elicokiz

Just a few shots off my phone from the last few weeks.. Can anyone cast an objectional eye over the click beetle picture[sorry poor quality] was wondering if it's a violet click beetle, guess the chances are its not? regards Dave

similar info but allows comparisons to be made? Forestry statistics Arboriculture statistics Dave

Thought some of you may be intrestested in this article fromhttp://www.northcoasttreecare.com/H4-ProtectionWood.html Sudden Branch Drop Given enough time, most branches will break. What causes them to break before they are dead or obviously defective has been an ongoing question for many years. Branches have been known to “suddenly” break and drop (SBD). The current understanding of this phenomena is summarized by Costello( 8) and Harris, etal (9) Shigo puts forth the hypothesis that SBD is the result of internal wood cracks failing due to dryness(10). As stated above, cracks are commonly inhabited by wetwood organisms. Shigo observed that trees with cracks and the associated wetwood seldom failed. It was only when the wetwood dried out that the cracks materialized into a stem or branch failure. To test this hypothesis, he bent stems with artificial cuts to simulate cracks. It was only when heat was applied to the cuts (to force drying) that the stems broke. He admits this was a crude experiment, but that it would be refined and further tested by engineers at the Univ. of N.H. I have not been able to find out if this was ever done. The other part of this discussion is that as cracks progress as a result of loading, the branch or trunk tends to split into two “beams”. One beam may slide or move over the other. The wetwood may act as a lubricant. If and as it dries out, the friction may be more than the two beams can handle and fracture occurs. In a discussion of fracture mechanics, it is reported that plant tissues are more sensitive to water content and temperature (than metals). Also, fracture toughness across the grain can be 20 times greater than toughness parallel to the grain (11). These thoughts may add some background to Shigo’s work. After cutting thousands of stem parts, it is obvious that internal wood cracks are abundant. What is not so obvious is why don’t more limbs break? This may be answered, at least in part, by the fact that wood typically fails gradually and retains overall integrity well into the realm of irreversible condition before it actually breaks apart. Partial failures may exist for a long time (12). interestingly we had a Morus drop a lever branch mid afternoon on Friday, it failed at the branch union. regards Dave

Seen on the back of a white van .."'start the day with a Rigid tool"

'Chopsticks are one of the reasons the Chinese never invented custard.'

As heard last week "you cant pick up a turd by the clean end"

Dont tell me the skys the limit when there are footprints on the moon you only get out what you put in mighty oaks from small acorns grow Theres no such thing as a stupid question when you dont know the answer If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands. Douglas adams

just sussed that the guy with the black jacket who enters the carrage thinks everyone is laughing at his hat ...poor bloke obviously suffered deep trauma and jumped onto the track to end it all at the next station

Brilliant .....needed cheering up as ive been trying to get learners final assignments in all morning. think i'll be checking it out again about 5pm before dropping a valium Dave

Thanks David Thats intresting, I hadn't thought of differing species having differing ring properties :blushing:something new to look up The smell is unusual the only wood I have smelled like it is Catalpa, it has a tobacco like odour. It doesnt smell at all like other species of poplar ive ever had a whiff of:laugh1:

Hi Folks Can anyone clarify the staining in the middle of the stem section as decay [im assuming thats what it is] however never worked on this species before. The trees look healthy and are being removed to allow light into a walled garden' there are probably 20 trees in close proximity; the three we have worked on so far all showed similar staining so was at bit suprised? Is there any way this could just be heartwood formation ? [i'm assuming not?] # regards Dave

its a Wallnut Juglans regia

I must be doing a great job with the missus then

Same for me, kids grow up so quick; you should feel privilaged to have them want to spend time with you

I had a strangulated hernia a couple of years back and couldn't walk properly for 3 months after surgery.It still gives me grief now if I push myself to hard , I had open surgery which I read was the strongest repair? However I know of two members of staff who had hernias after mine they both had keyhole surgery and were back on their feet much quicker. I think the recovery time of 4-6 weeks I was given was a gross underestimate but I suppose it depends where the hernia occurs and how it is repaired? I did read online that you can buy support belts which sound an excellent idea.Also remember reading an excerise plan which someone claimed had repaired a small hernia they were diagnosed with? I suggest you look at all your options with regard to repair and don't rush into the open surgery like I did if at all possible Regards Dave Give me a PM if I can be of further help

I've used platypus in the past , first time 20 years ago on an avenue of heavy standards ,which are now well established , I worried about the rootball development for years after I'd planted them but they adapted to the treatment well and look the business

:confused1:Sorry folks this larvae is driving me nuts ...spent over an hour trawling various sources but still can't Match this beastie with any other species even struggling recalling if the legs were prominent (thought I could count them this am but unable to see on photo) wish I had kept it? The really striking feature is what I assume are urogomphi which appear almost circular on its rear end(you have to look close) only thing I can find that looks a little similar is a robber fly larvae,but no urogomphi...please help before I reach for the whiskey and its all to late Regards Dave:thumbup:

Thanks for your reply Tony, forgot to say the location of the woodland is about 40 miles inland and not coastal

Hi folks We have been trying to find what is making large holes at the base of tree shelters in a nearby plantation, with little luck..until today when we eventually caught one of the little blighters. :thumbup1:turns out the holes are formed by minotaur beetles,anyone else come across them ,ive never seen one before. Dave

hi folks has anyone come across the beastie below..found in a rotting section of Birch, i'm usually pretty good at finding info but stumped on this one :blushing:its about 5cm long rear end mimics pincers? thanks for any help Dave

Came across this in a woodland we were tariffing on Monday , assuming its Enteridium but never seen it before? Loving its mexican name ; caca de luna or moons excrement , not ment to be toxic but dont fancy eating it myself:sneaky2: also came across quite a large area of Convallaria majalis in a corsican stand which was a bit unexpected. Dave

Yeah, and i had my fill of that last year with one guy threatening legal action...but thats a whole different story oh the joy of teaching

good call, think you're spot on there:thumbup1:

Maybe his shorts are those new class c's my learners keep telling me they've got:lol:

yep awesome memories ..i'm officially an old git ...forgot all about monkey sandy and pigsy, gonna google that tonight:thumbup: