AA Teccie (Paul)

Andy, simplistically, on registration / sign up to the forum could you include a declaration that the views/opinions expressed are those of the individual subscribers and that ARBTALK cannot be held responsible for the accuracy therefore of the content...or words to that effect? I think this is probably a fairly standard thing with other such industry forums. Paul

Hi Andy, The real strength of this forum is that it is 'open' to all, regardless of memberships, knowledge, experience etc. and hence is an invaluable resource and 'link' for all within the industry. Plus people can post stuff which perhaps challenges convention, shall we say, but again that is valuable to. It is only by so doing we review and improve to the benefit of all. I'm pretty sure that most readers understand many opinions are personal views and not to be taken 'as read' but you are quiet right to remind all of the limitations of the forum and posts therein. Nonetheless 'THANK YOU' from the industry and PLEASE keep up the good work. Paul

Good stuff, nice to hear you had lots of enquiries. Many thanks Eddie and see you next year. Paul:thumbup1:

Hi Paul, Yes, Lantra (Awards) do, look here http://www.lantra-awards.co.uk/Downloads/Training-and-Qualifications/Forest-and-Arboriculture-(duration-etc).aspx Good luck and 'enjoy'.. Paul

Excellent, many thanks GRSL and good to hear you made some sales Hoping to see you again next year. Paul

Cheers Andy, it was much hard work not least as there was no Nick nor Guy to help out but Simon and Mel, in particular, and indeed the rest of the team did a sterling job nonetheless. Good to see you and Steve, albeit too briefly, and real sorry I didn't get time improve my axe throwing techniques this time...will save it for FR Jones's! (THANK YOU both for doing that for the Children's Trust which, as you know, is very close to home for me.) TTFN.. Paul PS SORRY don't know why I've b*ggered up the port here

Hi all, This years show was a 'bumper' for ARB Approved Contractor enquiries...thank you. Many more than normal as the scheme is gathering momentum and is now part of the SSiP forum (see SSIP - Safety Schemes In Procurement) In case, in all the excitement, I overlooked to mention it, there is a Midlands based workshop (which ALL are very welcomed to attend) on Wed. 10th July at Stoneleigh Park, just south of Coventry and just off the M40 jn.15 If you're interested please see AA Approved Contractor Preparation Workshop ? Training and bear in mind the £50 (+VAT) delegate fee is, in effect, refunded on application. Many thanks all n hope to see you there Paul

A BIG thank you to ALL visitors and exhibitors for attending and displaying / demonstrating at this years show which has been declared as a BIG success. Thank you to all our very willing helpers and supporters too..."gud'on'ya's!" You all contributed to a great event and we're very grateful to you all. All the best and 'see you at the next one!' Paul and the AA staff.

"Gentlemen, 'decorum' please...this is the Arboricultural Association forum, tut, tut!" I'm in the 'anything above Watford Gap' being "up norf" group! BUT there was a Cumbria entry AND last week we had a workshop at Kirkley Hall which included several Newcastle / Northumberland contractors and one 'popped down' from Falkirk..."is that North enuff?" Cheers all, hope ur enjoyin the sunshine. Paul

...again, albeit a little belatedly in some instances: 1. Treefellers - Chester (Matthew Pooley & Sarah Pooley) 2. Eden Treescapes - Cumbria (Adam Hulme & Sam Barnes) 3. Professional Tree Surgeons - Cheshire (Walter Yates & Lee Masters) 4. Treescapes North West - Lancs. (Ian Rae) 5. Ken Linford Garden Care - Lancs. (Paul Scott & Dave Barrass) 6. Anderson Tree Care - Chesterfield (Dave Robinson) 7. Sheffield Tree Care - Sheffield (Nick Boden) 8. Beneficial Tree Care - Huddersfield (Luke Hilton & Martin Locke) Congratulations, welcome and 'thank you' all for supporting the ARB Approved Contractor Scheme and, in turn, I look forward to supporting you and your businesses moving forward. Regards.. Paul

...albeit a little belatedly in some instances: 1. Artemis Tree Services - Herts. (Simon N'Jie) 2. Enterprise Managed Services - Gloucester (Philip Matthews & Tony Pyle) 3. Modern Arboriculture - London (Paul Macqueen) 4. Peacock Tree Ecology - Herts. (Alex Peacock) 5. SW Tree Maintenance - Worcs. (Steve Wheeler) 6. Thompson Tree Maintenance - W. Sussex (Jamie Thompson) Congratulations, welcome and 'thank you' all for supporting the ARB Approved Contractor Scheme and, in turn, I look forward to supporting you and your businesses moving forward. Regards.. Paul

Absolutely, you can decline their request but then the tree gets TPO'd. potentially, n you have to deal with that extra layer of administration and bureaucracy. This means pruning is delayed, or possibly stopped, and you can't invoice the client. As I say it is a 3rd option which can work well in some situations and, dare I say, with some TOs, and worth bearing in mind I think. Cheers.. Paul

There is a 3rd option, which avoids the TPO and is pragmatic, they can ask you to formally withdraw your original 'notification', in writing, and then re-submit usually for lesser or alternative works as agreed prior. Worth bearing in mind maybe. Andy's post just about covers it all Paul

