ISA UK & Ireland Tree Climbing Championships ARE HERE!

It’s that time of year again, guys….The ISA UK & Ireland Tree Climbing Championships are upon us!

For those of you who attended last year’s competition, you’ll know what’s in store for us tree people…two heavenly days of climbing, learning new tricks of the trade, and hanging out with like-minded people…plus awesome BBQ’s and outdoor tea brewing!

Us climbers need the fuel!

You really can’t beat it, which is why we’re so looking forward to this year’s event, and are intent on spreading the word so that we can rally together as many climbers as possible, both beginners and veterans.

And we’re pleased to report that this year we will be sponsoring the Best Novice Climber, so we’ll be on the lookout for some great new talents to wow us with their rope skills.

So, where and when is this momentous event taking place? 

The competition will be held on Saturday 26^th and Sunday 27^th May 2012, with the set-up and gear check taking place on Friday 25^th.

And the venue? None other than the incredibly beautiful Shuttleworth College in Bedfordshire…

As far as locations go, this is a corker; set within the luscious Old Warden Park, this site is strewn with some stunning big trees that are perfectly suited to having us tree monkeys wriggle up them.

Shuttleworth College

Now, this competition is what we like to call a ‘friendly’ competition. Why? Because anyone and everyone can enter. However, you must hold a LOLER certificate for any equipment you intend to use, and have your CS38 Tree Climbing and Aerial Rescue ticket. If you’ve got these two prerequisites under your belt, then you’re ready to roll.

But it’s not just the taking part that excites us; it’s the amazing prizes on offer to the winners. Those who wipe the floor clean with their climbing abilities and achieve a place in the 2012 European Team will each receive a £150 voucher towards the expense of competing there, plus their entry fee paid for.

And as for the Chapter Champions, they receive a mighty £750 towards their expenses for the Internationals in America this year…and, yes, their entry fees will also be paid for. Take it from us, attending the American Internationals really is something else, and is an opportunity definitely worth fighting for!

So, if you’re game for a spot of good old fashioned competition, and what to show off your tree climbing skills, then download an application form from the ISA website:

http://www.isa-arboriculture.org/content/cmc000123.htm

You can also join the Facebook page, which will keep you up to date on the latest developments:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/IsaUkiChapterTreeClimbingCompetition2012

We hope to see you there!

The New Thug of the Forest

Okay guys, time to get serious…

Let’s talk about the thugs of the forest, tree diseases.

As tree care workers, we should know exactly what’s going on with the health of our trees, and unfortunately with climate change creating the perfect breeding ground for these horrid pests, it’s not looking great.

With an already extensive list of diseases out there, the number is rising and the threat to our trees is becoming severe. This means one thing and one thing only: we must educate ourselves to the threat, and learn how to best protect our tree species.

Here are just a few of our current culprits: Bleeding Canker of Horse Chestnut; Dothistroma Needle Blight; Great Spruce Bark Beetle; Oak Pinhole Borer; Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner…these may sound like something out of Lord of the Rings, but they’re far from fictional. All of these diseases cause a variety of damage to their victims, from limb loss to death.

Bleeding Canker of Horse Chestnut - not a pretty sight

Oak Pinhole Borer - pesky little mites!

And we’re not talking just a few fatalities here and there, we’re talking tree massacres.

But there’s a new kid on the block, and it’s quickly becoming the bully of the forest: Sweet Chestnut Blight.

Chestnut Blight is a plant disease caused by the ascomycete fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica (easy for you to say). In layman’s terms, it’s nasty…reeeeal nasty. Having already paid a visit to the USA, it has proved capable of killing billions of trees.

And for those of you who are more swayed by threats to the economy, remember what these beautiful trees produce: nuts. If Britain sees the same destruction to sweet chestnuts as the USA, then there will no doubt be a significant impact to the British economy.

