Treecreeper1961

:001_tongue:I must admit I am a fungal failure, for now at least.

It's not Pholiota squarrosa is it?

Noooooooooooah. Don't give anymore clues! Hang about I thought you said it is found in dry lake beds? I need books, that's the answer I'm looking for, books.

I am using 'the' book for research at the moment. I can't make good use of the terms your suggesting to be honest. Typing umblicate cap, scaly stipe etc randomly into google just aint doing it. Is there a secret online resource?????

Gills are wrong. Marking on the stipe looks right though. This is tough.

Dotted Fanvault (Camarophyllopsis atropuncta)??

How many guesses are we allowed? First guess is Cantharellus cibarius.

With a spliced eye costing about £20 it is a big consideration for me. I would like to think that it could be done as you are suggesting. It seems to me though, you would need a really long loop in your terminal knot and several constriction bands.

That is going to help in making the change economically easier. How about the spliced eye in the climbing line, can that be subbed for a knot? It says not in the hitch climber guide. It interferes with the friction hitch. Does anyone successfully use a knot instead?

Yeah, will start with 1.5m. How about the terminal knot and krabs? Is there enough room to clip your bowline into the same Krab? I doubt it. Will give it a go.

Tom, You gave me some advice about this a few weeks ago and I still have not tried it:001_huh: Can you tell me: Roughly how long to cut the cord, if tying fishermens? Also, is it still ok to clip the bowline into the krab with the Knut/combo or am I going to need another Krab in the set up? Cheers, Ben

Love giving feedback:thumbup1:

I better think about joining then. Will £50 cover it?

Were the limbs that have been lost regrowth that failed due to weak attatchment typical of epicormic growth? I did manage to leave some live growth but obviously not enough. I am sure that the value of retaining photosynthetic material is not to be underestimated.

The 260 is a good saw, light and easy enough in the tree for those cuts just a bit too awkward for the ms200. It does lack a bit of punch but I find it good on the ground for felling small trees. Pretty tough too.

About four years ago I pollarded a fifty to sixty foot poplar hybrid growing between and above two static caravans, to a height of about fifteen foot, just above the first major union. This year it was felled, almost completely dead and riddled with Armillaria mellea. Last winter I pollarded an eighty foot hybrid poplar, again over two caravans, on the same site. Again this was brought down to leave a fairly large stem, cut just above the first union. There is no doubt in my mind the result will probably be the same. The reason for pollarding as apposed to pruning or removal? Pruning would not have satisfied the management objectives as the caravan owners wanted the trees made safe in no uncertain terms. Removal? Well that would have meant bringing down several cubes between two caravans and would have cost more than a few quid more. Also, there is the lack of knowledge regarding species suitability for severe reductions from those specifying the work. Poplar are notoriously poor compartmentalisers with ripe wood rather than heart wood and a tendency to be readily colonized by decay organisms. Who ever recommended planting these trees in this location clearly did not understand trees or have much foresight. Now it looks like the monkey that butchered these trees was, well, a monkey. Perhaps there was some technical inadequacy in the way I left these 'pollards'. I am not proud, but orders is orders. Perhaps this is not representative of others experiences of the species or genus but I am going to stick my neck out and say, in my opinion don't pollard a 100ft poplar unless you want to make it a habitat for fungi, be called back to finish the job in a few years and , best of all, look like a tree butchering rapist. Sorry if that doesn't fit well, but it is one of my many guises. Don't tell anyone though.

Yeah, petrols not much good for your arms or your ropes.

I am not disagreeing at all. The examples he has posted are 'wrong'. The initiating of pollards on mature willows at a height of 2m, or even below first unions, must create tremendous dysfunction within the remaining tree/wood, enabling/allowing prime conditions for colonisation. Does that matter? I am trying to understand whether this is acceptable or worthwhile. What will the long term result be? What will long term be for trees treated in this way?

Gerrit, I have only been a member of this forum for a short time but already it is clear that you are a champion of trees and ecology with authority and demanding respect. Your generosity of passing on your knowledge and learning is great and I hope you will continue to answer my posts in the future even if you find them tedious. I have recently rediscovered the joy of education and I must admit that the more I learn, the more obvious it becomes that I have an enormous amount to learn. 1.Are you suggesting that the trees in your photos should be pollarded at 2m? 2. If they are cut at 2m, what will the physiological outcome be, if it can be predicted with assurance? 3. How will such drastic removal of biological growth effect the lifespan of these trees? The revised BS3998 strongly recommends keeping cross sectional area of pruning wounds to a minimum. This seems to go against the grain somewhat although it is what I would consider traditional. Just trying to get to grips with current best practice advice versus other more commonly seen practice that can be construed as incorrect. Cheers.

Which area of your hands are affected? I get 'cramps' in the muscle at the base of the thumb when gripping a certain way, especially in cold and wet conditions. Following extensive tests (it's amazing what the nhs will do when occupational health is quoted) all results came back negative. I have a good idea what it is but at the end of the day the choice is mine, soldier on or find a different occupation. It doesn't bother me that much.

So, you can win £50 by entering your name in the first box. How is the AA going to get that exciting prize to me when they have none of my contact details? Just a minor query as obviously I am more interested in doing the survey than winning £50.

This is muddying things for me now, I was under the impression that textiles had a maximum three year lifespan and metals five.????? Where can this information be found, in the fine details of LOLER?

:thumbup:Yeah, good outcome. As for spikes being classed as PPE, are they? I have always considered them to be and have always submitted them for thorough examination by LOLER examiner, and he has duly obliged. However, I have read several threads and snippets that have raised a doubt. It may be being pedantic or splitting hairs but I have read that they: 1. Are classed as a climbing aid and not life support. 2. Should be inspected under PUWER and not LOLER. 3. Have read on different product information a) They have a lifespan of 5 Years (in line with LOLER), b) will last many years c) should be retired when the grip under the footplate is worn away All this said, I will continue to submit the ones I use in work for six monthly LOLER as it must be prudent to do so. If you can confirm or contradict any of this I would be interested. Cheers.

Thats me out then, how about you?

Why do I get the impression there are some things that some folk don't want to hear complaints about? Funny that. When I posted my complaint about the x2 spikes, I didn't consider the implications. It soon dawned on me. This world we live in has rapidly changed and it is all about information and audience. I am not generally all that comfortable in front of an audience, but the internet puts everyone on an equal footing. This phenomenon we have all discovered, the thing called arbtalk, has given us all a source of power that can be of enormous value; information. Arbtalk is fantastic:thumbup: The wear on my spikes may not be worth complaining about to some, after all the strength has not really been compromised, they are not really classed as ppe, and the product does appear to give very good value. Fortunately, to the people behind Stein, the wear was worth complaining about. The customer was not happy, they were not happy. They did something about it. I feel important:thumbup1:Thanks for that Ian. Yesterday, I received a new pair of climbers complete with a modification to remedy the issue. It looks good and I reckon it will do the trick, will reserve final judgement until I have given them a good trial, wouldn't want to make that mistake. On the whole, I have come away with a positive view of Stein:thumbup: