Axe, Winter 2014 15

AN AXE TO GRIND. MTOA’s QUARTERLY MAGAZINE

The Axe to Grind, Winter 2014-15 Edition.

Interactive content; where you see the leaf logo then the page is ”live” so click for any internet content, try it

Meet this edition’s contributors If you click on any of the pictures you can read their on-line biography. Where you see “Feature Article” the piece is unique to the Axe!

Jeremy Barrell

Julian Dunster

Francesco Ferrini

Gareth Hare

Hinrich Paulsen

Chris Parker

Keith Sacre

Moray Simpson

Ian McDermott

If you are reading this edition of the Axe on PDF then please ensure you have the view option set for a two page spread, it is designed for on-line viewing so make use of the links embedded.

The MTOA is a fully constituted not for profit organisation . The views expressed in the magazine may not reflect the official views of the MTOA and the association accepts no liability for any views or technical advice presented by its contributing authors.

Editor

Inside this issue: Features Moray Simpson: Chairman's stump.

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Jeremy Barrell: Urban greening:

8

Russell Ball: One man

14

Hinrich Paulsen: ArborMaps.

22

Gareth Hare: Mentoring

26

Keith Sacre: Bio-Security

30

Chris Parker, Fungal identification.

36

Julian Dunster: Evidence in Arboriculture

44

And finally, Editors last word

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Please don’t forget to visit the MTOA’s sponsors too.

Chair Moray Simpson

Chair-Elect Matt Seabrooke

Past Chair Ian McDermott

Secretariat David Beadle

Treasurer John Blessington

The Chairman’s Stump.

CAVAT Rep. Matt Vaughan

Editor Ian Mcdermott

AFAG Rep. Tim Weatherill

GYTOG Rep. vacant

Directors Gareth Hare Portia Howe

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MTOA Chairman, Moray Simpson.

his will be my last stump as Chair of the MTOA, with my term of office coming to and end at the AGM in Dudley on the 10th December. Over the last two years the MTOA has continued to grow, due to the tireless work of the board members, Jean in the office, the “Axe” editor Mac and all those who have helped out at our events, including the speakers and our sustaining and event sponsors. We continue to provide some of the cheapest arboricultural training in the UK (apart from free events obviously) which are tailored to meet the needs of tree officers. However as the MTOA grows, the municipal arboricultural/ urban forestry sector appears to be imploding under the onslaught of Local Authority cuts.

Every week, news comes through of more cuts to Local Authority tree services, with the latest that I became aware off, being the loss of one of the tree officer posts at Wolverhampton Council. This leaves one tree officer there, to cope with the workload previously undertaken by two officers. Many tree officers are working under difficult circumstances brought on by cost saving cuts, with increasing workloads resulting in non-statutory functions taking a back seat.

Steve Dores

Front cover picture.

Cornus capitata photographed in October in the National Arboretum, Glasnevin, RoI.

These non-statutory functions are important. Tree officers are ideally placed to be able to help with major societal issues including improving people’s health and wellbeing, combating and mitigating against the effects of climate change and being on the front line to spot and manage pest and diseases outbreaks and their subsequent aftermaths. Being locally based (in an ideal world each Local Authority (Continued on page 5)

in the UK would be adequately resourced with qualified arboriculturists) tree officers can be the first line of defence against pest and disease outbreaks.

During September the MTOA held one of the most important seminars in its history. This seminar titled “Has it a Pulse”, alluding to the perilous condition of municipal arboriculture/ urban forestry in the UK at a time when we face significant threats to the urban forest and populations of ‘trees outside woodlands’ from imported pests and diseases. A key part of this day was the workshop entitled “Who is going to stop the decline” which was kindly hosted by Jon Stokes from the Tree Council.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend this event, but I have received positive feedback. The MTOA will lobby and work on your behalf to try and gain improvements and resources for municipal arboriculture/ urban forestry in the UK. We look forward to working with the Tree Council and any other interested organisations on this vitally important matter.

We currently face an unprecedented risk to our trees from imported pests and diseases. Tree officers are best placed at a local level to assist in the monitoring for pests and diseases and engaging and training local communities and arborists on tree health, pests and diseases and biosecurity. Who else will manage the catastrophic loss of trees that may arise from pathogen outbreaks, whilst maintaining public safety and biodiversity? Who else will plan, implement and manage the replanting of urban tree populations lost to pests and disease outbreaks? These are some of the questions that we need answers to. Well the answer is tree officers, but only where each Local Authority arboricultural service is properly resourced with sufficient trained and qualified arboriculturists in post with budgets commensurate with the tasks faced and

value of the asset managed.

In England between 1980 and 1997 there was a 64% decline in individual ‘trees outside woodlands’. It is likely that part of this dramatic decline is attributable to Dutch elm disease (DED), with 25 million elm trees believed to have died as a result of DED (Woodland Trust, 2009).

This highlights the risks that our urban and non-woodland trees face from new and evolving pests and diseases. In the UK the impact of Chalara is predicted to be huge and if Asian Longhorn Beetle ever became established in the UK, the loss of trees would be catastrophic for the whole of society.

If properly resourced, Local Authority tree officers are well placed to assist in monitoring urban trees and trees outside woodlands for pest and disease outbreaks and in assisting with citizen science projects such as ObservaTree, OPAL and Treezilla which engage the community and which could act as a pest and disease early warning system. We are also best placed to act as a conduit for best practice and as source of the latest news and information on pests and diseases for local arborists and tree surgeons. We have the skills and knowledge to manage trees that die and become dangerous as a result of pest and disease outbreaks. Note, I underlined properly resourced at the start of this paragraph. We are ideally placed and have the skills and knowledge, but most Local Authorities certainly aren’t properly resourced to contain and manage significant pest and disease outbreaks and certainly do not have sufficient resources to deal with the aftermath of such outbreaks.

To effectively manage urban and nonforestry tree populations for positive reasons such as peoples health and (Continued on page 6)

wellbeing and to help mitigate against climate change and catastrophic pest and disease outbreaks, it is about time that municipal arboriculture is given statutory function status by central government and is resourced in accordance with best practice asset management principles.

Moray Simpson MTOA Chair, 2012-2014.

References & Web Addresses

Woodland Trust, 2009. Trees Outside Woods – A Report to the Woodland Trust.

Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford. http://www.treezilla.org/ http://www.opalexplorenature.org/? q=TreeSurvey http://www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/ observatree

I would at this point like to say, on behalf of the MTOA Board members and I’m sure all the MTOA members themselves a very big thank you indeed to Moray for the service he has given the MTOA and of course latterly in the role of the Chair of the Organisation. He has elevated the organisation to a standing in the industry it has never before held and has worked feverishly to this end. He of course will not get away that easily as he serves out two more years as immediate past chair. Thank you Moray from me personally and the whole of the Municipal Arb community. A job well done.

Mac (Editor)

http://www.woodlands.co.uk/tv/2014/10/identifying-poisonous-mushrooms-in-the-woodlands-2/

Day one, lesson one: At what height do we measure Trunk Diameter?

Anyone remember the MTOA talk from Roy Finch?

This article (courtesy of the SMA) was an extract from some advice from DuPont in 1911.

Urban greening: turning aspirations into action Jeremy Barrell.

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here is a compelling body of published and emerging research, supported by a burgeoning array of anecdotal evidence, that trees are the most cost-effective element of urban infrastructure for delivering multiple community benefits. All the more surprising then that we find national and local government commonly impotent at successfully protecting existing trees and incorporating new trees into new urban development. On a daily basis, we see valuable, and sometimes irreplaceable, trees lost in the name of progress, and the new trees promised by the ‘here-today-gone -tomorrow’ politicians often failing to live past the first few years of planting. Plenty of talk and very little action is the common reality; the quality and extent of our urban canopy cover is decreasing, so what are the prospects of reversing that damaging trend?

Jeremy Barrell was on the panel that produced BS 8545 Trees from nursery to independence in the landscape (www.bsigroup.com), and on the steering groups for the Trees & Design Action Group’s (“TDAG”) latest publications, Trees in the Townscape: A guide for Decision Makers and Trees in Hard Landscapes: A Guide for Delivery (download free from www.tdag.org.uk). He believes that, in combination, these three documents represent a turning point for all those professionals interested in greening the urban environment. For the first time, through the provenance and calibre of this new content, there is an opportunity for individuals to make a difference where successive political regimes have repeatedly failed. We know how to do this; the

technical expertise to integrate trees into even the harshest urban conditions is tried and tested. What has been missing is an effective mechanism for turning that existing ability and the obvious aspiration into action on the ground. In the absence of any obvious political leadership and vision, it is up to individuals take the lead, with Tree Officers being very well placed to make change happen.