So, where has this nasty piece of work turned up? It was identified in November 2011 as the cause of dieback in European sweet chestnut in Warwickshire. It was later found in Sussex. It seems the South of England, then, is extremely vulnerable, and the thought of our beautiful New Forest becoming the next target is terrifying.

As with most tree diseases, Sweet Chestnut Blight is spread locally through wind and rain, as well as through the ever-busy activity of our lovely insects and birds. And scarily enough, it has also been reported that the disease can live and feed on dead organic matter, which means is can survive even once the infected chestnut trees have been removed.

So that you know when you see it, here’s a list of the symptoms of Sweet Chestnut Blight:

·         All symptoms occur above the ground

·         The bark is attacked, and the disease enters through fissures or wounds

·         On grafted trees, infections are usually found in the region of the graft

·         In coppices or orchards, infections are usually found at the base of the stem

·         Stems or branches become girdled and the dead bark becomes visible as a sunken canker

·         Above the girdling canker, leaves wilt and turn brown, but remain hanging on the tree

·         Below the canker, branches have healthy foliage and, after a short time, new shoots are produced

·         On young branches the cankered bark can be a bright brown

·         On older branches, the discoloration of the infected bark is less obvious

·         When the bark is killed quickly the stem is girdled without any callus formation

·         The disease’s progress can be slower, causing new layers of bark form under the affected area to grow, resulting in swelling and subsequent cracking of the outer bark

·         Masses of yellow-orange pustules develop on infected bark, which erupt through lenticels and ooze long, orange-yellow tendrils of spores in moist weather

·         Crown dieback

A sunken and swollen canker on an American Chestnut

A young American Chestnut with the blight

So, you need a plan of action for if and when you spot this beastly bully…

First thing’s first: grab your camera and take some photographs of the whole tree, and then some close-ups of the symptoms. Then, make sure you write down exactly where the tree is situated (this is where your iphone’s GPS comes in handy). You can then email this information to The Forestry Commission Plant Health Service…

Tel: 0131 314 6414

Email: plant.health@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

That’s all for now, fellow tree warriors. Keep a look out for this new blight, and if you do find any of the symptoms then ping an email over to The Forestry Commission. And if you could copy us in, too, we’d appreciate it!

Spring has Sprung (and love is in the air...)

Aaah, spring….the lustrous transition between the bleakness of winter and the cheer of summer (although, we were actually quite happy with the winter just gone – a few gusty spells but generally great tree climbing conditions).

Here at Arbor Venture Training, we love spring. No, that’s an understatement; we ADORE spring. It’s by far our favourite season. Why? Because when it comes to regrowth, renewal, and rebirth, it’s the tree lover’s companion.

Cherry Blossom

So, the love that’s in the air is our fervent adoration for this marvellous season, and all it brings to our beautiful trees. It’s just so full of possibility and expectation.

Soon the clocks will be put forward, and our days will get longer. As our planet increases its tilt towards the sun, the ground warms up, frost melts, and both our animals and plant life ‘spring forth’; it’s clear to see where this season gets its name from.

Take a peek out your window and you’ll see a sprinkling of colour: the white blossoms of a plum tree, the pink of a cherry blossom…and, of course, the good old daffodils trumpeting away at the bottom of the garden.

Plum Tree Blossom

But what effect does spring have on us tree care workers? Well, for a start it’s the time of year when people take a good look at their garden, picture themselves sitting in it with a gin and tonic, and think ‘we should really get those trees tidied up’.

Work, therefore, can increase. But there’s a very important factor a tree care worker needs to consider during this time of year: nesting critters. Our beautiful birds nest and have their young in spring, and their habitat of choice is the hedge or tree you may just have been asked to prune.

It is every tree worker’s duty to protect nesting birds, to educate others about wildlife legislation, and to have a good knowledge of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. If you don’t already know that is an offense to purposefully damage a nesting bird, then you may want to take a squiz at what it’s got to say.

