Mr Fir

That's the one, thanks. With a bit more experience i'll remember the difference between G. applanatum and adspersum. G. adspersum the one that munches through wall 4 then i guess. Oh ai, forgot to mention - from that Picus we decided not to fell. If it had shown it to be G. adspersum it would have been game over. Useful data

Crane is a bit pricey and doubt it'd fit under the wee bridge on the way. From the trees it's downhill to the area we need it... Good thinking about the extra height, not sure we'll need it but will keep it in mind. Quite right about the timber. Luckily it's staying on site so it's not a prob if it gets rigged normally later on - i'd like to fell it asap though hah!

Hey. Was wondering what height those tomograms were taken at? 4 on the same tree? Also is that Pinus sylvestris or P. nigra? I've been working with an experienced guy who has his own kit for over a year now, i do most of the contracting these days. Here's a tree i did as a wee project for college: Beech with targets, test at 380mm. Fruiting bodies at base. Ganoderma sp. but not sure which! Picus suggests that wall 4 is intact. This would mean it's the G. sp. that is an intensive heart rotter but aint so great at breaking the barrier zone. Anyone remember the name? Don't have Shwarze to hand.

So there's a job that requires speedlining. Never done it before so will do a dummy run up in the woods this weekend. Found the best info at treebuzz.com articles and also ISA rigging book, didn't answer my question though. 2 Sycamores to dismantle, 15 and 20m tall. Horrible slope up to the trailer and limited space for rigging due to phone lines running all over the place (not impossible though). Also a 1m wall at the top to chuck everything up. The pole in the pic is for an electrical line, bit of a concern but could redirect onto a vehicle as anchor perhaps. Yellow = control line After ideas and advice on setup: Would you just setup the line in the larger, back tree and run the first off it or do the smaller one first as normal? Perhaps a floating anchor for the pulley at point 1? Any thoughts? I'll try get pics (weather and pressure dependant) and report back next week.

I got a cutting from high up and also was looking at lower shoots today. Very small amount of growth the past 5 or so years, 3-5cm normal, 8cm max... Although I told the owner how to see the annual growth between scars he wasn't convinced and almost convinced me that some looked like a double flush: how likely would that be on Prunus and really, a few years in a row? I think vigour is poor, energy is being used supporting a decaying lower stem and so the upper crown is struggling. My recomendation so far is to put mulch mat and mulch to radius of 2-3m, small amount of slow release fertiliser and a slight crown reduction in the summer if vigour is looking better to stabilise the compression fork and decay problem. Also to tell the owner not to prune it outwith optimal mid summer. Thanks for the input, any more is welcome

Looks like a pretty serious case of K. deusta, an Acer wouldn't have a chance i guess...Do you think the tree would have been ok if it had only been Armillaria?

Interesting diagnosis from both of you, thanks. Would a generic 'intense white rot' suffice for recomendations perhaps? Is there some way I could find out either way? I'm interested myself...

Know where you're coming from, throw line in the tree (with small bag) is a farce esp with Oak epicormic... As above - from the deck with a retreiver ball, line attached at eye too. If you want to retrieve the cambium saver in the tree put the ball (or whatever you normally do, knot etc) on the rope splice and it'll come to you fine, no need for a line to slowly get it back. Or....get your groundie to set up your next line from the deck...or do it yourself before going up. Hope that helps

Cheers for the input, true about the secondary thickening. Could the cracks be a response to internal decay? Sounded like it ascended quite high. Vigour has deteriorated the past 2-3 years, leaves and flowering have been consistantly poor on affected areas the past few years too...altered xylem?

I have followed 'Diagnosis of ill-health in trees' by Strouts and Winters but didn't get a definitive answer...maybe you can help? Here's my data: Prunus Kanzan Back garden, grass around. Path 3m to W. Unaltered RZ Mature? 50-60yrs Has had pruning over the years, some for low branches and some for die back - not done during optimal summer time Good fertile soil on top of sand base 3ft down Symptoms Die back in upper crown (pic 1), spreading Late flowering on sparse areas in upper crown, small leaves Leaf discolouration (pic 2 - left leaf is normal) - Autumn effects? Seems localised to upper crown Cracks on lower stem to 1.8m (pic 3) Some bleeding Some frass at base of 1 larger (pic 5) Bulging and flattening on all lower stems Mallet suggests altered wood There is a stump of a removed Ash about 3m away that has prolific Kretschmeria/ Ustulina deusta and a large unidentified bracket fungus. Seat of damage - Roots or root collar, water conducting wood Suggested diagnosis' Silverleaf (pruning wounds, leaf discolouration - no fruiting bodies identified) Bacterial canker Cherry bark tortrix Internal decay from ...? Well that's about as much as i've got so far, if anyone has a thought on what it could be or something else to look for i would appreciate the help.

I was wondering the same, going to play about with a length of Marlow boa 9mm. Surprised most people will recommend an 8mm for friction hitch, best knot for VT?

I've only heard of the above names but all good things. Doug Irvine at the Barony near Dumfries is a decent guy to learn and be assessed by too