Paddy1000111

I'm a little confused. Are they operating in Devon or are they operating somewhere else?

It was a big bang, a big flash and the oil from the transformer went into the stream and polluted the main rivers hence the cost! The price of cheap labour. I was across the road trimming my hedge when it happened ?

That's the trouble with this industry at the moment. Too many people who have a piece of rope and a rock climbing harness and are somehow then a "tree surgeon". Having watched a "tree surgeon" pull up, pull out his b&q chainsaw and pop on a £5 visor then fell a tree by making a cut right at the bottom of the V at the base so it split in half and fell straight across some 11kv power lines and rip a transformer off a pole leaving a farmer with a ~£200,000 bill for damage and environmental fees I feel I know it too well. People just don't seem to understand the training/skill/certification/insurance required to do it and seem to think that anyone with a chainsaw and a harness can do the job and most other tree surgeons are part of some racket where they all charge mega bucks.

Looks like I will have to spend just under £100 for the pole gaffs then... ouch. I'll persist with the tree ones for now ?

Definitely go and get your CS30/CS31 tickets or all you will be is a branch dragger and not allowed to pick up a tool. Buy yourself the PPE- Good waterproofs, Chainsaw trousers, boots (lace up not wellie type) and a helmet. If I can give you any advice it's to buy the best kit you financially can when you do buy stuff. All the cheap things (Apart from my Oregon Yukon boots) were rubbish and I spent more money again buying decent stuff. I don't know where you are but if you are in the south/towards Devon then I can highly recommend Hi-Line as a training company. They are spot on, good trainers, nice environment and very well priced.

I've been using the Oregon yukon lace type boots recently and they have been bang on. Haven't got wet feet yet and have been comfortable with spikes on etc! They size big though. I'm a 10 and got a 9 and they still feel very slightly large but my feet are skinny anyways.

I will have to look for a proper source. I only found out from a recent training course and when inspecting the tree I was told that the oak had honey fungus for the last 2/3 years and the training company mulched around the base (about 6 inches to 1ft deep). It stopped displaying symptoms of it and the tree seemed to be "cured" or at least it's life extended from the process.

There has been some recent research into honey fungus that showed that it only attacked living trees when it ran out of deadwood food. There's now advice going to forest owners to not have sterile woods as this is a fungus that eats deadwood until it runs out of food starts becoming "aggressive" and then causes living wood to die so it can feed. One "fix" I have seen is to mulch around the base of the tree with wood chippings. I doubt it is a permanent fix but it seemed to stop it attacking the tree when I have seen it used. In your case however the fungus is going to be feeding on the dead root stock of the old tree. I wouldn't worry about it for now.

Hopefully someone can help, I have a set of Klein spikes with tree gaffs fitted. Does anyone know of a distributor for the pole gaffs? Climbing with tree gaffs is driving me insane as it's like walking up a tree on stilettos, not that I would know what that is like ? Thanks!

+1 for the advice above. Get in someone suitably qualified as sadly a "tree surgeon" pretty much covers someone who has a chainsaw. Some advertised "tree surgeons" don't even have the basic NTPC quals... Get in a certified and insured surveyor. Is there something particularly worrying you about these trees? There's always a reason for a tree to fail and it sounds like the branch that fell was probably a V union or something that weakened it if it wasn't an obvious diseased/dead limb. Personally I would have had someone who's worth their salt inspect the tree (I'm not saying your guy isn't, everyone has a slip every now and again but you want a surveyor that has the quals and insurance) and then maybe look at a crown thinning programme for them to reduce their sail factor (how much the wind catches them). If you have a big tree that isn't caught by the wind so much then you have a lot less to worry about and the additional light through the canopy can make for attractive trees. If you have branches that you are concerned about but the assessor has deemed safe then maybe look at installing a bracing kit like cobra, especially if you have a neighbour that is kicking off about one branch in particular. If something happened and it went to court you have all your bases covered, you got in an certificated and insured surveyor who signed them off and then you had a qualified arborist install a cobra support system as a backup. You can only be held responsible for acting maliciously or with neglect.... If you are going to employ a crown thinning programme (maybe every 5 years or so) then I wouldn't bother with the cobra system. At the end of the day we have had erratic weather recently. Trees are growing fast and hard and because of the sun/heat they are keeping their full crowns later than usual and the weather suddenly turns and we have a strong wind and it overpowers the branch. Personally if you are that concerned with trees, and I mean this at your neighbours, then don't buy a house with massive trees in the back garden, move into a building where all of nature has been deleted... We live on the earth, it doesn't live for us

From my last set of training I believe that a written H&S assessment is only required if you have over 5 staff? Most things like chippers come with their own H&S assessment anyway?

The winches are the same. They don't have specialist ones made up. They do ones that are CE marked and EN specified as some are used for winching dingies onto yachts etc so become lifting equipment. The winches used on the grcs are just harken 2 speed self tailing winches. Up to you about which one you get spec wise. Have a look on their site. Most of there range is sub £700

I noticed there's two. One specifically for fungi and the other for tree pests and diseases. I take it the pests and diseases one doesn't mention fungi at all as it's not a pest or disease

Hi Khriss! For a minute there I didn't see the "s" in Gasping Housewives... Wondered how you got any work done! That definitely looks like the sort book I need though (body language of trees that is ?). Am I right in saying that it's 2015 and quite up-to-date with recent tree diseases etc?