Strategic alignments At the strategic level, it is always difficult for individuals to make a difference, which is where organisations and alignments of like-minded groups have an important role to play. Historically, the London Tree Officers’ Association has been very successful at identifying local problems and coming up with effective solutions to assist its members in acting on the ground.

Obvious examples include its Risk Limitation Strategy for dealing with pressure to lose trees for subsidence reasons, the Oak Processionary Moth Guidance Note and the CAVAT method of valuing amenity trees. This has been a very effective assembly that has delivered local solutions, often of national interest. More recently, the Municipal Tree Officers’ Association has moved the concept of an organised grouping of local authority tree professionals onto a national level, with a much wider geographic membership. In tandem with these alignments, the Arboricultural Association and TDAG have a much broader spread of professional affiliations, with a commonality of being very effective at voicing individual’s concerns at a strategic level. Although different organisations, all have common

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objectives and closer collaborations are likely to offer substantial benefits to the joint memberships, which will empower individuals who want to make a difference.

Countering the demoralising impact of relentless negativity!

Taking a very broad perspective, there can be little doubt that the general public like trees and support the principle of optimising the stocking and health of our urban canopy. It would be a mistake to translate that goodwill into filling every gap with trees, but it does mean that there is likely to be widespread public support for making the best use of the space available.

An obvious manifestation would be to get as many right trees into the right places as possible, but there is a psychological obstacle to realising this ideal that can dampen the enthusiasm of even the most dedicated individuals.

Day in, day out, Tree Officers bear the brunt of the public’s frustration from trees that do cause problems; it can be relentless, which inevitably skews the perception of how the public value trees. Of course, the number of trees that create conflicts are minute compared to the vast majority of trees that cause no problems, but nonetheless, constantly dealing with complaints will sour even the most optimistic of characters. It is human nature to speak up when unhappy and keep quiet when all is fine, which highlights the negatives and suppresses the positives. For Tree Officers to be sucked into such a negative spiral is a barrier to action, and to occasionally step back and appreciate the wider reality can often assist in achieving a more balanced perspective. Ordinary people really do like trees, probably one of the best reasons never to give up doing your bit for the greater good.

Barriers and obstacles to urban greening If it is right that there is an overall public appreciation of trees, albeit latent to some extent, then an obvious question is why are we not seeing more trees being planted, more trees surviving and urban canopy

cover increasing? Here are few of the reasons:

 Lack of space: This frequently cited excuse for not planting new trees just does not stack up in a modern context. There is a wide range of tree sizes that allow the species to be tailored to the space available, both rooting and aerial. Fastigiate forms allow even the narrowest of gaps to be greened, with the vertical emphasis reducing the need for broad space compared to the more conventional spreading habit. Below ground, there are multiple products providing a means of converting even the most hostile environments to support tree growth, which in turn allows efficient use of the space above the ground. Trees can be fitted into parking areas with very little reduction in parking numbers, and yet we regularly see local planning authorities still consenting vast commercial premises with no significant tree planting in parking areas.

We have the technology and species choice to plant new sustainable trees almost anywhere, so there is no technical reason not to do so. · High cost of new trees: Excessive cost is another reason for avoiding planting trees. Of course, that is a valid concern in the short-term because the bulk of the costs are in the initial supply, preparation, planting and maintenance to independence in the landscape. But as a tree grows, the value of the benefits it provides increase exponentially with size, so those early costs are soon paid back and a net gain position prevails for the bulk of the life of the tree.

This matter is not clearly articulated at present and requires more research support to express it in a way that is easier for the decision-makers to understand. However, the clear position supported by the emerging research is that trees provide a vast net gain of benefits over their lifetime, more so than any other single element of urban infrastructure. · Trees cause damage: Tree roots do have the potential to cause indirect subsidence damage on shrinkable clay soils and caution is obviously required in those situations. However, that is not the case for all other non-shrinkable soils, and no such precautions are required if clay is not

present. And yet service providers still regularly demand unreasonable and unnecessary precautions on all soils.

Additionally, trees can cause direct damage to services on all soils through displacement by root growth and blocking through root ingress into pipes. However, almost invariably, this type of damage is due to historically inadequate jointing and a failure to use modern products with a proven capacity to withstand these damage mechanisms. There are multiple ways of overcoming these problems, but progress will require the service providers to embrace a more holistic approach, accounting for the wider societal benefits of trees and not just their own narrow perspective. This lack of understanding and such an extreme aversion to any risk at all is simply unsustainable in the broader context of the national need to adapt to climate change, but more work is required to modernise this traditional and entrenched mindset.

the highest level of government that trees matter and their integration into the public realm is important. The document is presented in four sections; the collaborative process, designing with trees, technical design solutions and species selection criteria.

Collaboration is a very good place to start because it is an organisational characteristic that is missing from many projects and a core reason for failure to deliver efficient, economical and fully

Of course, change causes anxiety to even the most open-minded individuals and it is just human nature Figure 1: A common characteristic of traditional project management is poor communication between the disciplines, often seated in a culture to fear the unknown. of isolation rather than collaboration. A much more effective means of Sticking with what you working is for the project team to meet at the start, talk all the issues know is simply easier and through and deal with them efficiently early on, rather than having to safer, but it is a real firefight the unforeseen problems as the project progresses. barrier to progress to be overcome if we are to effectively manage functional solutions. On a personal level, the challenges that climate change is in our role as consultants in the planning bringing. It was never going to be easy, system, we see a whole range of but help is at hand with the new BS and the approaches, from the simply incompetent two TDAG publications. to the impressively well organised. Our experience is that one factor above all others stands out as being of fundamental Trees in Hard Landscapes: A Guide for importance to secure effective project Delivery delivery, i.e. the provision for all the Focusing in on the latest TDAG guide, professionals within the project team to Trees in Hard Landscapes, in addition to communicate and work together right from providing a review of where we are with the beginning. It sounds obvious, but as urban greening, it also offers some unique Figure 1 conceptualises, it is far from insights into where we have the potential to common, with the bulk of professionals go. Furthermore, the Foreword from preferring to work in isolation from other Baroness Kramer, Minister for State for disciplines. This blinkered approach is Transport, provides an endorsement from

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cheap in the short term because there is less time input, but it invariably turns out expensive in the long term because unforeseen problems at the end of a project are much more difficult to put right.

illustrations of what can be done.

Furthermore, a very useful Case Study Finder section assists the user in locating projects that may relate to their particular situation.

· The importance of design champions: A common feature of the most successful projects and initiatives is that they are driven by a single person with ambition and vision.

Our experience is that the smartest operators At the grandest scale, these are often politicians looking to leave an ethical legacy, bring teams together early and talk a lot. such as Mayor Bloomberg, who drove the Collaboration costs more up front, but it New York City sustainability plan to make it saves in the longer term, which is why that process, and the modern mindset it requires, an exemplar of progressive city management. More locally, that leading role deserves the prominent profile it has been can be adopted by a design champion, given in Trees in Hard Landscapes. passionate about guiding a project to a Here are just a few of the other positive successful conclusion. Seeking out and themes that run through the document: encouraging individuals to lead from the front has a proven record of success, and is · Link funding to highway issues: In the present climate of cost cutting and the focus repeatedly advocated throughout this document. on efficiency, funding for anything is a challenge. That is certainly so for tree · The need to think rather than rely on planting aspirations, which often do not sit recipes: For individuals lacking in comfortably when pitched against priorities experience or confidence, recipes for action such as social care, waste collection and are useful because they offer an alternative crime prevention. One of the great to thoughtful innovation based on practical successes of this document is the knowledge. No such luck with this identification of a subtle, but nonetheless, document, I’m afraid; there are no formulaic very strong link between more trees and solutions for the robots, but there are plenty improved highway management. It may not of ideas for those who are prepared to think. be obvious at first sight, but the background Managing urban infrastructure is a complex research has found multiple instances where process that requires experience, expertise increased tree planting associated with and intelligence to master. There are rarely highway schemes has enhanced the delivery simple solutions that can be applied without of the whole project. The detail of the case due thought, and this document does not studies is worth reviewing for this aspect lend itself to such an approach. alone, because this funding stream has the potential to dramatically increase the density Individual initiatives of new trees right where they are needed most, close to people and roads. Indeed, the In the absence of any lead from government in the form of a strategic national plan on the active endorsement by the Minister of State for Transport and the high profile support of management of our tree population as a whole, both rural and urban, it will be down The Chartered Institution of Highways & to individuals to articulate a vision and Transportation reinforce the importance of demonstrate by example how to make a this previously under-exploited funding difference. This is no easy task; it is so opportunity. daunting that it almost seems naïve to · The value of case studies: One of the suggest that such an approach could work. most effective responses to critics and Indeed, it would seem impossible if it was sceptics who doubt the feasibility of tree not for the fact that it is already happening, planting projects is to offer case studies and these are not isolated occurrences. showing other instances where similar Ordinary people are finding ways to do their proposals have been successfully small bit and those individual efforts are implemented. With 32 case studies (about accumulating towards a big result. Each two-thirds UK and one-third international), story is different, but binding them together the document provides a wealth of practical