Is there really a safety issue based on occupancy rates, i.e. how many people there n for how long etc., as it is often very easy to 'over-egg' safety issues in our increasingly risk averse society (which often ignores the wider benefits dead/dying/decaying trees bring in terms of ecology and bio-diversity.) If deemed a significant / unacceptable risk, but an important tree, then forming an exclusion zone with appropriate and permanent fencing AND information boards / warning signs whilst admitting a hazard will serve to mitigate any (unlikely) claim which may arise. If there is a management strategy / policy in place to support this approach this is very useful too.Thereafter, in the appropriate setting, let nature do its best. Obviously if you are formally advising such then you should have appropriate Prof. Indemnity insurance in place. Hope this helps... Paul

Road closure + crane = job done in a day and everyone safe. Paul

Hi there, Suggest you give Reg Harris a ring at Urban Forestry (Bury-St-Edmonds) as he was instrumental in hosting the first UL based exams for the ETW and may know more about the ETT exams. His number is here: Tree Surgery Good luck.. Paul

Hi Iain, hope you're well. How do I get to the article as the link goes through to a generic page....and then I get lost? Cheers.. Paul:thumbup1:

I'm sure the "in's n out's" of this could be hotly debated for some time but I'd previously rather dismissed this proposed exemption as N/A on the basis of the above n I'm pretty sure that's the view HSE would take. Hence "stay as you are" I'd say! Cheers Dean

Thank you Tony, hope you're well. In theory, we are there now as we are registered with, and appear on (which is what the 'service buyers' use apparently) the SSiP website. In practice, if the requirement to hold CHAS / SAFEcontractor is based on a contractual requirement for an annual audit, then you will need to maintain this 'dual-accreditation' in the short term. This is because we don't currently have a mechanism to alert contractors of an annual audit requirement, as CHAS do very well and hence it makes sense to stick with them for the time being (plus we have a very good working relationship with CHAS and, as a founder member, they have been very supportive of the Arb Assoc and it's dealings with SSiP.) Hope this makes sense and always happy to discuss individual cases directly. Also, and lastly, remember you can do CHAS through us if you wish to avoid irrelevant questions from non-industry H&S professionals.) Cheers.. Paul

Hi Gareth, thanks for the post here. Dublin is/was the only Ireland venue on this occasion, sorry about that but gud'on'ya for getting there! The course was delivered by Guy Watson, AA Technical Officer ('former'), and Ben Abbatt, AA Registered Consultant (Hants. based), both very knowledgeable and thoroughly nice fella's. Cheers.. Paul

Morning Peter, thanks for taking the time here, much appreciated. It was a lot of hard work in the preparation and it was interesting to be on the receiving end of an audit/assessment, but very worthwhile, more particularly as we passed I look forward to the day SSiP recognise those organisations who assess Stage 2 on site stuff, which includes us and very few others, and of course when everyone on ARBTALK is ARB APPROVED...where should I send the application form? Cheers.. Paul

Hi all, just a quick 'heads up' to let you know the ARB Approved Contractor (ArbAC) Scheme has achieved 'Registered Member' status of SSiP (Safety Schemes in Procurement, see SSIP - Safety Schemes In Procurement), a 'forum' supported by HSE and offering national recognition for H&S pre-qualification. This gives the ArbAC scheme equal recognition with CHAS and SAFEcontractor etc. meaning that in future tree surgery contractors accredited with us shouldn't need to hold these other accreditations separately. The SSiP auditor was particularly impressed by the fact we follow through the Stage 1 'desk-top' H&S assessment with the Stage 2 'on-site' assessment, unlike most of the other schemes, and the H&S etc. information freely available on the AA website (see Help becoming an ARB Approved Contractor) to assist contractors with compliance. If you are interested in becoming ARB Approved please contact me and/or look at the website at Become an ARB Approved Contractor Thanks all.. Paul

Hi there, Whilst we do acknowledge some AA Branches 'out-reach' more effectively, and more frequently, than others, in all honesty this comes down to people / members on the ground and their available time and enthusiasm. Hence why not get involved and make your branch work better for you, and others of course. Many get great satisfaction, along with good networking, by getting involved. See Membership overview - Arboricultural Association and scroll down on right hand-side to find your local branch and contacts. Cheers.. Paul

Hi Craig, hope you're well. The AA isn't the FC which is where the 'duty', and more importantly funding, lies and, to be fair, they have been pretty active doing seminars up, down and across the country (inc. 2 joint hosted with the AA in London and Preston and I understand from Paul Hanson they've also done stuff in Scotland.) The AA Seminar, whilst triggered by the increasing P&D problems we're encountering, isn't an update as such in the way the FC ones are. The seminar aims to improve the understanding and implications of P&D at the contractor level and what you need to consider / have in place to manage this. At £60 and £70 respectively for AA members and none members, inc. a copy of the AA P&D booklet which will retail at £15 AND attendees will receive before it goes on general sale in mid-June, I think the seminar represents good value for money. FREE AA seminars is an aspirational thing but will require the membership to quadruple first...fingers crossed! ;-) Regards.. Paul

David, thank you. I will feed your comments back for the next review / reprint, very useful. Kind regards...and very close to being as good as the Fungi Guide