ReubenHayes

Change of business name is always harder the longer you are in business for. I'm guessing you have a good network of customers large and small, and are known in the local area. Suddenly driving around in a different named truck and having a new patter on the phone will be hard, and you may loose existing customers. They may also forget your name and company if they don't see your truck driving about. The main issue to over come is that people will naturally ask why? is it a tax dodge or has your company done something wrong?? You hear of cowboy builders changing manes on a weekly basis to stay out of court. However, against all the negatives there are some positives as it can show your company development, expansion etc. What name were you thinking? And will it be a limited company? The best option is to use both old and new names on your truck, website, letters etc. Tell people that the name change is coming and due to expansion and that your website, mobile, land line numbers will still be the same. Write letters to your loyal customers and local companies (can be used as a marketing tool as well), say that you are getting bigger, this now reflects what your services and you can offer a discount or loyalty scheme for all new customers. Hope that helps

You can sometimes see the Mycelium as a white ring at the base of the tree

It all depends on what the question was in the first place. If it was 'we have a tree that overhangs the neighbours property, what can you do?', then that is fine to make your suggestions to reduce back to suitable growth points. If the question was 'we have a tree that overhangs the neighbours property is it safe?' then your suggestion of reducing the branches would need to be backed up with some findings and reasoning behind it. In that case it would be more of giving advice on the condition of the tree and its future management. This would need PI as far as I am aware. Its always difficult as there is no clear line to follow. I guess as the previous comment said, they get a limited PI cover included. This I guess will be just in case you say something and need a bit of backing up.

Hodge, is right. In order to give advice you will require professional indemnity insurance, in case what you say is wrong, or if something happens! If you speak with a local consultant (doesn't have to be AA approved), they should be able to help you out. Some may offer a discount if you use them on a regular basis, also it will help with your marketing as you can sound like you are a much bigger firm offering extra services that the small companies can not offer. If you do want to carryout inspections you will need a minimum of a level 3 qualification (but ideally level 5 and above), check out Lantra awards and the professional tree inspection course. What area of the UK are you working in?

Cheers for that, I guessed it was an indication fungus showing sings of something else that has decayed inside. Do you know if there are any bio-mechanical issues with the fungus? We are looking at removing all the poplar trees in the park, so this will help to back up our decision.

Hi People, I have noticed this fungus a few times (both in London and the midlands). By the time I get a sample and post it to AAIS it has already gone bad so they are unable to identify the sample. Does anyone here have a clue as to what it is? I have also noticed that some trees do fail a few months after, however this could be a coincidence. Thanks Reuben

Are you still looking for tree consultants in the Birmingham area?