Photo 1: Urban greening in Lyon linked into its sustainable transport policy; pleasant streets encourage people to walk and cycle wherever you are in the world.

is that they are just normal individuals who saw a way to make a difference, and then they did it. Whether through passion, skill, connections, hard work, ability, knowledge, determination or just plain luck, those individual successes offer inspiration certainly, but also clues to how the rest of us can contribute.

Just to pull out a few, at the recent AA Conference in London we heard how Keith Foster’s (the Senior Programme Officer for Brisbane City Council) passion for trees is driving research into using Trichoderma as a means of combatting serious fungal pathogens, planting 16,000 trees a year across the city, installing street water harvesting for trees and funding research into wind loading. From France, Frédéric Ségur has successfully convinced Lyon’s planners that trees should be an integral part of their sustainability planning, overseeing a massive infrastructure initiative with trees at

its heart. From the TDAG case studies, Bjorn Embrem has pioneered tree-planting techniques in Stockholm that are now being replicated around the world. Closer to home, Rupert Bently-Walls (Tree Officer) has persistently lobbied for community support for creative tree planting to encourage cyclist and pedestrian engagement in Hackney. In Bristol, Russell Horsey (Tree Officer) worked tirelessly to foster community engagement with trees that has resulted in an impressive city greening programme. There are many others, all ordinary individuals finding ways of doing extraordinary things that made a difference.

Support from organisations and institutions Hand in hand with these endeavours, organisations can assist by creating a favourable environment where more

Photo 2: The right tree for the right place; this fastigiate oak will provide substantial height without the spread and provide sustainable benefits into the long term.

individual efforts can flourish. Case studies are obviously very important; we need a central repository accessible to all where anyone can record examples and experiences of practical achievements that may assist others in doing the same. We all know that there is a net benefit over cost from planting trees, but we do not yet have a model to articulate this. The academics need to develop a cost/benefit model that is simple to use and understand to help practitioners make the point that the positives significantly outweigh the negatives. Anxiety and misunderstanding of the impact of tree roots on services is a barrier to tree planting; we need the academics to liaise with the service providers to nail down a protocol that properly balances the risk of harm with the need for sustainable planting. Most obviously, the time has come for Trees in Towns III; if ever there was a need for government to assist in the design of

sustainable cities, it is now, and we do not have that support.

In closing, no matter how bleak the prospects seem and how difficult the task is, individuals should not give up because it does not have to remain the way it has been. Each of us can step up and make a difference if we choose to do so, and these documents provide the support to start making an impact for the better. All improvements, no matter how small, have the potential to accumulate into a much bigger result. There has never been a better time for small people to make a big difference.

Jeremy Barrell

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n the eve of the Ride4Research End2End ride day (8th Sept.) I found myself at the Lands End sign-post feeling nervy and very unsure.

Firstly, would my knee strain picked-up in training stand-up to the 1,000 mile plus ride and secondly, how could I know what awaited on this infamous of bike trails?

The latter was brought into focus the following morning seeing the pairs/ groups of riders some with support teams: mine was to be a solo unsupported ride. But then time to crack on with tree (bird cherry) laden bike and the first school just around the corner.

I'd had some earlier cheer, however, at the B&B with my first John O'Groats direction: "go down to the duck pond and turn left". The St Levan School pupils were very attentive during the outdoor classroom on tree benefits and with loud

clapping to send me on my way I set off on day one.

In End2End circles Cornwall and Devon are revered as a challenging hilly bike ride. I wasn't to be disappointed. Sapdraining gear-grinding miles were cranked out mitigated, however, by beautiful rugged (though tree-less) coastal landscapes. Arriving in Camelford I was relieved that the legs felt good and the knee was fine. The Camelford school turn-out was impressive and the pupils were intrigued by my iron horse.

The route through these counties was a mix of country lanes punctuated with busy stretches of the A30 and lorries bombing past some far too close for comfort. Once up on Bodmin Moor the road thankfully flattened out though a headwind persisted all the way to Exeter where I met up with Kenton Roger (I-tree fame). After a few beers in Kenton's local

A Land’s End to John O’Groats Bike Britain adventure with Russell Ball

pub and a fine home cooked spag. bol. it was an early night for the next tree planting at South Brook School.

The pace of the classroom session was geared down in this special needs school and I was touched that one pupil thought spuds grew on trees. The next leg led to Glastonbury then up the Mendip Hills: a slow but pleasant pedal-pump with great views of the iconic Glastonbury Tore. A pattern of 8-10 hours in the saddle with breaks and a sustainable pace of between 12-15 miles per hour was emerging.

At destination Exeter I met with David Evans (QTRA fame) for a well-earned beer. Over the two night stop-over David cooked up some gastronomic Indian dishes. Of all the schools in Bath I'd chosen one on the high ridge that surrounds the city: involving a steep sharp climb. On arrival at Combedown School I was ushered into a pupil packed assembly feeling a bit of a sweaty mess.

After an engaging full-on tree benefits assembly it was outside to plant the tree with the eco-club. The Tour of Britain was in town so a break was had to stand on a tight hillside bend to see proper cyclist in action: alas with Sir Bradley Wiggins in last place!

With three days complete it was time to catch the train from Bath to Egham to lead the one-day Ride4Research event (at the AA conference) through Cobham Common and Windsor Great Park (WGP). This time John Deakin (Crown Estates Chief Forester for WGP) kindly put

me up in his fine family forest lodge. The ride was a fun social event as ever punctuated with stops to plug into John Deakin's infinitive (royal) knowledge of WGP - topped with a tasty AA hog-roast and an ancient tree management field trip hosted by Bill Cathcart and Ted Green. The riders had a great time especially with the post-ride beers at the Monkeys Forehead.

On Mon. 15th Sept. it was the train back to Bath to recommence the ride: making my way along the busy A46 to Cheltenham. Yet another stop-over with Chris Chavasse (Senior Tree Officer: Cheltenham Council). A fine homemade curry and a few beers in a skittle playing pub saw off the end of the day. The newly built amphitheatre at Warden Hill School provided a perfect setting for a full assembly tree talk. With all the en route schools I had been impressed with the green knowledge of the pupils and at least one pupils in every case knew the autotrophic 'P' process: photosynthesis! A collective choral shout of grow-little-treegrow saw the cherry duly planted. Cutting across country took me through the picturesque town of Ledbury and on to Bromyard: then destination Shrewsbury.

Still feeling good on arrival I landed at the Whitehorse pub for a doubleeverything grill and was pleased to hear that many End2Enders appear a little jaded when stopping at this pub. Not me.

Next day (16th Sept.) The switched-on Coleham Primary School pupils were on (Continued on page 16)

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form and a group photo-call with the iron horse proved a favourite. One pupil noted that the bike was 'v. cool'.

Back on the A49 I headed for Warrington, Wigan and then Preston (550 miles in).

Must confess I had a brief body-achingthis-is-tough moment but I figured such feelings had no room on the ride and rallied round to head ever northwards.

