Gary Prentice

Great ain’t it, price to remove a tree >1500cm girth Highway location requiring TM? Ivy? Power Lines? Telephone lines? Immovable targets? Access? Decay- requires Mewp? Mewp Access? Just provide a cost based on girth! No wonder, I think, most overprice

I bought something like this from a garage ages ago, thinking that by using the macro lens clip-on attachment I'd be able to get some better close ups of gills and pores (and to stop Mr H moaning about the quality of my photos) Really simple to use, clip on the lens over the camera lens of the phone and off you go. IPhone photo With clip on macro lens The attachment. Also came with another 'Wide angle' attachment.

“Transmitted light is a world of pain, frustration, expense ......squandered time. “ I was was thinking about this comment last night, but it wasn’t until the early hours that it came to me. TLM is very much like marriage then?

be no fun if it was easy.

Bugger! Never mind, I got my revenge by cutting some up, cross sectioning through the pore tubes to look at the hyphae (Sp?) making them up

Collected some more yesterday and they have been sat there for 18 hours - nothing happening. The room is very warm and the humidity is probably low. Should I be putting them somewhere else? The Fomitopsis betulina/Piptoporus betulinus isn't doing anything, nor the Gano - although thats pretty desiccated anyway.

Still need to buy a camera, but not too educated about what to get. Microscophy (Sp) is a steep learning curve

I would think so. What kind of camera though. With only one eyepiece keeping stuff focussed might be difficult unless your using a usb camera and viewing on a monitor. Tbh, I know very little, I’m looking to learn as I go on, relying very much on Jules to continue this thread.

Found this off of one of Davids link, an American site so there's a few species missing http://www.mushroomexpert.com/sitemap.html

So, microscope, immersion oil, 250 slides (forgot cover slips), pipettes, lens paper, single edged safety razors, cutting boards.... What else do I need? Microtome, stains, USB camera..... Anything else?

But at least someone googling won't find us

Big, dense sails on them Paul. I think they’re prone to compression fork failures due to incl. bark but have seen a couple that have snapped internodally for no discenable reason I.e no notch stress point of failure We need more recorded British data on species specific tree failures ideally. Lots of opinions and limited empirical info to back it up

I saw him at Loughborough last time, nice uni. so tempted....

Haven’t read my magazine yet. Don’t know what he’s talking on but I’m tempted anyway because he’s so entertaining. Is is he retiring? I’d hoped to attend one of he’s workshops in Germany at some point.

Never gave that a thought tbh. I’ll call back and collect a couple.

Came across these today, no idea what they are but the substrate that they are growing on was a little different

Your saying nothing I can disagree with. Are we/they going about it the wrong way though. Way I see it is that the movement is reacting to the situation. Would the focus be better from the top down rather than the bottom up? If the groundswell of support, nationwide, was directed at Government Departments to say that we, Joe Public, don't/won't accept mismanagement of our tree stock nationwide, it is a public amenity after all, wouldn't that be a better focus? have any of the STAG members any known history of environmental action elsewhere, or is it just a case of NIMBY.

To be fair, the thread is about early starts and anonymity of the staff. The rights and wrongs of SCC and Ameys day to day decisions are an entirely different subject. Residents and STAG have made their points well known, taken matters to the High Courts and basically lost. Can't blame them for trying. The whole situation is far from perfect or a shining example of PR, but it's done. Will there be similar PFIs in other cities? Probably. Will they be better written and managed, with public consultations prior to them being awarded? You'd hope so, but... Will the importance of trees in the urban environment be recognised, continually managed, efficiently funded etc to prevent a requirement, perceived or otherwise, to remove such a large percentage of canopy cover over such a short period of time, as is happening in Sheffield? Not a chance! A local authority near here undertook an I-Tree survey this year, to establish a value of the boroughs tree stock. Great, a financial figure for the bean counters to secure funding to manage the asset. Fortnight ago the tree tree team were told they will probably be redundant before Easter. All works going out to private companies, with a lower annual budget than currently. It's likely that this budget won't go any further than to pay for emergency works each year. Way to go!! Sheffield is the first big media circus event, it won't be the last.

Who have you upset now?

Putting a woodland order on a domestic garden is, I think, a bit naughty, as is very restrictive to the reasonable enjoyment and use of the owner. The TO may have thought that changing to specific trees was more towards the spirit of the legislation and easier to deal with, preventing repeated applications for work in the future. just my thoughts..

If an employee feels so strongly that the task he is instructed to do is wrong, he’s always the option of finding work elsewhere. Who is claiming ‘I was told to do it “as a defence? I haven’t seen any attributed quotes of this and suspect that the lads on tools have a far better understanding of the decades of neglect in Sheffield and why some/a lot/ most of this work is going on. No one can reasonably expect to go and fell trees and to please everyone, everyday. You can empathise with a differing opinion and not expect thanks, but definitely not have to tolerate threats and intimidation

Sorry Maria, I'm not quite following your point. One of the less biased Sheffield media types wrote an article after interviewing some of the arborists in Sheffield last month.. A few have quit their jobs after threats of violence to both themselves and their families, while others who are still employed have claimed similar intimidation from protesters. I don't know how anyone else feels, but if I go to work to carry out a lawful activity and someone who opposes that threatens me or mine, I'd be mighty pissed.

But to put forward the other side of the story, protesters halted work on this road previously (24th November) with one protester entering a cordoned off area, https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/police-called-to-tree-protest-on-christmas-lights-street-in-sheffield-1-8875335 and yesterdays visit was the eleventh visit to this street - according to the Yorkshire Post https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/sheffield-tree-campaigner-describes-horrifying-moment-council-s-saws-hit-trees-at-dawn-in-sleepy-suburb-1-8906597 I don't particularly agree with the tree lads or security masking their identities, nor the protestors, but reasonably can't condemn them after the reports of alleged intimidation and threats by a small minority of protesters.

Too late for that

You can ask, but funding being what it is the LA might just respond that they’re protected and they can just manage/control the trees through the application process. Area orders are are meant to be a short term means of protection, in place to protect everything until the site can be surveyed properly and then updated with a new order identifying the worthy trees. Doesnt always happen though. Is it a woodland order or an area? There are differences. Either way, the point is to preserve and protect the amenity provided, so a suitable management based application shouldn’t be opposed by the LA, it should be welcomed and receive support of the TO as an improvement. Anyone can propose tree protection, it’s up to the authority to decide the ‘value’ of the trees and whether they are under threat or in good management.