We don’t just love trees here at Arbor Venture Training, we love the living things that inhabit them, too.

So join us in our celebration of spring, and appreciate the new growth and spectacular colours that now lie outside your front door. But remember your obligation to protect not only trees, but all forms of natural life; you may have a customer who desperately wants their leylandii hedge cutting back, but the little greenfinch within it might have something to say about it.

Solution? Delay the work, and give our feathery friends some space.

If you have any questions about the protection of wildlife when conducting tree work, feel free to get in touch.

We’re off to prance amongst the daffodils, see you soon…

Daffodils

Keep Britain Old

So, we’ve talked about American trees, we’ve talked about Swedish trees, we’ve even talked about the Great Wall of China (however briefly…); it’s now time to turn our gaze towards our very own green and pleasant land.

And where better to start than the home of Arbor Venture Training: the New Forest.

Now, let’s get one thing straight – we don’t have 9,500 year old trees like our Scandinavian neighbours. Sorry, but that’s a pretty tall order. But you don’t need Neolithic trees to be proud of your woodland.

Despite the onslaught of Naval ship building in the 17^th and 18^th Century, which claimed more trees than we care to think of, the New Forest lays claim to some spectacular specimens.

The apple of our eye is the magnificent Knightwood Oak, which, with its impressive 7.4 metre girth, is believed to be the largest tree in the New Forest. From a tree worker’s perspective, this is a fantastic example of pollarding, which has undoubtedly kept this local celebrity looking beautiful and feeling great (sorry, we couldn’t resist a Loreal moment there). But, seriously, this tree looks pretty good for 600 years’ old.

The Knightwood Oak may have won first prize for size, but it doesn’t go home with a gold medal for its age. So, what is the oldest tree in the woods? That would be the ancient Yew at St. Nicholas’ Church in Brockenhurst…

Set within the graveyard, the 1,000 year old Yew really sets the scene for the ancient church. It is said trees were planted near churches for several reasons, including to protect the church from strong winds, provide wood for longbows, to shelter the waiting congregation, and as an emblem of mortality…in our opinion, something that lives for 1,000 isn’t a great example of death…oh well.

Take a stroll through the New Forest, and we bet you’ll spend the entire walk looking up. The canopies are magnificent, the breadth of branches striking, not to mention the abundance of wildlife hidden amongst the leaves. And if you can force your gaze lower, you’ll find some jaw-droppingly large tree trunks – we challenge you not to put your arms around them…we do.

Arbor Venture loves you, New Forest!

Yew Tree at St. Nicholas' Church

Knightwood Oak

The Senator

So how old do you think the oldest tree in the world is? If you’re thinking in the hundreds, you’re nowhere near. Thousands? Spot on. In fact, back in 2008, the BBC reported the discovery of a particularly ancient spruce on Fulu Mountain in Sweden. Actually, the words ‘particularly ancient’ don’t quite cut it for this phenomenal specimen; at a whopping 9,550 years’ old it’s safe to say this tree is ridiculously ancient. It’s pretty hard to get your head around the fact that its roots where taking hold during the Ice Age…jeeze…

Up until this amazing discovery, scientists had thought the oldest trees in existence where around 4,000 years old, so they were a little way off the mark.

We love all tress, young and old, but it’s safe to say that any tree that has more than two zeros in its age is pretty exceptional, and should not only be looked upon with awe, but protected to the best of our abilities. That’s why, when we heard the recent news from Florida, it nearly brought a tear to our eyes…

A 3,500 year old Cypress tree, lovingly called The Senator, was destroyed in a fire. Ouch. At first arson was suspected, but after an investigation it has been ruled out. However, due to the left over remains of a campfire at its base, some still have their suspicions.

If this atrocity was caused by arson, then we have something to say about it. It is unfathomable to us that such a magnificent tree, which started growing even before the Great Wall of China was completed, should be struck down by an idiot with a match. The poor old thing, which was hollow, burnt from the inside out, it’s great 118ft height reduced to a 20ft smouldering stump. Our fists are clenched just thinking about it.