Although a tarmac clad school a raised planter was found for the tree at Eldon Primary soaked in with the cutest plastic watering can ever! The tree will planted out at a later date on a nearby school field.

Day ten of the ride was excellent: a wind assisted cycle from Preston to Penrith flying up the A6. A welcome stopover break again with fine food was had with Rob Sim (Capita) and we planted two trees (another cherry kindly supplied by

Capita) at Stramongate Primary School (Kendall) with site prep from Graham Nicholson (Capita).There was brief shock horror moment with the pupils galloping from one tree to another that denigrated into a 420 pupil stampede! No worries only some slight bruising!

At 660 miles it was destination Gretna Green having made the Scottish border (knock-out). It's was now over halfway and I felt strong and mental focused on getting to the finish. However, 450 miles remained until the John O'Groats tickertape. Reflecting back at this stage the schools had been great and the pupils even better.

Sunday (21st Sept) was a quiet flat route from Gretna on the A75/6 to Dumfries and Kilmarnock. It was good to have a rest from the constant throng of HGVs: many passing very close to my right shoulder! Pressing on with a 117 mile ride found me in Paisley. Near on rabid

“With all the en route schools I had been impressed with the green knowledge of the pupils�

with hunger I stumbled into the local Ben & Jerrys (not much else around) but unfortunately with gas off in the kitchen all they could offer was a bowl of soup....... KFC happy meal then!

Next day the first bike-ride-fright was mistakenly taking the Clyde tunnel in Glasgow. The dimly lit descent into the tunnel's bowel was like entering Hades.

There was no space to make mistakes in this claustrophobic tunnel but just to cycle like hell and get out alive at the other end. With blood pressure returned to normal I past Dumbarton on the A82 and along the side of Loch Lochmon.

Beautiful.

I had a result with the stay at Crianlarich: a free night at the Best Western as long as I had meal. Get in.

At the next local school (Crianlarich Primary) tree planting, a seven year old

pupil even knew the 'P' word! Just amazed at how informed these youngsters are. By now I was beginning to feel pumped with the finish line in my grasp. The challenge of the Highlands, however, still awaited.

A thigh pumping 2.5mile ride up on to the windswept Rannoch Moor took me in sight of Glencoe. 'Twas a grey drizzly moody day and I felt like a mere spec in this isolated mountainous landscape. At Fort William alas Ben Nevis was heavily cloaked in low cloud. Cold and a little damp I arrived in Fort Augustus: at the southern tip of Loch Ness.

Next day the tree planting at Kilchuimen School went well with a great group photo under their tree thought poster.

Another tailwind along the Loch sped me to Inverness where a copper beech was planted with the head (Convener) of the Highland Council: Cllr Jimmy Gray. Many thanks to Robert Patton and team at (Continued on page 18)

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Inverness Council for organising this planting.

Just north of Inverness the A9 headed north into the Sutherlands, another beautiful landscape with rolling heather covered hills on one side and the expansive North Sea (with numerous oilrigs) on the other.

Second bike-ridefright was freewheeling at 40mph down into the fishing village of Brora. If falling off the bike and skidding along the bridge hadn't killed me then the 50ft drop off the bridge would have!

Next day (26th Sept), even though Keiss Primary School was closed on an in-service day, an impressive number of pupils, parents and teachers showed to see the English man with tree-clad iron horse. With the final tree planted it was job done: all eleven schools from the toe to tip of Britain. Just the last 17 miles remained to the ticker tape of John O'Groats. A vicious westerly cross wind meant an angled, leaning cycle ride. However, steering north provided a tailwind that blew the iron horse clear into the Bike Britain finish line. Must confess I felt a little emotional having photo taken at the famous post and humbled that the couple who obliged with camera shot gave me a ÂŁ6.00 donation.

Closing thoughts. What does it take to finish a solo unsupported 1,000 plus mile End2End cycle ride. Well, over 300,000 pedal strikes, dogged determination, a shed-load of grit and the desire to take every hill thrown at you on the chin! The eleven schools were great and the approx. 2,000 switched-on kids even better. Personally, after three months of planning, preparation and training I feel very relieved, emotionally tankedup and just a tad proud!

Many thanks to those along the route who put me up, to Coles Nurseries for the trees and to Robert Pattton and team for organising the Inverness planting. ..... What's next ?

Abseiling off the Europa hotel in Belfast.... watch this space.

Russell Ball Fund4Trees http:// fund4trees.org.uk/ Founder & Trustee

russell@fund4trees.org.uk For grants & bursaries: http:// fund4trees.org.uk/grants-and-bursaries/ To donate: https://www.justgiving.com/russell-ballend2end or http://fund4trees.org.uk/ donate/

Blue Sky tree cover research counts 280 million trees in England and Wales The first national tree count has revealed that there are 280 million trees in England and Wales, with the most densely covered green areas being Surrey and London.

Demolition starts to make way for Pershore College transformation

The tree survey was carried out using the latest aerial mapping technology from Bluesky.

James Eddy, technical director of Bluesky, which made the National Tree Map, said: "It's the big gardens and big houses with all the trees. [In more rural areas] they have taken out huge rows of trees and grown crops — that doesn't go on in Surrey. We were also quite surprised at London and how green it is."

The data included every tree that measured 3m and above in height.

The tree map ranked 347 districts and boroughs and found the average tree coverage in Greater London to be 21.5 per cent.

Camden was ranked 16th with 30.27 per cent coverage, Croydon was 18th with 30.17 per cent and Harrow 22nd with 28.1 per cent.

The City of London was 342nd with 4.38 per cent coverage.

Top performing areas for tree coverage were as follows:

         

Surrey Heath (Surrey) 40.6% Waverley (Surrey) 40.2% Bracknell Forest (Berks) 39.8% Runnymede (Surrey) 37.8% Woking (Surrey) 36.9% Mole Valley (Surrey) 36.8% Elmbridge (Surrey) 36.2% Guildford (Surrey) 35.8% Neath Port Talbot (Wales) 32% New Forest (Hants) 31.4%

The scheme will give the college a contemporary glass building which will house a science and technology centre, collections house, teaching rooms and project spaces and research and development facilities.

The college was successful in its bid for funding for the project from the Skills Funding Agency.

Principal Tamsin Jones said: "This is a fantastic milestone for us. Seeing the old buildings being knocked down marks the end of an era, but our students and staff are all so excited about the new redevelopment which is going to replace them.

"This stunning new building will ensure we remain at the forefront of the horticulture industry and our students will be able to learn using the latest technology, providing them with a competitive advantage when they begin their careers in the industry."

The new developments are due to be completed by September 2015. Current college activities and facilities for students will be unaffected during the works.

ArborMaps:

The new open source tree management system.

The Motivation Trees are many things to many people. They are a natural resource, a source of work, a habitat for animals and a boon for the environment.

Especially in cities, where a very large portion of todays population lives, trees are indispensable for the well-being of their inhabitants. While it is undisputed that trees are good(1) for a city it also means that they have to be taken care of because without the appropriate attention they can pose a considerable threat or just wither and die.

In our day and age keeping track of hundreds or thousands of city trees that have to be watered, pruned or otherwise tended to is only effectively possible with the help of computers. A tree management system consists of a database that will accept all the relevant data and will ideally be connected to a map since the location of a tree is a very important piece of information associated with a tree.

Quite a large number of tree management systems exist on the market today. However, they often fall short of the exact requirements of the user, do not always by

default come with an integrated map and are usually very expensive. These facts, primarily observed in Germany, led to the idea of establishing an easy-to-use, configurable, online, map-based tree management system that is to be made available to the public under a free software license and free-ofcharge.

The stakeholders BreWo-Arboristik, a small tree inspection company and terrestris, a geoinformatics business specialised in free and open source software, both from Germany, met through a series of events at the beginning of 2014. It quickly became apparent that there was a gap in the market for tree management systems and that the expertise with regard to trees and software was there to remedy this fact. A website was quickly set up at arbormaps.com and a stall booked at Germanys largest trade fair for arborists, the Deutsche Baumpflegetage [2]. This three day event quickly made it clear that there is a huge demand for an open tree management system and that there are any number of stakeholders in ArborMaps out there – maybe YOU are one of them?

