3 years ago which was retrenchment pruned.

I've never seen one of this size and I'm pretty stumped on its worth. If it's not a great deal I'll prob send it to the mill myself. Not the baseball hat for reference.

Hark at you with all your big words. hahah thought someone would like that description.

I will just add this openly, I do feel arbtalk seems to be sometimes, not all the time, but it seems to be a place of ignoring the reason for the works but focusing on how to put down the works. Ive seen it many a time on threads although the picture discussed isnt going to bother me too much. however id like to nip it in the bud now before it becomes one of those unsavory bits of a thread. So the tree was decided to be heavily drop crothched. This is to retain the value of it and reduce its risk to a target. We may if the client permits in the future, as the crown develops reduce the laterals in to create a squat crown. However for the time being it will be left to recover/develop/rot/look unsightly for a period. Not to mention the habitat that has been retained to stay part of the eco system rather than whipping it out and cashing in on the job and firewood. In my opinion its got very good bat roost potential, non currently but potential. Right my armors up, ive raised the draw bridge and lowered the portcullis

Sorry im fresh out of medals over this one. But its great to know that lopping and topping are still legislation. :001_tt2:

Natural target pruning is what ive always called that. Shigo told me in his books. Joking aside, in essence its pretty close and probably grammatically the same thing. Ive always been told drop crothcing is uprights to remove weight of the declining crown or reduce the tops of fruit trees. It will be interesting to monitor over the next few years as its right by a footpath i drive past regularly .

Thinking about it rich, that description would be natural target pruning or shigo cuts. Drop crotching could also be called restoration cuts to shift in the auxin/cytokinin balance.thus creating new leaders that would allow the side branches to be reduced if required and a more squat crowned tree to become established.

No, it could be used as part of a reduction, but I'd class that as a reduction. To me it's a lot heavier more like some of the stuff I've seen on tony crofts thread.

I'll be there Nathan. Paul I'll see you on the weekend.

Not at all really. Reductions are normally the whole crown when drop crotching is mainly uprights. I think we charged pretty much exactly the same as we would of reducing the entire crown but with the declining crown tips, it was proposed to do this and leave as much healthy live growth but remove minimal amounts of weight in the scaffolds to reduce wind throw from lever arm. Oh and whoever mention topping.. We used pruning points not internodal pruning. haha

Cheers Chris, I'd rather retain habitat if possible. Anyway. Something a little different again as part of the company I work for we give 12 days a year to free community projects. Sometimes it's delivering materials or supplying man power. Today we delivered a gruffalo that was commissioned for a local nursery school. I had to read 25 children the story and I'll add cutting and climbing trees is a lot easier and less stressful.