Gary Prentice

They are remarkably agile creatures. It's not beyond the bounds of possibility (IMO) that one hasn't scurried over the fence - who knows. Would a released ferret take a chicken? I'd check very carefully for even very small holes in or below the fence. If there's no visible means of entry, could you add some sort of overhang (even a couple of strands of wire) to the top of the fence? Thinking outside the box, Hunt continues for chihuahua 'snatched by seagull' after vets examine leg bone - Mirror Online WWW.MIRROR.CO.UK A seagull is said to have snatched Gizmo the dog from a garden in Paignton, Devon, leaving his owner Rebecca Hill...

I thought that my original post was in no way derogatory to Steve, definitely not intending to take the proverbial anyway. My intention was to come to his defence, saying incorrectly that I believed that he had said he was dyslexic. If my post was taken as a dig by him, or anyone else, I apologise. That was far from my intention. I was going to reply to this, but Jules response is better than mine would have been Might be incorrect, but I'm sure that Barchams do import trees. But the claim/state that they voluntarily keep imports in their own quarantine 'facility' before moving them on to the end user. Which of course they are no legally obliged to do. A bit off topic, but have you read some of the OPM article in the Guardian concerning the recent infected oak imports (from 'safe' countries? Apparently the infected trees have been moved all around the country. The moths should be flying in the next few weeks, totally ruining the existing containment attempts around London. Currently the losing battle is costing around £1M p.a. I was attacked in another thread recently for arguing the case about advising or helping clients to source large imported trees

'no attempt to protect elms' , what elms? There's barely any around to protect. Off the top of my head I couldn't identify more than maybe ten within five miles of any size/ageclass - not even coppice or self seeded saplings. This came his morning. A new application is required but due to the change in the trees circumstances as described, this time, the consent will be issued to fell. Regards, I'll resubmit to fell, hopefully get the paperwork through in a few weeks and the client can get on with what he needs to do promptly. Personally I have no problem with a replanting condition, two neighbouring ash, in adjoining properties, will soon go so replanting is important. The photo illustrates the extent of dieback of the canopy, 4-6 weeks back there was no real symptoms of infection. I'm glad that this one is more or less put to bed, because I've a Dawn Redwood in a conservation area, with a TPO, situated between two adjacent driveways. The owners drive is cast-in-situ concrete which is all broken up and uplifted, the neighbours asphalt/tarmac drive has small cracks and slight distortion/uplifting. The canopy is <1m from the neighbours house, the owners house is a bit more distant. In time the stem will begin to encroach over the neighbours drive, physically restricting its width. It's a lovely prominently visual tree, but a prime example of wrong tree/wrong place. It'll be an interesting case to pursue

I don't think that that is Bobs truck. It isn't painted blue...

I think that the lads will really appreciate cruising around in that smart motor, so will cherish and care for it as if it was their own. I think I may have doubled up on my meds.... It'll be trashed within a week Bod.

Always pal, always...

Sorry Steve, my bad. Carry on.

Due to a number of reasons I missed the appeal submission deadline, we (the client) hasn't been able to get the wall demolished to demonstrate the root locations etc, etc. Anyway, I looked in today and.... Half the crown is sans foliage and the rest is yellowing and browning. I pointed out a couple of yellow leaves to the TO at the last site meeting and suggested that they may have been due to DED . I've noticed a very rapid defoliation of a couple of other elms locally due to, I suspect, DED. The spread of the defoliation is much more rapid than I remember from years ago, when some trees kept a live crown for a number of years before finally dying. Maybe drought stress is contributing to the decline?

Sometimes you beg for the whole thing just to be over and done with...

It's quite difficult compiling orders for the nursery too, they don't often accept common names.

'spoiling' n grammar?

You might be better doing a little reading about the relationships between families, genus' and species before diving into the scientific names. No need to go too deep, just enough to gain an understanding about what is what in the scientific name that you are looking at, which part is the genus, which the specific (species) part. Really it isn't difficult once you learn the common genusus; Acers/maples, Quercus/oaks, Ilex/hollies, Fraxinus/ashes. The specific names, as previously said are often descriptive and once you begin to recognise their meanings it suddenly becomes so much easier. Find a couple of good websites where there are translations of the meanings and it soon becomes a lot clearer. I did come across a site with an audio pronunciation button, which is handy.

