Gary Prentice

Sorry Matthew, I'm not making an issue about TPOs and Planning, as such. My question is the condemnation of damaging a 'protected' tree being shown on this thread while we all, as contractors, happily fell sometimes outstanding and exception trees that aren't protected. I'm happy, well I'm not sure that I am really, in including myself in this - felling terrific trees because that's what the owner wants and can do due to the lack of statutory protection. It smacks of hypocrisy, condemning causing the loss of a protected tree while merrily felling similar trees that aren't. I just wonder how others salve their consciences (if they do) or even many even consider it much and just accept it as part of the business. No biggie, just something that I've contemplated over many years, without forming any particular conclusion that I think I've ever been particularly happy, in myself, about. Maybe I should have been a TO.

So when quoting to fell a tree, do you turn down jobs where the owner has just bought a house with an existing tree? "same as spending a lot of money on a block driveway " If you're referring to my appeal case, I should have said that in the neighbours case the drive was cast-in-situ concrete that predated the tree planting by a few decades. The owners original drive also predated the tree but was (hopefully) restored by just replacing the top/wearing surface - if it wasn't the drive contractors would have severed all the roots.

Hope you're a bit cheerier over christmas

Being pedantic, and again encouraging debate. Tax is one thing that to some extent is applicable to everyone. A TPO is something different, something on an individuals property that an outside agency takes control of for the benefit of all while not contributing towards its care. To be blunt tree ownership is a financial burden, despite all the benefits they provide they cost money at some time or another. Then the LA get involved, serves a TPO and rarely considers the financial burdens that they've imposed. I've an appeal in at present - keeping the tree will cost the neighbour an additional £3000 to sort his drive, the owners two year old drive is already damaged - another say £3K to redo with CellwebTRP in the near future. Neighbours garage was knackered but is within the RPA, so special engineering for foundations if he decides to re-build (the concrete raft the old one was on is to badly damaged to serve as a foundation for a rebuild) so more extra costs. The LA refused felling because the tree has amenity value, but haven't deemed it necessary to assign a 'value' in £££. Kind of saying our cost/benefit analysis says it stays even though we have no 'benefit' figure using Cavat, Helliwell or any other evaluation methodology. I don't condone this fellows actions but I do have some empathy.

Purely in the interests in creating discussion... I find folks attitudes a bit strange. Outrage because an owner mullered his own 'protected tree while as a contractor, probably everyone will happily fell a similar tree that isn't protected. The reasoning given for felling a really good (unprotected) tree is usually along the lines of "it's the owners tree to do what he wants with", "if I don't another contractor will". So why are people so outraged? Is a decent tree that the LA have, for whatever reason, deemed worthy of protection/under threat/whatever suddenly of so much greater 'value' than one that isn't? Most of know or have worked on protected trees where we can't even understand why they're protected. I'm really interested in peoples thoughts on this.

I saw this early and my first thoughts were that either it's been badly reported or that the LA weren't particularly thorough in their preparation for the prosecution. The article mentions the ring-barking but also drilling holes in the tree. Maybe they thought they had a slam dunk case but I'm wondering whether they didn't get any testing done for herbicide or they did, and the results were inconclusive. I'd be interested to know what really happened.

I think that wolves need better PR. Introduce them as just a big dog (everybody dogs) and they'll be a lot less controversy. I tell ya!

And maybe wolves to control the deer population? Thinking outside of the box like.

Sorry if this has been mentioned elsewhere, but when I last did the sums for purchasing tree protection fencing for a development site, the cost per panel was ridiculous. Maybe I should be considering deer fencing specs instead of the BS5837 default spec.

Sent you a little light reading for the Xmas period ?

T & C'S for consultants/ surveyors etc

Sounds a reasonable reaction to sometimes overly zealous restraints by others with their own agendas. Slightly different note but on one development site I had some involvement with the original developer was forced to construct a large brick building (bigger than a double garage) to 'rehouse' some bats that 'may' have been residing in some old wooden buildings that were being demo-ed. Long story short, the original developer went bust, long delays before another firm started the build. The new bat building has now been up for about twelves years and last I heard there are still no indications that any passing bat has taken a fancy to the pied-a-terre.

Only problem now is that you'll be banned from working within half a mile of where you found it, have to fill in loads of forms and a thirty page method statement as to how you can continue forestry operations without affecting it. Next thing you know you'll be spending thousands creating a new home, complete with sauna and wide screen cinema screens.

Why's he wearing gloves Sorry, no idea what it is VI

That's a very valid point. Everyone who is knocking this way of working appears to have disregarded the opportunity for loads more bling-bling and shiny stuff on their harnesses. That's it, I'm sold

I wish I had a photo of my first climbing set up for comparison. I haven't so I'll attempt to describe it. Rope over limb tied to screw gate carabiner with a long-tailed bowline. Tail from bowline used to tie prussic knot. Figure eight stop knot. Ain't things changed?

I've had quite a few A&E visits over the last four years which fortunately have always been first class, but you do pick up a few titbits from staff along the way. One paramedic commented towards the end of her shift, that although they'd been non-stop all night, I was the only patient that actually needed an ambulance! One evening, as an inpatient on Oncology I was told that A&E were looking for 40 beds. Yes 40 admissions from A&E, no wonder that department backs up when there are no available beds to move folks into. Hospital managers were suggesting putting beds into a day clinic which was scheduled to open at 8AM. Bare in mind that that clinic is treating patients undergoing chemo who have little or no immune system, so that the entire clinic would have to emptied of admission patients and then be 'deep cleaned' prior to eight o'clock monday morning. I think eventually the hospital had to transfer admissions to other hospitals.

Do you run the brushcutters/strimmers on the same fuel as the saws?

Now all we need are smart drivers

Don't be daft man , you do what everyone does when a set of traffic lights is inoperable - pass through with care on a 'give and take' principle. Is anyone aware of a motorist being prosecuted, for ignoring a traffic sign/signal that was broken? I suggested that people stopped complaining on social media and actually contact the HA in situations where temp. lights appeared inappropriate or unnecessary. Using an example where they were simply 'broke' is out of context to my answer, but you knew that

Can't you just use a couple of hinges? Can't remember the type (someone will know) but some just screw into place without needing to cut a recess to seat in the plate itself. I'm assuming that you're using PAR timber (planed all round) and the edges are true and square. Edit - love the clock.

Traffic signals are traffic signals at the end of the day, it's not up to drivers to choose which ones to obey. Realistically, how difficult is it to phone the relevant HA to query why lights are there, if they seem to be unnecessary. Maybe it's the way of todays world, that we jump on social media to complain rather than spending a little bit of time (to every ones benefit)to try to sort a problem. Just saying When I had TM companies numbers on my phone it was infrequent to bell someone just to let them know their lights weren't working or were causing havoc due to their settings. I can't remember ever getting a narked response, normally they'd just reply with a thanks, they'd get someone down there.

I got stopped once going through a temp. red light. I should have thought of telling the traffic officer that I didn't respect the red light, as a reason for ignoring it. Maybe that would have worked Jokes aside, I know what you mean, but traffic signs and signals are what they are ignore them at your peril. In an ideal world they'd all be fit for purpose.

I've always worked under the maxim with any piece of kit, that if you doubt it's integrity it's time to replace it. Even if it's okay (that helmet isn't), you can't focus on what you're doing while worrying whether it will do its job as intended.

You need to get out more to see what's going on in the rest of the world. The internet is 'alight' with complaints cos Cadburys advent calendar contained Bounty's behind the first two doors