ArborMaps functionality

communication between duty holders, inspectors and care givers and thus reduce cost. There are many ideas for additional functionality. An offline-version, interfaces to accounting systems and integration of special libraries regarding species conservation, to name but a few, are possible in future releases. Due to the open source code and an appropriate free software license the system can be modified in any desired direction.

What intrigues people is the fact that ArborMaps is scheduled to be an online system that will run in a browser on any device, that it will be fully integrated with a geographical information system and will come with worldwide background geodata stemming from the OpenStreetMap [3] project. It will be easy to use and will be centered around a 'form generator' that allows the user to customise the system according their needs. It will feature a userFree Software and rights-management so that data can be Not everybody is aware of it but an made available selectively. All data can be abundance of free software already exists saved in projects so that all sorts of which can be used for a tree management requirements of, for example, the HSW act system. But what exactly is free software? can easily be represented. One of the more The Free Software Foundation [4] defines the important targets of ArborMaps is to improve four the Image 1: Tree in a location accessible to the general public. following, Photo by Florian Bremicker

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Image 2: A screenshot of the ArborMaps demo. By terrestris

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essential freedoms, if a software is to be considered 'free': 1. The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose 2. The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish.

Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

3. The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbour.

4. The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others. By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this. (source: [5], modified) Another aspect of free software is the fact that it is available free of charge and can be downloaded from the internet.

Crowdfunding ArborMaps The question that might have occurred to you is: „How is it possible to give away for free such great software?“ The answer is simple. To programme ArborMaps developers have to be paid at the end of a month, any number of other bills like rent, heating and electricity have to be settled and a company also has to make a profit.

We have calculated that €150.000 are needed to produce the ArborMaps version 1.0 . If one person or organisation would want to have ArborMaps the price tag would be the above mentioned €150.000. If two organisations want it then the price tag is still the same amount only that each organisation only has to pay half. Since there are many organisations, who would love to see ArborMaps exist, the arithmetic is very simple. Divide the necessary amount of €150k by the number of interested parties and you quickly find that you are getting an incredible return on investment because for whatever you chip in you get 100% of the software valued at the above sum. And the companies involved have paid

their people and made a profit, so they are happy too. And the best thing is that the software is available under a free software license so there is a maximum of transparency and no so called vendor lock-in that would oblige you to spend more money in the future.

Conclusion and outlook This crowdfunding [6] approach is very different from other business models, where someone invests money initially and then tries to recuperate it by selling licenses. We are just following a different philosophy which often makes people apprehensive because it sounds too good to be true. There are many open source, crowd-funded projects out there which have been hugely successful [7]. Our self-imposed deadline ran out on October 30th, 2014 and we are currently looking at approx. 10.000 Euro in funding so we're a long way away from our goal. Since we are still in discussion with some larger investors, who need more time to make a decision, we will pursue our vision of making an open tree management system available to everybody and can only encourage everyone to get in contact with us if you think this is a good idea. Besides the funding itself there are any number of other ways of getting involved: spreading the word, convincing the doubters, testing, documentation, having good ideas, translation etc.

ArborMaps follows a different approach than most other software projects but it can make your life easier, reduce your costs and empower you. Once it is available it has the potential to create a very large, worldwide user community because taking care of trees is not limited to one country or region but affects us all. You are welcome to be part of it!

Author: Hinrich Paulsen P端tzchens Chaussee 56 53227 Bonn / Germany +49 (0)228 - 962 899 51 www.terrestris.de paulsen@terrestris.de

Links [1] http://www.treesaregood.com [2] http://www.forum-baumpflege.de/? lang=en [3] http://www.openstreetmap.org/ [4] http://www.fsf.org/ [5] https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/freesw.en.html [6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Crowdfunding [7] http://openlayers.org/

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any of us will at some point in our careers have been lucky enough to be mentored by someone we worked for or with. Often these relationships can prove pivotal in a career, help to shape and direct youthful (or mature!) enthusiasm and a good proportion turn into lasting friendships. Being a mentor is unpaid, often thankless –almost in loco parentis in many respects- and yet can prove critical to personal development.

In many respects the mentoring I experienced took the age old form of being an apprentice- an arrangement that has existed since Homer smote ‘is blooming lyre. This is still true of many mentoring scenarios today especially in the industrial side of the profession.

Given that we live in the internet age and America has adopted mentoring in a big way we now have mosaic mentoring, new hire mentoring, high potential mentoring, speed mentoring or even reverse mentoring.

This last example shatters the illusion of a sage, world weary individual offering pearls of wisdom to a fresh faced tyro. Anyone who’s been shown how to use their smart phone/tablet/sat nav by someone of more tender years knows the experience well! Whatever the particulars of the mentoring partnership it’s importance and value to the individuals involved and the wider industry shouldn’t be overlooked.

Certainly my own experience of mentoring proved crucial to my early career.

I’ve recently returned from the Scottish borders and while there visited magnificent Floors Castle. This was something of a pilgrimage for me as a good friend and mentor worked there and always spoke fondly of the estate and surrounding countryside. He’d worked there back in the ‘80s in the Forestry department.

In the beginning At the time I met Nick I was a pre-college student working for a landscaping contractor in Lincolnshire.

He was one of the Foremen and after a rocky start with others in the company took me under his wing. If he hadn’t done that then I would certainly have left (or more likely been let go) and my life would have taken a different path entirely. As it was we worked together for the remainder of my time there and he kick started my forestry and arboricultural education.

We both came from within a few miles of each other in Nottinghamshire and had strong links with the Welbeck estate. Nick had worked there at the start of his career and I had lived in an estate house all my life During our time together he taught me how to ID trees, plant, weed, spray and a myriad other establishment tasks. We worked on pit tips, country parks, power stations, roadside plantings and small woods.

The various seemingly small pieces of advice Nick gave me along the way were invaluable. One which springs to mind immediately was ‘always work harder at the things you don’t like, that way they’ll go quicker’. Little did I realise that those small mantras would still be

helping me today. I understand now having read a little about the subject that this technique is called ‘seeding’ –kind of appropriate for us land based bods- essentially implanting an idea or concept that may not be immediately useful but which will be useful to the subject in future. Most important was the enthusiasm for his profession that Nick had in abundance and that he helped to develop in me.

Nick had been to Newton Rigg (where I had been accepted) so was able to fill me in on some of the eccentric individuals who had been or were still on the teaching staff. I was primed for my first mensuration lecture at the hands of Mike Winn (past master of mensuration and contributor to the ‘Blue Book’) that he would always ask the question ‘what is the shape of a tree?’ Usually no-one knew the answer but thanks to Nick I did. When the question was asked I was the first to raise my hand. Mike Winn: ‘yes Mr Hare?’ me: ‘Frustrum of parabelloid Sir’. I wish I’d recorded it as the look on Mike’s face was priceless!

Sadly I’m forced to write this piece in the past tense as Nick passed away some years ago now. I’d kept in touch with him over the years and knew he was to go

into hospital for a routine operation. He never regained consciousness.

So, for all those who have been mentored by someone, make sure they know how much you appreciate what they have done for you. Don’t put it off thinking that there’s always another opportunity. One of my regrets in life is not thanking Nick sufficiently for what he did for me.

For those in the fortunate position of being able to mentor someone bear in mind that what you are doing will shape the future of the person you’re mentoring and may also shape the future of our industry.

Gareth Hare.

CAVAT: A Milestone Meeting

L to R: Chris Neilan (EATaLOG), Jake Tibbets (LTOA), Matt Vaughan (MTOA) and Rupert Bentley-Walls (LTOA)

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sign of the times it might be but for the first time in a very long time indeed the MTOA sat down around the table with some of it’s fellow Regional Tree Officer Group representatives.

What better agenda than to discuss the development and promotion of the CAVAT system and if you want to know more about that then please see the LTOA website.

It is very much hoped that the meeting in Dudley in November (see picture above) will be the first of very many with the various RTOG’s as we work more closely together to develop strategies for “pushing back” against the crippling cuts to LA spending that are impacting Municipal Arboriculture in a severe way.

If you wish to get involved contact MTOA straight away, we need the volunteers.

Surface Materials around Trees in the Hard Landscapes Please find below a link to the LTOA Surface materials around trees in hard landscapes Draft Document, for consultation.

We are seeking views and opinions about this document from Municipal Arborists and from specialists in other industries, such as highway engineers and urban designers.