Out of all living things, it is only our beloved trees that are capable of reaching such a magnificent age. If they had eyes, just think what they would have seen. To put it into perspective, Sweden’s 9,550 year old Spruce was growing way before the Pyramids were built, and has lived through every birth and death of every single notable figure in history: Caesar, Plato, Aristotle…Jesus Christ. This, we think, is truly amazing.

Let’s hope that if it was arson that killed Florida’s Senator, then the perpetrators are caught and punished sufficiently. If it was, however, a freak of nature that caused the fire, then we just have to gulp down our sorrow and realise that nature will have its way. After all, nothing lasts forever.

A Stormy Start to 2012

Well well well, the New Year certainly came in with a bang for us tree folk. Forget London’s flashy fireworks display; it seems you don’t need to spend millions of pounds to create some exciting chaos. I am, of course, talking about the ludicrously high winds that revved up their engines just as we opened our eyes on New Year’s day.

Winds reached a whopping 100mph in Scotland (they’re always getting the brunt of it), and a lesser - but just as menacing - 70mph here in South West England. Pandemonium ensued, tearing down trees which very inconveniently decided to lay their leafy heads across railways, motorways and power lines. The weather even managed to shove over a few Lorries.

This was rather inconvenient for most people, but tree surgeons aren’t ‘most people’. Far from being an annoyance, the wicked weather gave us climbers a great excuse to don our chainsaw trousers and do the job we love.

But in these emergency situations you really do need to know what you’re doing. Not only are you taken off guard (you could very well be tucking yourself into bed when that emergency call comes in), but the nature of the situation means that you’re highly likely to be faced with a tricky, complicated job that requires quick thinking and confidence. This is not your everyday fell or pruning job; what you find will be messy and chaotic.

This is why proper training is so important. I’m going to take you through the NPTC units that cover all you need to know to be a fantastic emergency tree surgeon, namely CS34: Sever Individually Uprooted Trees, and CS50: Techniques For Dealing With Damaged Trees.

The beauty of these courses is that you’re not only learning the practical techniques of tree work, but the safety procedures too, for example inspecting the tree and neighbouring trees for dead wood, insecure branches or other objects, and ensuring no overhead power lines are in the way. After all, if the wind is strong enough to uproot a tree, it’s strong enough to bring down everything else around it!

CS34: Sever Individually Uprooted Trees teaches you how to sever the root plate using appropriate cuts. You’ll learn how to identify the level of tension and compression in stems so that you can select the correct severing methods appropriate to the tree’s size and condition. The course also covers how to restrain overhanging (forward weighted) root plates prior to severing stems, and using a hand winch to assist with felling, or restraining root plates.

CS50: Techniques For Dealing with Damaged Trees teaches you how to tackle a number of different situations involving damaged trees, for example roadside trees which have uprooted or become dangerous. You’ll also learn how to restrain a root plate of a damaged tree with a hand winch, and how to sever the root plate. This is a great course that really covers a lot of ground, as you’ll also come away knowing how to dismantle branches from a damaged tree, fell leaning or part uprooted trees, as well as how to fell a tree with a significantly broken crown using a winch or pull rope.

There really is so much to know, and as with all skilled careers you need to be at the top of your game in terms of knowledge and practice. We believe there is only one way to do this job, and that is well. There should be no such thing as an incompetent tree care worker, especially in dangerous situations like emergency storm damage jobs. So if you’re serious about your career and want to be up there with the best of them, then make sure you cover all bases in terms of training.

If you’re ready to tackle the units I have mentioned, then feel free to take a peek at our Courses and Assessments section, which gives you a run-down of what you will cover, and how to apply.

That’s all for now folks, safe climbing!

Josephine Hedger

Storm Damage

Windblown