I've been scouring the forums but can't seem to come up with a "up-to-date" answer. Does anyone have any advice on what books to purchase for tree work in general? I was hoping to consolidate my information down to a couple of books for the glovebox. Preferably a general quick reference to species, illnesses and pruning techniques and times for tree types? There seems to be tonnes of books (I have a few) but I don't want to carry a book that gives me 40 pages on hand saw types and what knife to use ?. I know asking "What book is best" is a bit like asking "what oil is best" but any ideas for quick reference books would be ideal!

I guess what I meant once they do that, they do what they can to make the other parties insurance company pay for their time doing so ?

I'm all for staying amicable with the neighbours. I was just curious, if you're unaware of the issues then you shouldn't really be liable but you can't give an all encompassing answer for anything with trees. I thought that leaves blocking a gutter/downpipe wasn't the financial responsibility of the tree owner as it's not damage but maintenance? Saying that, I would probably do the same as you although AFAIK under the law, general cleaning and emptying gutters isn't the responsibility of the tree owner. Bit like having a garden full of windfall rubbish... I used to do building work and I have seen wooden conservatory's/orangeries built on a ~300mm plinth with incorrect foundation work for the soil type and within a few years it has tipped off the end of the house leaving a crack up the back/joining face of >2-3". It sounds like the cowboy builders messed up. A lot of builders seem to think that because it's a single story wooden box that it doesn't need much ground work but levers and angles being what they are 1/4" drop on the outside can become a 2" crack quite easily. If it were me, and I could be held liable I would look at getting in an independent structural engineer/surveyor and get an independent opinion at my own cost. Insurance companies like to pin the blame on each other and never give an independent opinion. They may say that the root is a factor but improper foundations are another and could only leave you liable for 25% of the cost or something...

You're better with it on the outside. Not just for access but if you take a fall in the helmet you don't want the unit being on the inside and becoming a hot spot for the impact.

As someone with more experience than me khriss... If some one has an issue with a root and does nothing about it, knowing that they can cut it in accordance with boundary laws etc, If said root, that they failed to take care of causes damage, are they responsible? If someone has an overhanging branch that they never deal with damage their guttering then aren't they to blame for negligence? I can't go in my neighbours garden every few months and check the roots and branches are safe for their house?

I agree with Khriss completely on this. It does sound like a bunch of chancers. Unless there is soil samples done, root samples etc "It appears" sounds like a letter from a mate they have in the insurance adjuster business. On the side of taking the tree down then they are more than welcome to sever the root on their side should it be one causing an issue... Out of interest are you in a clay soil area as that is more prone (and really the only type of soil prone) to roots causing shrinkage from moisture removal. You should only really be taking information from an independent (chosen by anyone but your neighbour) qualified building surveyor or structural engineer. AFAIK a loss adjuster isn't a qualified structural engineer but someone who can take information from a qualified and certified person. Their opinion is meaningless. It sounds like they are trying to find reasons and bully you into removing what sounds like a beautiful and well cared for tree that you have spent time investing in. As far as you being financially responsible it could be the case. If your tree has physically damaged someone's property then you can be left liable however if that came around, the buildings foundations and the fact it doesn't meet regulations will have to be taken into account and it should be deemed not your fault. It also sounds to me that the foundations were done by a bunch of cowboys...

I've got a pump that would be able to handle it. It just means going and starting the pump and running the system for a while each time it's dry. Question is, in the winter, how often do they need watering?

Sorry dumper, the hole for the tree would be round, the 2/3 inch deep mulch square is at the surface. I'm only making it square as it's easy to dig with a large leveling bucket. Digging circles is a little inconvenient ?. Watering is my main concern with them actually. They aren't near any water supplies by about half a mile. The only thing close is a lake so I guess petrol water pump but it's not exactly convenient and will have a hell of a head pressure up the hill

That is something I can't answer for you I'm afraid. From my point of view I would say that the pruning/root trimming law says that you can't prune or cut in a way that makes the tree dangerous. So I guess in terms of the law it is on you and you can't really forewarn them that you are going to make the tree dangerous and it's their problem to deal with it... If the tree has had a heavy prune it won't survive anyway. Cherry and plum trees really don't like being heavily pruned in my experience. On the other hand. The boundary law also stipulates that whilst you can't ask the tree owner to come and clear up their branches and windfall leaves for you, if the tree causes damage to a property such as damaging guttering (or in your case damaging sewer pipes) it is down to the tree owner to pay for any damages/repair fees associated with that damage. I would discuss it politely with the neighbour and nicely mention that it is encroaching your sewer system and is going to be causing damage in the near future and according to the law it will come down to him to pay for the repairs. Personally, knowing that the bill will be theirs anyway I would just leave it. You're putting yourself in liability and out of pocket to prevent a repair bill that will be theirs anyway should the roots damage the sewer pipe. If you feel you really MUST do something about it then just cut the one root that is causing a problem and leave the rest instead of cutting along the boundary if it puts your mind at rest. If any other roots cause an issue in the future then it will be on them anyway.

Bucket it is then! I have to rent an auger anyway for installing a load of posts in a barn but I was hoping I could make life a little easier and do the trees with it too. Would you bother with digging a 1.5-2M square a couple of inches deep to allow for mulching? I was thinking that for a tiny little bit of extra work I could create something that looks quite smart!

I'll be using a digger regardless, bucket or auger! I've dug posts by hand in the past and I promised I would never do it again. These are going to be specimen beech and not hedging. The soil is rather dense sandy soil anyway and it is well drained so beech should be perfect for it! I guess bucket it is then. I was going to dig a 1.5-2M square about 2-3 inches deep and then dig the hole for each one. I was thinking it would allow for mulch to be placed around the bases and keep it tidy? If you can't tell tree planting isn't my forte!