Gary Prentice

6 months! Humbug. I think I'd done about six years, as a climber, before getting any tickets... I even worked for a FTC instructor for a few years without any. Be interesting to compare accident/injury rates between 1985 and now.

How's that work out? I'd assume that adding additional drivers would increase the premium, not reduce it?

Nah, you said immediately! My proposal was to attempt mediation first.

First step. Take a great big breath.... You've a problem that's causing you stress which is undoubtedly harmful to your own well-being. Initially you've a couple of decisions to make. Either you're willing, or would like to, to try to resolve the problems that you feel that you have with him or you need to decide whether you've had enough and aren't prepared to endure his presence any longer. Only you can decide how much you're prepared to put up with. Toxic 'employees are harmful to both the business itself and will affect everyone employed by it. Reading between the lines I wonder how well you actually communicate with him. Not a dig at you, but using words like 'pull him' makes me wonder how you approach him, particularly if you're simmering underneath - blowing a relatively minor issue out of proportion. Have you had a friendly chat with him? To try to get to the bottom of some of the issues that he has. (To manage staff you need to be a bit of everything, responding to their personal needs in so may ways). He may have personal issues that he brings to work, which then reflects in how he is that day, who knows? He might be moaning about stupid stuff (which then annoys you) not because that's the real issue he has, but because of something entirely different. If you can really talk to the guy, you've a chance. If he's honest and forthcoming to you, then you have an opportunity to explain how his behaviour affects you and everyone else. With reasonable people and good open communication there ain't much that can't be resolved. On the other hand, if he won't open up, communicate, etc you're on a hiding to nothing. He's unlikely to improve and the situation will just continue. On the plus side, as a subby if you want rid - no problem. Find someone else. You may go through a dozen to find the right bloke to fit, but you'll get there. Don't be put off in making the decision by concerns of finding someone else. The long -term benefits far outweigh your present position.

So you're looking for something ALB dislikes and will cope with droughts or flooding (depending who you listen to)? Hands up who knew about Hymenoscyphus fraxineus ten year ago? Personally I think trying to safeguard against the future is a bit pointless, who knows what insects and diseases are going to arrive on our shores, either things that are known about now or yet to be discovered or even yet to evolve. The only real safeguard is diversification. This is a good read Santamour.pdf

That decision is totally yours I'm afraid Returning would lead you to having to acknowledge that you didn't quite do it right but if you understand and can explain the 'error', it shows some professionalism in that you've been prepared to go back to do it 'properly' after consulting with more 'knowledgeable ' colleagues. You'll end up knowing much more than almost all your clients so usually the best judge of good work is yourself - most clients are quite pleased with poor work if it's achieved their objectives. So I suppose the question is, can you live with it? I'm assuming that you're quite new to arb so you'll learn as you go along. (We all did!) and keep learning. As Stere said you'll come across the consequences of leaving the sides uncut and suddenly realise how things grow. Don't sweat it, it's not a disaster. As you get some time in you'll see trees that you've worked on and how they've reacted to your pruning, it's par of the learning curve. What's impressive is that you've asked the questions, posted pics of your work and accepted the (constructive) criticisms with good grace. That attitude is priceless and encourages other peoples continuing positive input. I wish you well.

I follow your reasoning entirely but the short paragraph below the two Important notes, 1 & 2 has led me astray. "Therefore a risk assessment would address the size of branch or tree (being assessed) and the likelihood of it falling on a vulnerable or valuable target." My bad, I wasn't understanding that the above paragraph was referring to compliance with the 'dangerous' exception and had nothing to do with dead branches, covered simply by their own exception. Thanks for persevering to correct my misunderstanding.

I'm really not sure where you're getting your timings from. Nipping back the ascending limbs to flatten the top out is a few minutes work, believe me, I've done hundreds (probably thousands of them).

So Cornwall Councils legal team are wrong? I wonder if they've ever tried to prosecute for failing to notify a dead-wooding operation? Not so bothered about the TO's rushing out , just the aggravation of stopping work to explain what you're doing.

