David Humphries

I think you'll find that comment came from one particular direction .

On second look, you're probably right with the Ganoderma Tony. Although In my defence I did say they 'look like' Fomes, not that they were. Microscopy has recently led me to be more cautious with my identification. .

Nice day for a dismantle. What was the reason for the removal? .

Howdee Simon, Thanks for the link, I hadn't heard of it. We're just about to select a candidate for an apprenticeship on our team. Sounds like a worthwhile project to keep an eye on. .

Great shots Sam. Immense scale. .

Good outcome from my perspective. Hats off to both the owner and the consultation having the courage to maintain it and to carry out what must have been an epic climb and cutting session. Fair play Mr B .

Only real way to determine between applanatum and australe is by the spore size. Out of interest have you got a shot of the flesh and tubes. .

That made I larf Applaud your honesty Dean, nice one

Yes Peter, it is a lime .

I used it about an hour ago Stevie, it worked ok then. Try it again tomorrow perhaps ? .

As many of you will already be aware, one of our members suffered a very serious injury a few weeks ago. In early March Sean was hit by a falling section of tree whilst at work. He was airlifted to Southmead Hospital where they found he had sustained a broken neck, a broken back, broken ribs and a punctured lung. His spinal cord was severely damaged and has caused paralysis from the waist down. He has had reconstructive bone surgery with titanium rods now holding his back together and the prognosis is that he will be in a wheelchair from now on. A lot of our members have shown their support here on a couple of threads here at Arbtalk and elsewhere. I know both he and his wife Susi, are extremely touched and grateful for this compassion. They are overwhelmed by the amazing show of support from all their circles of friends and family and even from people they don't know yet. Sean clearly holds a special place in their hearts from the daily outpourings of love and support that comes in on social media and the many visitors requesting to see him. The future is very uncertain both physically, emotionally and financially for Sean and his family. Friends have created a donation page to help with ongoing medical bills and for potential infrastructural changes in the family home. Sean and Susi face a long road of recovery in which future expenses will mount up quickly (relocation, wheelchair adaptations, therapies, family expenses, equipment and medical services). Their family have been helping them financially so far, but friends have also been kindly offering and wanting to help also, something which they both feel incredibly humbled by. This is not a public appeal but a means for those who wish to support them to do so without Susi and Sean having to deal with bank details and transfers, enabling them to concentrate on recovering and re-building their lives. Sean is a well respected tree surgeon and takes great joy in being out in nature, conserving trees and the environment and encouraging others to do the same. He will do everything in his power to be back out there amongst his beloved trees as soon as humanly possible even if it is in a rough terrain wheelchair. He is a very passionate & inspirational man. If possible, please continue showing your support in any way that you can. It all helps ! Thanks for reading. Sean Harding's Support Fund. | Medical Expenses - YouCaring .

Nor am I in fact I'd consider myself to be a retired 'indoor rower', never having really acheived many thousand of indoor meters. My rowing prowess was more akin to having a sedate pull of the oars across a pond This thread has inspired me to dust off the machine and get back to it, thanks Welwell. .........well maybe .

Oops, note to self........stay off the whiskey when editing videos. Should be ok now, I've unlocked it .

Tethering a veteran pine..... .

Bees Jay .

Timelapse of the development of a fruit body of Laetiporus sulphureus .

Couple of wind sculpted coastal oaks Offering up the perception of time and the force of the elements .

Really chuffed for you mate, great to see .

Shade is an often an under emphasised and important attribute that trees like this one provide (even here in cloudy UK) Particularly on sites where children work and play. I think (dependent on the outcome of a decay and dysfunction assessment) the tree (if structurally sound enough) should be managed to maintain the benefits that it provides. Removing it and replacing with a young tree will not benefit the current (or next generation) of young people in this learning environment. Give it a tap with a sounding hammer .

I think you're probably right Alec. There was an application of nutrients and Mycorhiza injected in to the rhizosphere from just beyond the drip line to the base of the trunk and the garden was kept shut for a few months to keep people off it. I think that the two 'new' benches were moved mostly to give a place for viewers to sit and admire the the view to the tree rather than away from it. Guy, I'd imagine the circular bench was taken away partly to tick the box of 'moving' the target. I don't know the history, but would suspect that an over zealous gardner hacked away at an old vine. There are nails in bands every meter up the trunk which probably means it supported clematis or wisteria for a significant period of time. .

So you got Isabella a box set of Daniels best cutting tips for her birthday, you really are the perfect Daddy-o Mark .

Not entirely sure if the late Mr Cook had either an affinity or a loathing of trees particularly, so couldn't possibly comment ! .

There is some new planting, but it's a diverse site and mostly left to (managed) natural regeneration. It's the biodiversity of the older trees that's difficult to replace when they're gone. New threats and p&d coming along all the time. .

Ha, that's an AA clip board and sounding hammer, kinda the same thing I guess .