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David Humphries

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Everything posted by David Humphries

  1. David Humphries
    May of posted this earlier in the thread, but this is an update as there's been a new growing season. Red oak colonised by Ganoderma resinaceum. Just a tickle.....
  2. David Humphries
    Currently about 160K for the laser so would need a sharp reduction in size and price before it becomes available on the mobile market
  3. David Humphries
    Not entirely sure Paul, I haven't heard the UCL guys talking about using it for anything other than biomass measurement at this time, but Kew are looking at canopy dynamics and pruning models with it. The accuracy of the measurements (appears to record everything down to leaves and twigs) could perhaps be utilised to record significant limb subsidence & root plate tilt? Perhaps even helping with identifying surrounding canopies for targeted halo pruning/felling. I just like the way that you get a 3D snap shot portrait of a tree (or trees) that can be kept in perpetuity as a record of their presence. Would be fantastic to record all the champion trees and ancients with this tech.
  4. David Humphries
    Great blog by the team from UCL on their 'Adventures with a laser scanner' including the fantastic chestnut leafed oak at Kew http://disneytls.blogspot.co.uk
  5. David Humphries
    The DMP is pretty old tech now compared to the modern microdrills. The Resi PD micro drills can be ordered with very long needles. At least 1000 mm But we find the 400mm one ample for mapping the T/R wall thickness.
  6. David Humphries
  7. David Humphries
    LIDAR scans taken of a couple of old oaks at Hampstead Heath. Part of a project looking at range of different trees in the capital with a focus on urban biomass and carbon storage. Below is a 2D image from the scan, click the red link below the image to get the whole 3D version. https://sketchfab.com/models/6290115bea6a45f09b7edb7960ab72ef This next clip shows the density of the secondary woodland that has grown up around around the two old trees over the last century. This is how they used to look..... Thanks to Phil Wilkes from University College London for permission to share the information. Link to earlier thread on laser scanning helping with 'weighing' trees.....
  8. David Humphries
    Fine inosculation. some really great trees across Trent Park
  9. David Humphries
    Loving this softwood carved monolith at Lynford Arboretum. Full of 'Life'
  10. David Humphries
    Same view about 100 or so years apart. interesting to see how the treescape changes over time, not many of the original trees left now. The 'ha ha' which was the boundary between the formal gardens above and the pasture below had a hawthorn hedge and an old oak tree is long gone but just about still visible in the foreground even though it's been filled in for decades. The old building (Golders Hill House) was destroyed in the Second World War by a rogue bomb drop and is now a carpark.
  11. David Humphries
    I certainly don't disagree with the highlighting of this particular aspect of the overall shoddy management of the 'street' tree stock in Sheffield, but.........there's absolutely nothing new or 'Amey' specific in that article that doesn't happen in each and every village, town and city across the whole urban treescape of the UK with regards to replacement planting.
  12. David Humphries
    We had the team from University College London in at work today scanning some of our oak woodland as part of this ongoing project investigating the potential for street trees and urban woodland to sequester carbon. We should get the data back in a few weeks when they're back from Borneo, so will post it up. It will look similar to the work that was undertaken on the oak below that was subject of the BBC film 'a year in the life of an oak tree'
  13. David Humphries
    Defo Gano, but not sure on the galleries, may be from lesser stag larvae.
  14. David Humphries
    Is it still there Graham?
  15. David Humphries
    Yeah the Purple Hairstreak caterpillars have oak as its primary foodplant. (robur, petraea & turkey which the opm love here.) The problem with the others is that there is going to be some residual drift risk of the spray on to other foodplants/trees like the goat willow for the Purple Emperor, and honey suckle along the woodland rides edges for the White Admiral.
  16. David Humphries
    This is one of the most significant issues that we are working around on the site. Hoping that the current PHCN will be rescinded for next year so that we can be more targeted with the ongoing management with an eye on biodiversity. We have breeding colonies of Purple Hairstreak, and that's just one species that we are mindful of, others include White Admiral & Purple Emperor.
  17. David Humphries
    Steve, this rig is only used on calm dry days (which can be a logistical issue) and is spraying a bacterial insecticide Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) which is not chemical. It targets the bacteria in the guts of Lepitoptera (caterpillar) species. Its not an issue in terms of Human hazard. In terms of control, 'we' manage the public around the contractors (like we would do with any contractors with big plant/vehicles) and sometimes spray in to the late evening if the spray area has a heavy footfall. Also start early morning and keep some sites locked. The misting sprayer with this rig is surprisingly well directed over the target canopy.
  18. David Humphries
    Not sure what you know about OPM management? But it's more a case of the pesticide getting total leaf coverage rather than zapping the actual caterpillars. Probably only get good canopy coverage on small to medium sized canopy trees with a back pack rig like that. Suspect it wouldn't be very efficient on large canopy trees.
  19. David Humphries
    Yes, there has been lots of attendance at training, seminars, planning, guidance and interaction groups with local tree officer associations, FC pathologists and tree managers/arbs that deal/dealt with it in the earlier outbreaks across northern Europe. Our hands are tied at the moment by legislation, but hopeful we will be given freer reign over how we manage it in the coming years, targeting high risk areas/situations and trees rather than a blanket approach. Not sure what the big European municipal authorities are doing with their OPM management currently.
  20. David Humphries
    400% increase on tree numbers with nests even with spraying over the last three years. Knapsacks ain't gonna cut it here! Biggest issue we potentially have being under a Plant Health Care notice is how we manage vulnerable other Lepidoptera species.
  21. David Humphries
    This years spraying across the site starts in a week or so
  22. David Humphries
    Encouraging to see the BBC helping out with public information regarding OPM..... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-43930702 Engagement with tree owners and the public is the future of living with this pest. The trees we manage with OPM are within the yellow circle on this latest FC map
  23. David Humphries
    This is my oldest book on fungi.......
  24. David Humphries
    Relatively early chicken of the woods fruiting at Kew on a cherry from earlier today.
  25. David Humphries
    I didn't know that he was associated with Kew, he was however Superintendent at the City of London's Burnham Beeches from 1947 where he managed the sites ancient and veteran Beech pollards.

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