Comments should be sent to Becky Porter, LTOA Executive Officer, on email executive.officer@ltoa.org.uk, before Monday, January 8th 2015.

Feedback will then be collated and discussed by the Surface materials around trees in hard landscapes Working Party and agreed changes will be made accordingly.

Please note that this consultation draft does not feature any images; this is a review of content rather than presentation and appropriate images, tables etc. will be incorporated into the final document.

You can find the document here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2tovr3uswwsjfmm/SMTHL%20Consultation%20JCP%201214.pdf? dl=0

Tree officers warn that new "killer" disease could devastate London's planes.

Without decisive action, the arrival of canker stain of plane from the Continent poses a grave threat to London's iconic plane tree population, the London Tree Officers Association (LTOA) has warned.

In a newly published position statement, its Biosecurity Working Party describes the fungal disease Ceratocystis platani (syn. Ceratocystis fimbriata f.sp. platani) as "a true killer, impacting planes on a par with Dutch elm disease upon the elm population".

value of ecosystem services.

Like Dutch elm disease, canker stain of plane is a vascular wilt, which prevents flow of water and nutrients to the leaves, and is potentially fatal to the tree.

The association is currently working with the Forestry Commission on surveys to establish this.

Though already well established in southern and central Europe, is not believed to be present yet in the UK, though last year the government's Food & Environment Research Agency (FERA) identified it as "of concern".

"It is a sad irony that this tree, that everyone until recently considered virtually indestructible, could now be exposed to a fatal pathogen just when the benefits and services it provides are most needed," the statement said.

"To achieve a true replacement would likely take two centuries," it added, describing the likely costs as "astronomical".

London planes (Platanus × acerifolia) account for 10 per cent of the capital's trees by number, but given the great size and age of many of them, provide a disproportionately high

The LTOA supports an import ban on plane trees, but in order to achieve Protected Zone Status, Defra must first be convinced that the disease is not already present in the UK.

Ceratocystis is just one of six pathogens identified in the position statement as posing a threat to the health of London's trees, the others being:  Acute oak decline (causal organism currently unknown)  Chalara ash dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus)  Horse chestnut leaf miner (Cameraria ohridella)  Massaria disease of plane (Splanchnonema platani) Oak processionary moth (Thaumetopoea processionea) It concluded: "Biosecurity measures will only be successful if all the various organisations involved and government departments are working together in a spirit of cooperation and collaboration," and called for a move "from reactive to proactive approaches".

Canker stain devastated the historic Plane Trees lining the “Canal du Midi” in France

BIO-SECURITY and a

NURSERY BENCHMARK.

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he question of bio-security is very topical at the moment with some of the commentary bordering on the hysterical. Chalara fraxinea remains on the agenda with the full implications of the imported fungus on the UK Ash population still to be quantified. There has been the outbreak of Oak Processionary Moth in West London and its apparent consolidation over the last few years. Massaria on London Plane, Acute oak decline, sweet chestnut blight, phytopthora austrocedrae are others which have gained a foothold in the UK in relatively recent times.

There are now new strengthened plant health measures in place to restrict the movement into the UK of Platanus (Plane) and Castanea (Sweet Chestnut). The import of these species will have to be accompanied by “officially approved documentation� confirming that they have been grown in a place of production in a country that is designated by plant health au-

thorities as free of Ceratcystis platani or Cryphonectria parasitica. As the UK is the only country that has declared a pest free area there is, for all intents and purposes, a ban on EU imports of these species until any other member state declares country or area freedom.

While the above is to be welcomed although the speed of delivery might be questioned is the desired outcome likely to be achieved and is a ban on imports likely to be effective. These are questions which I cannot answer but I do know from experience the volume of imported trees into the UK is unknown and that a huge number of trees are imported which are then planted out directly into the UK landscape making pest and disease transmission almost inevitable. It is often the case that trees sold from UK nurseries have spent no more time on those nurseries, than it takes to transfer them from one lorry from the continent to another in the UK.

Most people would agree that some control is necessary and desirable but many look to others to provide such controls and often fail to take a look at themselves and their own operational practices. How many people responsible for purchasing and planting trees into the UK landscape ever ask the question of their supplying nursery, “When were the trees imported and how long have those trees been in the UK? If the concern over bio-security is genuine it is also up to the nursery industry to reflect on current practice and the implications of just acting as transit houses for continental tree stock being planted in the UK landscape. This is possible even given that the import of foreign tree stock will continue and is in fact necessary if the volume of trees planted in the UK is to be sustained or, hopefully, increased.

Speaking at a seminar organised by the Landscape Institute Biosecurity Working Group at the Cambridgeshire nursery of Barcham Trees in October 2013, David Slawson, head of the plant pest and disease programme at the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), emphasised the importance of maintaining the highest standards of biosecurity in the fight against pests and diseases of trees. He said Barcham Trees' biosecurity policy was an example of how an individual nursery can take steps to put this into practice.

Barcham Trees have stated publically that they will NOT import trees and sell them directly to customers for planting into the landscape. All imported trees will be held on the nursery for one full season and subjected to rigorous inspection, which includes systematic and regular FERA visits to the nursery, for pests and disease. In addition the nursery barcodes each batch of imported trees. This enables the nursery to produce a comprehensive audit trail

of all trees which includes, supplier, date of import, date of containerisation, date of shipment to individual customers across the UK. The system allows for a complete recall or destruction of trees from any particular batch if problems are identified after shipment has occurred. This was put to the test when alarm over Chalara was at its most intense. A local authority in the Midlands asked for information as to all the Ash trees that had been supplied from the nursery over the preceding two seasons. The nursery was able to provide five years of information as outlined above.

However there are instances that the presence of pest and disease will not be apparent visually but still be present. Barcham have invested heavily in the independent testing of their trees for physiological health which is likely to be affected by the presence of pest and or disease even in its early stages.

Using Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories and the expertise of Dr Glynn Percival and his team Barcham’s have commissioned annual testing of over 15,000 trees each season across some 400 species and cultivars. Four years worth of data has now been collected. This has involved the collection and testing of some 600,000 individual leaf samples. Three tests were used to test for tree vitality and physiological health. A brief description of these tests is given below.

CHLOROPHYLL FLUORESCENCE: Is an indication of the fate of excitation energy in the leaf photosynthetic apparatus, and has been used to provide a rapid and non destructive diagnostic system of detecting and quantifying physiological injury in tree leaves and needles (photosynthetic organs) under low temperatures, salinity and water stress conditions. Chlorophyll fluorescence, especially Fv/Fm (ratio of

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variable to maximum fluorescence) has proved particularly useful in screening programmes as in many instances the effects of stress can be detected prior to visible signs of deterioration. Recent work has also shown that chlorophyll fluorescence values were highly predictive of growth and foliar damage.

CHLOROPHYLL CONTENT: Stresses limit the amount of carbohydrates available for growth and reduce nutrient uptake resulting in leaf chlorosis and necrosis. Exact knowledge of foliar chlorophyll concentrations i.e. “greenness� consequently provides a robust and accurate estimation of tree vitality. The chlorophyll meter (or SPAD meter) is a commercially available portable piece of equipment that is used to measure greenness based on optical responses when a leaf is exposed to light that in turn is used to estimate foliar chlorophyll concentrations. The meter makes instantaneous and non-destructive readings on a plant based on the quantification of light intensity absorbed by the tissue sample.

Both of the above tests can be carried out on site, the third requires laboratory conditions.

CELL ELECTROLYTE LEAKAGE: This test has been shown to indicate incipient post planting needle damage and heat damage of conifer seedlings, this in turn highly correlated with damage and growth potential of four conifer species following warm and cold storage and correlates strongly with post freezing survival rates of a range of fruit tree species.

The nursery intends to continue with such testing on an annual basis.

One of the spin offs from the research is the creation of a nursery benchmark system. It is now possible to use the accumulated data to evaluate the physiological performance of trees transplanted in the landscape against a known baseline.

So bio-security, obviously government directives and interventions are welcome and necessary but it is for the producers and users of young trees to make choices and those choices are there. Injudicious importing and direct transplanting into the landscape is always going to leave the indigenous tree population vulnerable to imported pest and disease. It really is your choice.

