kevinjohnsonmbe

That's a good approach!

I was a bit confused by the Si / Keith situation ):0) A 50/50 option and I went the wrong way! No worries, thanks all the same!

Thanks Keith!

I emailed Muck Truc for a spec / price list this morning, waiting for a reply. I'll have a good butchers at the Arb Truc website tomorrow. Is there a spec/price list on website? If not, could I ask for one pse?? If thats possible Ill PM email adress over. Many thanks

And it looks like gravel / granite chip on the drive? That's what put me off, the thought of constantly picking granite chip out of the bottom runner.

Good spot, chuckle!

Agreed veteran Tony, but the location is high risk and quite worrying - I took a day trip across to Camelford/St Tudy area (Cornwall) to catch up with an old school buddy who's holidaying with his family at a park there. I was amazed that lodges had been built all around the tree at little more than 5-10 (varying) meters from the stem - I don't know what the chalet footings are but they looked 10-15 years old and dread to think what allowance was (or wasn't!) made for the RPA. Canopy with extensive deadwood, major limbs and stem with significant defects and children playing all day underneath. Here is a problem waiting to happen! I'll drop a line to the park owners and offer a climbing survey but I'm not optimistic they'll accept, there are several fairly amateurish historic limb reductions which tends to indicate either an "in-house" gardener or a local cowboy has had a go previously. I think I've got some more pics other than those posted earlier, I'll have a check a post 'em up if I do. Thanks for the feedback.

I read the article in Forestry journal several months ago. It's obvious that the big outfits will want a seat at the table to influence future policy but there's no "voice of the many" who will have to carry the fall-out. Who in a smaller outfit (from the 1 man band to 1-10 staff brigade) has the time, money and interest to fight their way to the boardroom? I did consider joining the Federation of Small Business (FSB) who "claim" to lobby on behalf of the small business owner, and perhaps this would be a policy issue they'd take on. I didn't like the guy that did the membership sales pitch for FSB (I know that's a bit childish) but he was unable to answer what I thought were reasonable questions eg: how many small-medium Arb companies are already members. Are any of you guys out there in cyberland signed up with FSB or any other union/lobbying group? The point about upskilling is a reasonable and sound expectation. So any progression through the old CS units should count as refresher for the previous ones within a sensible timescale eg 30/31 completed year X, 2 years later 32 - bosh, refresher done, 2 years later, 34 - bosh, refresher done, etc etc! Sounds reasonable enough??? With the apparent chaos at LANTRA/NPTC it's no wonder people lose faith in the desk pilots!

David, thank you! Sorry, couldn't see tops on that occasion, I was out on a social visit so didn't have ladders, bino's, parrot drone etc. I couldn't ID it in my ref books (AA Fungi on trees, Webber/Matheck Manual of Wood Decays in Trees, Strouts/Winter No.2 Diagnosis of I'll Health in Trees) and was feeling rather beaten! How do we best assess the impact/effect the specimen might have upon the host tree in a case like this - type of rot, likely extent / outcome for host tree etc? Appreciate your thoughts!

Nice gate! I've been looking at a similar set up myself. You're right about the styling made me think "I wonder if that's what they said about Art Deco architecture/design?"

Fair one! Sounds a hassle but once you're used to the admin I guess it's not too bad.

It wasn't the math that surprised me it was the volume of apps! Is it predominantly urban?

Saw this tree today in a holiday park. Any ideas on the fungal ID, struggling to find a match in my books - any suggestions appreciated. 2 sets of fruiting bodies on opposite sides of the tree, exudation smelling like stale cider from the night before on the pub floor.

Jeez BT, 450 TPO apps a year!! Where are you based in the middle of a CA with blanket TPOs? I have a grumble if I'm doing 1 app a month!!

Good kit - robust, durable, value for money.

If you don't mind my saying, your father was a wise man! I'm in a similar situation, there's a piece of land I'd really like to own, the land owner knows that and has set the selling price (ridiculously) high even though it's pretty value-less to anyone but me. Any item for sale has 3 potential values: 1. That which the owner is willing to accept, 2. That which the purchaser is willing to part with, 3. Nil, it stays where it is! The "national brands" mentioned above ref woodlands for sale are venture capitalists, in it for the profit of buying large areas of grant fund expired plantations, parcelling them up and selling on to hobby woodsmen/women at high margin - and there are covenants regarding shooting, noise etc and shared responsibility for maintenance of access tracks. It's worth looking at the websites to get a measure of market values but private sales give considerably greater value for money!!

Is it your property Royal or part of a job you're doing? I'm in SE Cornwall but can work mobile if the job warrants it. Maybe if you drop me a message with phone number we could talk detail.

Well presented!