AA Teccie (Paul)

Sorry, haven't read all postings here and so may have been dealt with. Just to clarify we are NOT the arbiter here, and nor should we be...as an association we may have an opinion but for the wider industry we would not be the dictator, tis the other way round, i.e. industry should dictate standards, albeit with guidance where needed. The level 5 thing is the qualification entry requirement for AA Professional Membership. This may be interpreted as contributing to professionalism, and indeed I would support that view, however it does not imply that if you are not an AA Prof Member you are not a professional nor acting professionally. I hope that makes sense...at least a little Cheers.. Paul

(Being a norvener) I remember the first London based ARB Approved Contractor assessment I undertook and the guy on the chipper had a full PPE and a respirator...seemed excessive on first glance but I soon realised why!!! If its any use I've attached a general information note (kind of, informal) and a generic risk assessment, the best control being only working on the trees when dormant, a policy several London Boroughs have adopted. Cheers, n stay safe n clear headed out there..! Paul London Plane - generic.doc London Plane info.doc

Presumed 'IPAF' certificated which is good as pan-industry recognised. Paul

Still places left...and you know you want to really! REMEMBER, learning more about being a compliant business can only be to your benefit...whether, thereafter, you choose to or not is another matter. Cheers all Paul

Pests and diseases - Ash dieback (Chalara fraxinea) Jimmay, take a look at the attached and download the larger map. No confirmed 'wider environment' findings in that area of Devon...yet! Cheers.. Paul PS In all honesty, and not to appear too pessimistic, "tis only a matter of time" I feel

Possibly, particularly if you're in Kent / SE region, but Ash was quite late this year and burst quite sporadically in many cases. Try ro get a close up looking for the lesions on young twigs as per FC website. Time for the 'lizard' approach I would suggest....i.e. monitor! Cheers Paul

Spur blight (monilinia laxa) which is very common of 'Cheals Weeping' cherry. Not sure about any effective controls so maybe prune out. Paul

My pleasure Jamie and congrats on the Sycamore crown reduction, best one i've seen in a long time! well done to all n looking forward to supporting and promoting you going forward Cheers.. paul

Being a CHAS accredited contractor will doubtless help too...and of course comes automatically when you get ARB Approved these days (as does TrustMark approval.) Gis a shout if u want, or need, to know more. cheers.. Paul

Hi all, APOLOGIES for the short-notice here, where does time go?! Anyhow's if you fancy learning more about getting ARB Approved, or indeed just about being a 'more compliant' contractor, please come along and join me at this FREE workshop (see ARB Approved Contractor Preparation Workshop ) REMEMBER once fully arb approved you also get the option to join CHAS and Trustmark schemes too! Cheers, n hope to see you there.. Paul

Hi Alec...and welcome:thumbup1: A one-day Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) course will be fine. Ideally though it should cover the specific / likely injuries you may incur / encounter, e.g. deep lacerations by chainsaws, during your job. This will be signified by '+F' (Forestry related) on the certificate. There are several 'industry based' training providers who can help here or alternatively you could approach a standard training provider with a group of other tree surgeons looking for some specific training. Hope this helps, a little, and apologies if its a bit like "information overload." Cheers.. Paul:confused1:

Excellent, thank you David Hope you're well. Paul

Possibly verticillium wilt (see attachment) Cheers.. Paul Vert. Wilt on Maple.pdf

Only £15...I paid £50 last time! Thanks for the teaser. Paul

I'm gonna quit whilst I'm ahead and not guess 'avium Plena' coz that really would be silly of me I'm edgin mi bets ere Paul

I won't embarrass myself and guess 'Prunus spp' as that would be silly But 'heyho' tis good to get the ball rollin Cheers.. Paul

This is why we make Employers Liability Insurance a 'condition' of ARB Approval regardless of how you engage your staff. Cheers.. Paul

Not at all David, your comments n observations, as with others, are always greatly valued and hopefully allows to improve next time round Enjoy the beach...cheers:thumbup: Paul

Morning David, thanks for your good wishes throughout for the show. The general consensus is that it was a great success, even the rain yesterday wasn't as bad as forecasted...no surprise there:biggrin: Apparently bio-security was discussed with the estate, albeit a little late in the day, and the decision was made not to implement anything due to the logistical challenges of doing so and the fact that any control it offered would probably be low in effectiveness anyway. There was also a view that any contractors etc. who visited that show that have bee working in 'infected' areas should have their own specific controls measures in place. I think the reality is that the effectiveness of bio-security measures outside of controlled zones and, for instances, tree/shrub nurseries, is questionable given the practicalities of doing so. Nonetheless form an educational and information point of view it would have been nice to have the FC / FERA etc. present at the show. I will feed this back. Thanks for your observations and have a nice 'rest of' weekend, Paul

Morning David, the apologies are mine that I wasn't available, sorry to have missed you (and indeed anyone else who I said to "pop over and have a chat".) A combination of presentations about the ARB Approved Contractor Scheme, and then subsequent, and relentless, conversations about the same, interestingly this year with many existing ArbACs, tied me up all day On your 'bio-security' question, I know that Simon did discuss it with the estate and Lord Bathurst, and hence I can only imagine either they deemed the risk to be 'low' or, as with several other proposals along the way, they said 'no.' I will endeavour to find out more and let you know. In terms of anyone disseminating information about such, I'm sure the commission were invited, principally to talk / display info about the various P&D ravaging at the moment, but I note they weren't there, but again not sure why. Sorry to leave so many questions unanswered but I will get back to you when I can. Best regards and have a good day (looks like we''il be having a very soggy one so you chose well coming along yesterday!) Paul PS I'll have words with Karen about her "inconsiderations" to here guest in securing the last pork roll

Hi all, APF is 18-20th September see APF 2014, the UK?s largest forestry and arboricultural exhibition is returning to the same location as its hugely successful 2010 event. n don't turn up too early! Paul

Have you got a copy of the assessor's report slip, or similar, with the COMPETENT box ticked? (This presumes it's City & Guilds 'NPTC' but it could now be with Lantra Awards too.) Best thing is to speak to whomever assessed you, and/or the assessing body NPTC or Lantra Awards | Welcome | Training Courses Qualifications | #LantraAwards Good luck.. Paul PS The above advice assumes you passed the assessment of coure

Forgive me, I know this is "Granny's, eggs and sucks" , but the following published guidance may offer some direction for development of your TRA system. Cheers, n 'good luck' Paul PS and this of course Management of the risk from falling trees or branches EnglishNatureVetTreesRiskGuide.pdf NTSG Common Sense TRM.pdf

Perhaps because he is a lawyer...dunno For me, where did I put that vibration risk assessment document Cheers.. Paul

I know this is 'hypothetical', and hence I'll doubtless come unstuck, but I thought the tree remained in the ownership, and ultimate responsibility, of the land upon which is was 'set' or planted. In other words even if it encroaches the boundary at some later date, it still remained the responsibility of the landowner upon whose land it originated. I acknowledge in saying this it doesn't align with Charles's summation (hence simply ignore me ) but it does seem to make at least some sense...I would suggest. In practice, one would hope adjoining land owners would sensibly discuss the matter and agree a solution. There...time to go back to the main forum n seek out some H&S or compliance stuff now...PHEW! Cheers.. Paul