Harsh

Shortening the ascending lateral limbs would take a couple of extra minutes. Leaving them as he has will allow them to romp away and become more prone to damage by snow and wind. Also, the tree will be a bugger to reduce again in the future because there's no central point in it - they'll just be loads of skinning poles around the hollow centre. Kill it , its a Leyland cypress, it'll survive a lot worse than that. EDIT: As long as you don't bare it to old wood it will continue to grow.. You can cut the foliage back hard as long as there's still foliage there. It won't produce new growth from bare wood, like yew would, but it will tolerate pretty harsh pruning.

Congrats.... Thread derailed in the first response This is the legal forum, so the pro's and cons of deadwood are totally irrelevant Khriss , try to keep on track (see what I did there?) Cornwall councils interpretation of the requirement to submit a five day notice, where the risk of harm/damage is low, is a new one on me and has never been raised in any of the training that I've attended. To be fair, it even seems logical and on a par with the rules relating to dead trees i.e. notify unless there is an imminent risk of harm/damage.

I see. Mr Humphries @David Humphries has a raft of experience managing pedestrian created compaction on some of the very high visitor sites that the manages as Arb manager for the City of London, maybe he'll be able to contribute?

I'm not sure that you'll find any. Cell web with clean stone fill is designed to carry vehicular type loads as opposed o pedestrian. There's a lot of drawings about for membrane/woodchip/scaff boards for pedestrian access during the construction phase. Why are you specifying cell-web just for a footpath? Have a look at Jeremy Barrells publications on tree protection on development sites, they are a good read and perfectly usable with acknowledgement.

I've been doing a little research, triggered by the legalities of managing protected trees suffering from ash dieback. It seems that I may have been operating under a mis-understanding for several years that removing deadwood was exempt from applications and notifications under the 'dead' exception in the legislation. As a courtesy and to prevent neighbours calling the LA I often phone to let them know we'll be on site dead-wooding, but reading a publication produced by Cornwall Council it seems that I should have been producing written 5-day notices. Exceptions include: • pruning part of a tree that presents an urgent and serious safety risk (see note 2 below) • removing dead branches from a living tree Important note 2: The law makes it clear that in terms of exceptions, dangerous means ‘immediate risk of serious harm’. Therefore a risk assessment would address the size of branch or tree (being assessed) and the likelihood of it falling on a vulnerable or valuable target. So my take on this is that unless the dead limbs that are being removed provide an imminent risk of harm or serious damage, a five day notice should be provided. It reads that we should be considering the diameter/length of deadwood and the affect of it falling as to whether we can just crack on or need to be a bit more formal in our approach. Thoughts and comments please. 5-day-notice-advice-note.pdf

Some of the replies illustrate how poor some of the LA practices actually are, after even acknowledging receipt of a notice seems like hard work for some. On the plus side, it is quite clear legally where the contractor stands. As long as you can prove that a notification has been made and that six weeks has elapsed and no more than two years have passed (and there is no TPO in place), you are in the clear. Do only the works notified! No more. It's one of my own biggest frustrations, LAs wanting the applicant/notifier to dot the i's and cross the t's, while they are quite happy to play hard and fast with the rules and regs.

I thought it was someone else's boots?

You've done the HSE ladder climbing course obviously

Better buy another pair, come Brexit they won't be available anymore

After taking the appropriate course

Heart attack, chemo, septis, stem cell transplant and pneumonia within the last twelve months I'm only fifty three but it may take some time before I'm fit enough to do anything else except aerial inspections. I reckon I'm so lucky that HSE should acspellingcept that I only need a single line

That depends whether the tree was being pruned or removed

It's always better to ask for forgiveness than to seek permission and be refused..... Or so I'm told

I wonder where you stand with sawdust? Legally I believe that leaves from trees are free agents and fall where they will without legal recourse to the owner. I kind of imagine that sawdust doesn't have the same legal protection and somewhere along the line has a responsibility for it. Just musing.