Mountain man

Yeah, and that, forgot about that, the paperwork.

Yes I charge more. for 2 reasons. 1. It's not their money. 2. You have to wait to get paid (usually)

Why do people say stuff like "raise the profile of the industry" to what end? If you want a difficult tree dismantled you don't phone a bricklayer do you? And why the hell do think we "deserve recognition" if you want plaudits become an actor or something. I do a job, I get paid (rather well as it goes) As far as rates of pay goes, you get what you get, don't like it, get another job.. (In reply to Marc btw)

Is this what happened? Had they been working all night?

Sure you do......

No, fair point, but a very good living can be had, in the open air, with lots of great toys. It's not so bad.

Tree surgery is good money for relatively small overheads.

So it's official, topping IS good for trees!

Not that I disbelive you for a minute, but how do you know they're 300 years old?

Might be a slight dip due to low oil prices, but the modern ones are so efficient they'll always be popular. (I heat my house with wood, but in fairness I do get it free)

Nice pics, good set up, weather looks.....coolish.

Ha! I don't suppose he would care for my eating habits, have you ever heard of a "gorilla's breakfast?"

Ok I'm here, I absolutely got the point, of course I did! If you want to show that you want to work, fine, negotiate a day at a reasonable rate say 50 quid, work your nuts of and see how you get on. If you actually offer to work for NOTHING, then you show how desperate you are, you're not really in any position to negotiate any sort of reasonable money. It's not some prestige appointment like working in a national newspaper or a lawyers office it's dragging brush and trimming trees, don't offer to do it for free. Ever! (Except for your family!)

My nephew sells cars in a large franchise, he says all the salesmen run out of the showroom and go missing when an Asian comes into the showroom. Not that they're dishonest or anything, but they just haggle and make unrealistic offers, then keep on and on like they're buying a carpet in a souk or something.

Ok I've re read the OP. The fact a guy was killed during a big storm a day before. Irrelevant, except that it put the wind up the climbers, conditions were fine for climbing, light wind and clear, not freezing. Trees leaning heavily, without seeing them can't speak with any real authority but if the root plate had not moved during the storm there's no reason to believe that they were especially dangerous, all trees next to a road lean into the light over the road, (phototropism?) Honestly if I picture the situation in my mind (always dodgy but that's all everyone else is doing) I cannot see why they would not go up. If I had set up traffic control, informed the authorities, and generally done a lot of organising to be confronted by a group of blokes shuffling their feet and saying it's too dangerous when, and I say this only on the information given, it wasn't, I'd be a bit peed off. One point that doesn't sit right is,If the company had a mewp (according to the OP) surely it would be quicker to use it?

I don't understand.

Me, I'm optimistic, I think things are on the up, little signs like no quibbling on quotes, that sort of thing. Had a good year, looking good for this year.

All I can say is I'm confident there's more to this story than what's written above. Ps the money they were on is irrelevant.

Pigeons and collared doves all year round, nothing you can do about it. Just crack on.

Would a log merchant take conny,willow, horse chestnut etc?

I don't sell wood so I couldnt care less.

Getting rid of wood free is great, as for the worry of having someone sneak up on him and throw a robe over him, I'd take my chances:001_smile:

As others have said, if it's an old fence smash it up and re string it.

Yeah, figured that out two posts ago.

What a brilliant idea, everyone's a winner! If they split it season it, it'll burn, plus you get rid of rubbish At no cost.