How is it out of date? There is, an annual convention/meeting where nomenclaturists (Is that a made up word?) meet to debate how things should be properly ordered - due to new knowledge etc or where plants/animals/fungi have been previously discovered and named differently. DNA sequencing is only a means of identification, it doesn't change to rules of nomenclature (the ways things are classified). I may be wrong, but I believe that Steve has previously said that he suffers from Dyslexia, as do a number of other posters, so I'm sure poor punctuation should be forgivable? Apologies, Steve, (@se7enthdevil), if I'm mistaken.

Thanks for this Edward, strangely enough it's the first I've heard of it (every day is a school day). It seems a bit of a loophole. If the council don't oppose a notice to fell but the notifier leaves the tree, which then matures to provide a much more significant amenity benefit to its surroundings although being situated in a conservation area its no longer protected - unless the LA later decide to TPO it because they recognise its increased significance. I imagine there's a lot of room there for the LA to think trees are covered by the CA status 'forgetting' that they consented removal years previously.

Have you a reference for that Edward? Below is an extract from my LA in response to a recent notification. Are they doing it wrong? I refer to your notice received on 26/04/19 informing us that you propose to carry out certain works to trees at the above address, which is located within the Uppermill Conservation Area. The Council has no objection to this work being carried out subject to compliance with the following specifications (see attached plan for location of trees): This authorisation applies solely to the works scheduled above. Further written notice must be to the Council of any intended variation to the above works or of other works to either the above mentioned trees or other trees on your land. given 1. The consent hereby granted is valid for a period of two years from the date of this decision.

Think they're advertising for arb inspectors again, so that might hopefully improve.

What part of the NW? Can't say that I've noticed huge changes in Sycamores generally over the last two years apart from those in obvious drought prone locations like contained roadside planters etc.

Sorry, you don't actually have that much say in what you will or won't accept. It can be on the back of a fag packet, as long as all the pertinent information is supplied. There is no specific format or form in the legislation, so a LA can't tell the notifier how they actually go about doing the notifying can they? So a LA can be tardy, not validate for two months and then the applicant has to wait another two months for a determination. I'd love to test that with PINs

The land charges section is where records to do with land are recorded by the LA. Putting TPOs on after a search isn't that uncommon in certain LAs, not thatt I've ever had that happen to me. I never answer any questions as to what the owners intentions are, they shouldn't be any concern of the TO -it's either protected or it isn't. RE Rushmoor. I'd take the LAs reported response with a pinch of salt. The TPO was shown online, what wasn't was that it had actually been confirmed. To be fair IME very view councils make all of the TPO details available usually anyway. The defendent is trying to say that although the TPO was shown, the confirmation wasn't so they assumed that there wasn't an order (it hadn't been confirmed). That's a poor defence. the LA has to make the details available at all reasonable hours etc etc and a simple phone call might have clarified that the order on the website was legally confirmed.

Does the 5 cube year/quarter thing apply to domestic sites? I knew about it in terms of forestry but not really aware of its use on domestic arb jobs? Surely theyd be getting plenty of applications for this? Define domestic sites? The exemptions from the requirement to get a felling licence are; residential garden, churchyard and public open space (whatever that legally actually is). But, when is a garden not a garden? I had a client who bought a hotel to convert back to a residential dwelling for himself. I wouldn't entertain any tree felling works until the local rates department had he property classed/rated as a residence because I thought that potentially as the original classification was commercial there couldn't be an exemption to a felling licence. We felled well above 5 cube with no contact from the LA. Ultimately if there is any doubt about whether a site is a garden the final say is probably the woodlands officer, he'll be the one originating any prosecution if he/she thinks it isn't a garden.

Q. How many conservationists does it take to change a light bulb? A. Change !!! Alternative answer. Materials and method statement, plus a bat report for good measure.

As I understand it, the only time when the LA can reasonably expect/demand a report is when the reasons for the work is due to either a claim that the tree is; causing damage either to underground services or a building due to tree-related subsidence. Unsafe, where a suitably qualified arboriculturists report is necessary. I image that if it's so blindingly obvious, to the man on the Clapham Omnibus, that the tree is in imminent danger of failure that sense would prevail that this 'requirement' would be simply put aside as an unreasonable unnecessary additional expense to the tree owner. PS. Sorry for the delay, I took a week of bed-rest convalescing.

This popped into my inbox this week. Caveat emptor https://mailchi.mp/d251eab8de67/check-for-opm?e=f9f092209f

Looks good. Looks like highly valuable 'black' walnut. Fixed that for ya