Gary Prentice

But during those millions of years it didn't matter if a percentage failed to grow to an age where they ensured the continuation of the species. Now, when there's a target rich environment with urban trees, even a very low failure rate may not always be acceptable.

I blame Erasmus, translating the Greek 'pithos' into the Latin 'pyxis' for that...

Can't disagree, but I don't think avoiding pruning guarantees that they elms won't get infected at all. I know plenty of non-pruned trees that did finally get infected. I think that the beetles themselves have/had preferred host species. Some species of elm were originally thought to be safe, that was until the preferred host trees had gone and then the beetle had to make do with what was available, to feed and breed on. Is it more to do with the size of tree that the beetles breed on. A small tree could provide a feeding habitat, get colonised but compartmentalise the fungus ie. have a few infected branches. A young tree has a good ratio of dynamic energy (sapwood/heartwood) so can cope. More mature trees provide a breeding habitat, much higher beetle numbers, and simply can't cope energy wise and decline and die. I watched the odd, isolated,mature elm for many years with the symptoms of the odd yellowed branch. They've seemed to deal with it, then suddenly over twelves months more or less the whole canopy yellows. I wonder if this is because it's becoming a breeding host and suffers a beetle population explosion when they hatch. The dynamics of host tree/ beetle population/ climate must be a factor. I image that locally the beetle population must be very small, there's very few larger elms and I can't remember the last time I come across a gallery on a dead elm. Twenty years ago, every dead elm of any size had them.

You could always ask! I'll hide behind you, while you tell him that Frank Rinn say he's wrong!

My thought on this is that is that parts of the canopy are more prone to failure, due to new increased wind forces caused by the loss of a shed limb, initially. If the tree has good vitality and is able to adapt by growing additional supporting wood the potential for failure then decreases with time. Reduction of a limb to reduce dynamic loading then raises the issue of how much. Enough to reduce dynamic load or too much that reduces the photosynthetic capacity and slows the growth of new supporting wood! I'm yet to make my mind up whether to totally change my thinking after reading all of this though.

An adaptation to stress/movement.

Did antibiotics help?

Pus one for Treelife, really good people.

Only cos it was you.. ??

I DON'T CARE!!!!

I just don't get Facebook. People I don't know and with no common interests keep wanting to befriend me wtf - I'm on linked in and UKTC - just tree related stuff that keeps me up to date with news and comment. I can happily survive another day without knowing what someone had for breakfast or what a good/bad time they're currently having - I don't care.

That's annoying! ?

Same venue, or north of Watford?

I've deleted the card games off of my work PC for just that reason. What can I do next to avoid or delay that quote that you've promised by the end of the day but really don't want to send.

I think he got some lads in on the YOP!

No, I didn't bother. The real reason asking for repeat works was to offload the job. Its a tree in a garden belonging to a HA about 15 mile away. If I can't fit it in with another job in the area it probably costs us money to do it. The repeat part of the application wasn't refused per se, just ignored with the standard condition response of two years. I thought that if the tenant could do it himself it would be better for everyone, but there was concern raised in a telephone conversation with the planning officer that contraventions could ensue if the job wasn't done 'professionally'. I can see their point, in that if they open the door like that, then if someone went over the top everything would get very involved, so I think that they just nipped it in the bud. They're usually good with me, it's no real big deal to get excited about so I'm not rocking the boat on this occasion. You keeping busy Chris? Onward and upward?

Trees or hedge Chris And I certainly agree with the bit in bold. Take a photo on site, mark a reduction level on the picture and email it to the TO. Five minutes while on site and you should a response in writing should you later need to defend your actions.

Conservatory sellers are good, ten minutes of discussion before revealing that you live on the tenth floor.

I think that they just push the boundaries to see how far they can go. (Dogs and kids) and when it's wishy washy they don't really understand where the boundaries are. But it's hard with kids, my niece told me when she was six years old, that she could do what she wanted at school, because the teachers couldn't smack her. At 14 she was in care because she was pretty wayward, but now she's a parent she sees that discipline and structure is important. Her kids don't mess her about at all.

So, like, what about like don’t you like, like. Can I get an answer on this like?

What about preserving the original variety used in the planting. I don't know too much about the older varieties, but some have particular growth habits that a factor in their selection for use. Burleigh propagated hundreds of vegetative cuttings from coppice growth to replant one particular avenue, that I know about. If nothing else it might be an interesting project. I wish you were closer, it sounds like an interesting site.

Reasonable and the legal system It's an odd, even difficult, position. Normally we don't bother notifying for hedgecutting, but where is the cut off point. If the top hasn't been cut for 4-5 years and there is a couple of metres of regrowth, is it still a maintenance job or a reduction? It's a significant change in the hedges appearance. It's easier to stay on the right side of legislation when the legislation is clear. My approach is generally 'is it going to significantly change the appearance, if it is I might email a photo to the TO to ask. If he says don't bother notifying, if planning complain I've gone through the motions. Unlike the OP, the TO and I are on the same page of reasonable and necessary.

I’m not sure that’s unusual. Our rottie twins/brothers do the same. One starts to snore, the other shortly does. One has a little whimper in its sleep, then the other does. I’ve never had two dogs from the same litter so don’t know if the bonds are normal, I’ve never seen dogs that groom each other, apparently tongues in ears is normal, one does the others ears then they swop round. But they never show any interest in the spaniel Sorry for the derail

The oracle has spoken...

Didn't your father teach you that, before you got married? Be an effective house-keeper and you'll always be one, screw everything up and she'll do it herself. They say women are smart. They're not that smart