Keith Sacre

Topping is for Ice Cream, Not Trees, Tree Topping Fiction vs. Facts Definition: Tree Topping – the removal of main tree branches to stubs in either a straight-across hedge fashion or a complete delimbing of the tree, leaving only the main trunk or trunks of a tree.

Fiction: “Topping rejuvenates the tree.”

Fact: Tree topping usually removes so much of the tree’s crown that it can unbalance an older tree’s root-to-shoot ratio and temporarily cut off its ability to make food.

When trees are topped, they will typically respond by readily growing new shoots. From that point forward they become highmaintenance. Most must be pruned regularly in an attempt to restore normal structure and growth. Pruning a tree annually is not environmentally sustainable or cost-effective.

Your tree will also be more susceptible to disease and insect problems.

Fiction: “The tree is too big and casts too much shade, and needs to be reduced by topping.”

Fact: By their very nature, trees create shade, which means you really can’t plant anything underneath and expect full success. But in some instances, proper selective pruning, NOT topping, can reduce the bulk of a tree, letting in more light and allowing wind to pass through the tree. Proper pruning does not stimulate regrowth, and the tree will not respond as drastically as when topped or over-thinned. A qualified arborist is trained to understand which kinds of cuts to make (thinning cuts, not heading or topping cuts); he/ she also knows when to stop.

If problems caused by a tree cannot be solved through acceptable management practices, the tree should be removed and replaced with another species, or other plant material more appropriate for the site.

Fiction: “Topping a tree is cheaper than having it pruned.”

Fact: Initially, it might seem cheaper to cut the tree in half to get the result you are looking for. But over time the tree will require more frequent maintenance, and become a danger. Drastic topping cuts create opportunities for epicormic shoots on the remaining trunk to grow quickly into large, poorly attached branches, if the tree doesn’t just die outright. The potential for them to break off and cause a hazard to property or people is very high. From a legal standpoint, the owner or owners of such a tree may be responsible for damages if it can be proved they were negligent. Incorrect pruning can cause trees to become hazardous, and therefore is negligence.

Fiction: Topping is a time-tested way to prune a tree.

Fact: Topping is not a standard practice, and in fact is “outlawed” by national tree care standards. Topping has always been controversial. If someone tells you they have always done it that way, it’s a good bet they aren’t up to speed with the latest, scientific tree care methods.

Fiction: A banana split with all the toppings is considered a serving of fruit.

Fact: We may not know diets, but we do know trees. Topping is for ice cream, not trees.

So how can you reduce a tree’s growth without the injurious effects of the “toppings?” Consult with a professional arborist who is bound by an industry code of ethics to provide proper pruning according to the profession’s tree care standards.

For more see TCIA.org

High hopes for remedy for oak processionary moth and other tree pests

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new technique to control invasive tree pests such as oak processionary moth (OPM) is proving effective in trials and could be commercially available by next year, the Arboricultural Association Amenity Conference (14-17 September) has heard.

Derived from a naturally occurring insecticide, emamectin benzoate (EMB), and its means of deployment, known as tree micro-injection, it is currently being assessed by the Chemicals Regulation Directorate.

Syngenta turf and landscape manager Rod Burke said: "Tree injection with Revive (which contains EMB) is in use in France and Spain. We are trialling it and hope to gain UK approval next year for the control of OPM, with treatment for horse chestnut leaf miner approved the year after.

"We will also investigate its usefulness as a control for Asian longhorn beetle and emerald ash borer."

Dr Glynn Percival, who heads Bartlett's Tree Research & Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Reading, has worked with Arboricultural consultant Dr Dealga O'Callaghan to trial the technique, which involves boring an array of 10mmdiameter holes at the base of the tree and injecting the chemical at low pressure.

He said: "We tested for wound closure as well as leaf chlorophyll content and fluorescence these weren't affected. We can inject it at quite high levels without burning the tree."

O'Callaghan added: "One application lasts two years, with signs of effect in three-tofour weeks."

Stressing the importance of controlling such pests, he said: "It's been a very bad year for OPM. It's often forgotten that it does a lot of damage to the trees as well.

"Nor is horse chestnut leaf miner just a cosmetic problem. Year on year it depletes the tree's energy reserves, making it susceptible to other pests and diseases, and will ultimately kill the tree."

Strategic approach "Can we eradicate OPM or HCLM from the UK? We can have a shot at it. You wouldn't have to hit every tree. For HCLM you might only treat highvalue trees. But you'd need a coherent approach, which we don't yet have. Even if you don't eradicate these pests, with the help of the biological controls being developed at Kew we could keep them to critically low levels."

Dr Dealga O'Callaghan, arboricultural consultant.

Trees lost for good from Edinburgh's Leith Walk in wake of tram debacle Fifty trees removed from one of Edinburgh's main and best-known streets to make way for the city's troubled tramway scheme will not now be replaced, as the council says it does not know where the underground utilities are.

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he tram network, which finally opened in May this year, does not even include the planned route down Leith Walk to Ocean Terminal, which was cancelled due to cost constraints in 2009, though not before extensive preparatory work had been carried out.

Edinburgh City Council originally intended to replace the 50 trees with 100 new trees after the scheme's completion, but now says these will be planted elsewhere in the area.

Councillor Lesley Hinds, transport and environment convener, said: "We want the 100

trees to reach maturity, and there is a limit to the space available for mature trees on Leith Walk.

"Once the hard landscaping is complete, we will work with a landscape designer to look at the inclusion of greenery, and identify locations where trees will have a good chance to thrive for many decades."

A council representative added: "Local authorities do not possess comprehensive maps showing the location of utilities. When work is planned for an area, information is requested from utilities companies. Very often the information is provided with a caveat that it is not exhaustive."

Fig. 1: Amanita muscaria, showing the volva, or basal sac.

FUNGI Another issue and the fungi keep on coming! Autumn is like harvest time for fungi, and fruiting bodies pop up in abundance in the most beautiful of ways.

This timing is important to note from a tree management perspective, but is also fascinating from the point of view of a humble fungiphile and forest dweller. So, as we are undoubtedly well into the throes of fungi season, I thought it would be well worth talking about a couple of key points of identification for all species of fungi. If nothing else, this is important when picking edible mushrooms, as significant numbers of people still

manage to poison themselves each year.

According to the Daily Mail website, last year alone there were 237 recorded cases of mushroom poisoning, although most of these will have been simple stomach upsets. It’s not hard to do either if you don’t know what you’re looking for. To the bold and inexperienced mushroom hunter, a young and delicious Wood Mushroom (Agaricus silvicola) for example looks unnervingly similar to a young and somewhat unpalatable Deathcap (Amanita phalloides).

A number of key features will enable you to pinpoint particular genera. For example, the volva, an egg-like feature seen at the base of the fungi in figure 1 is unique to the Amanita genus, which contains many of the deadly species such as the Fly Agaric, Panther Cap and Death Cap, along with a few edible species.

Simply avoiding anything developing from an egg is a good idea if you’re

looking for edibles. Smell is also important, as well as taste, (don’t swallow!) leakage or discoloration when bruised or cut, the time of year and the habitat and/or host they are found on.

One simple thing people rarely take the time to do is take a spore print of their particular fungus. Simply take the cap or (Continued on page 38)

IDENTIFICATION Fig. 2: Spore prints being taken from a variety of species.

Fig. 3: Spore print taken from Macrolepiota rhacodes.

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bracket while it’s still young and place it on a piece of paper overnight. Due to the variation in spore colour, you should ideally place it on both black and white paper (Fig. 2) to ensure spores are visible. All Pholiota, Phellinus and Ganoderma species have rusty brown spores, while the spores of Armillaria,

Trametes and Stereum species are white.

Figure 3 shows an impressive white spore print from a Shaggy Parasol (Macrolepiota rhacodes) I found recently while out for a stroll. Needless to say, I ate many of his brethren.

If you’re lucky enough to own a relatively high powered microscope, it could be useful to think about examining fungal spores to aid identification. Figure 4

shows the subtle differences between the spores of Ganoderma applanatum and Rigidoporus ulmarius. Ganoderma spores are brown and oval shaped, with one end apparently ‘chopped off’. Those of Rigidoporus are white and much less uniform, appearing almost reminiscent of a deflated football. It’s unlikely now in the world of DNA sampling that examination of spores would be used in real world arboricultural jobs, but it’s interesting nonetheless. If anything it’s just useful to know that if you’re stuck trying to identify a fungal species, there are always additional techniques that can be employed to point you in the right

direction. Might make you look more cleverer when you’re out on a job too!

For a mine of further information, head to www.mushroomexpert.com, it’s marvellous.

Happy hunting!

Chris Parker

All pictures taken by the author.

Fig. 4a & b: Spores of G. applanatum (left) and R. ulmarius.

UK's largest Huntingdon elm felled over safety fears A 23m-tall Huntingdon elm (Ulmus x hollandica 'Vegeta') in the Northamptonshire town of Higham Ferrers, listed in the Tree Register of the British Isles as the largest of its kind, has been felled.

The 300-year-old tree lost a large limb in a storm in November 2010, causing damage to adjacent properties. Tree surgeon James Rose of Rose Tree Care had attempted to retain the tree via heavy reduction.

But a lack of regrowth, evidence of woodworm and a partly hollow trunk led to Rose having to fell the tree this month, which required a 35-tonne crane.

The lower 3.5m of the trunk has been retained as a memorial.

The variety was originally raised in a nursery in nearby Huntingdon in the 18th century, and has some resistance to Dutch elm disease, which may have helped specimens such as the Higham Ferrers tree to survive.

Government commits to not passing any public

woodland to housing development agency An amendment to the Infrastructure Bill in the House of Lords on the 6th November rules out any transfer of the Public Forest Estate (PFE) to the Homes and Communities Agency.

For the Government, Lord Ahmad said: "Throughout the passage of the Infrastructure Bill, the government has consistently stated that we have absolutely no intention of selling off our public forests, a point accepted and acknowledged in last night's debate.

"However the government is pleased to affirm this commitment in law to further reassure Parliament and the public."

Labour's leader in the Lords, Baroness Royall, said earlier that the country felt "deeply concerned" about the future of public woodland in the face of new government powers.

But chair of the Hands Off Our Forest campaign Rich Daniels warned: "Even if the Infrastructure Bill leaves the House of Lords with a clause exempting our public forests, this may get overturned when it is debated in the House of Commons."

Evidence in

Arboriculture

D

isputes about trees are commonplace. They include questions about ownership, responsibility for management, health, risk, site suitability, growth rates, how best to prune a tree, and whether or not what was requested, was actually delivered as expected. Resolving these disputes always hinges on the evidence available to prove or disprove claims and counter claims. In all cases the evidence is the basis used to agree upon facts. Many disputes can be settled simply enough by a careful review of the evidence. But that presumes the parties involved have been diligent and collected well organised documentation of the evidence needed to convincingly support the claims made.

Evidence comes in many forms and includes pieces of material, documents, digital records, photographs or video, as well as test data, other records, analysis of results, and process descriptions. As a matter of due diligence arborists should have a professional practice approach that includes systematic collection of evidence in their daily work. In the event of a dispute, there will then be records about: - what the client requested - what the contractor or consultant offered including :

- scope of work - approach to be used - specific trees involved by location - timeframe for action - expected results - estimated costs - any limitations involved.

- before and after images of the tree(s) and site clearly showing the issues to be addressed before and after work was undertaken.

- a timesheet documenting details about names of who was contacted, when (dates and times), and notes about conversations, emails, written notes or reports exchanged.

Most of the above items are easy to implement and are a good foundation of professional practice. Simple things such as photographing a tree to be pruned and the landscape and site conditions before work starts, and again once work is completed, can save considerable aggravation later on if claims are made that the contractor has caused damage to other trees or parts of the landscape.

Evidence become more important if the dispute comes before decision making bodies that have powers to collect fines (such as local councils) or award damages (courts).

In these cases evidence and facts become taken together, are used to support the final critical. In a court the judge or jury make opinion. decisions based on what they can learn from One of the most common areas of dispute in the evidence presented to them. Some of that courts reports deals with verbal evidence. will be agreed upon as factual, that is, an Who said what to whom, and when? accurate representation of what took place or Commonly part A will claim that Part B was what was seen, heard, said, or written. Other told about certain issues. Party B will refute parts of the evidence may be controversial or this stating that they were not told, or were inconclusive and open to interpretation. only partially told, or that they thought that Documenting evidence effectively is a skill what was said was X when, according to Party that should be more commonly developed.

A, they meant Y. Verbal misunderstandings Many court cases note that “..what the cause a lot of uncertainty, which is why evidence tells the court is just as important clearly written reports, meeting minutes, and as what the evidence does not tell the site notes can become such a critical part of court...” evidence later on.

The role of the judge, in their capacity as the Certain phrases commonly occur in ‘trier of fact’ is to review all of the available judgements: evidence and establish what is or Phrase Implication is not acceptable, and what is or is not going to be accepted as ...there is insufficient eviThe claim made doesn’t hold water and ‘fact.’ In order to do this there dence to support the stated cannot be believed. needs to be evidence that opinion... accurately describes the matter ...the evidence presented is How are we supposed to know who is before the court. Judges and contradictory and inconright or wrong? juries use the evidence and sistent... established facts to make decisions about what took place, ...the evidence presented by You say you did one thing but we know who is or is not responsible, and Party A is not credible when you also did other things which are differwho shall pay for what. All of considered against their acent. We don’t believe what you say. tions... these steps are based on evidence. In most court cases the ...the evidence was not sup- When questioned, your answers seem to judge and / or jury have never ported by cross examinabe different from what you claim the eviseen the site, do not know the tion... dence implies. people, and often have little or no ...there was no evidence sug- There is nothing to prove or support a knowledge about the technical gesting that ... claim. issues involved. All they have to work with is the evidence ...despite other arguments the The evidence before me suggests that evidence cannot be disrethese other arguments are not credible. presented in court. garded...

Evidence can take many forms. In a tree case, the starting point would be the In a court case, evidence has to be credible to tree itself. That is the primary evidence. The be useful. There of course many areas process used to determine if decay is present outside the court where evidence plays a vital or absent may be the next stage, and the role. Simply having a clear record of results of testing would become a further meetings, discussions on site, photographs piece of evidence. The analysis of the results, of site conditions, or of work undertaken is and the implications of the analysis then often an important step to preventing issues (Continued on page 46) become additional evidence, and all pieces,

going to court. Other professionals use these techniques all the time to assemble a defensible record of who did what, when, why, and how, and with what result.

Learning how to document and explain evidence is important for any assignment, whether it is a simple letter, or an expert report for court testimony. Evidence is the foundation of analysis, discussions, conclusions, and final opinion. Describing evidence requires effective communication, which includes written or verbal descriptions, photographs, sketches, diagrams, and plans.

These forms of communication are used to tell the story. They describe what you saw at various scales; how you recognised the evidence; how you analysed it; and how you interpreted all of this to arrive at your opinions.

To collect and document evidence effectively, several important steps are required. You need to know 1. what to look for, and how to find it; 2. what you are looking at and understand its implications; 3. what to sample and why; 4. how best to collect and record the data; 5. how to describe what you saw; 6. how to best analyse the evidence collected, and be aware of the various strengths and weaknesses of any one approach; 7. how to discern the important from the irrelevant; 8. how to assess the sequence of events documented, and show their relevance to the thread of causality, and 9. how to describe the process used to arrive at your opinions and evidence based conclusion In practice there may be additional issues to consider, not the least of which are bias (the tendency to describe an issue in a certain

way), and conflicts of interest. For example tree care companies conducting risk assessments may be tempted to recommend removals simply to generate additional work for their company. Or, there may be tensions between what the client or client's lawyer wants stated, versus a clinical and objective analysis of what you see as the facts, which may be in conflict with the client's opinions.

A key to successful use of evidence to is to understand that your opinion must be clearly supported by the evidence. For your opinion to be accepted as true (factual), the evidence and your analysis and interpretation of its implications must follow a well-reasoned thought pattern. If your conclusions are not supported by the evidence, then what you are seeing and discussing may lead others to a very different conclusion. Evidence is strongest when it provides incontrovertible proof that that there is a direct link between the cause and the effect. Evidence is at its weakest when the link between the cause and effect is consistent with one assertion but may be open to other assertions that are equally plausible.

To form a defensible opinion you need to know the importance of the evidence, the reliability of it, the accepted ways it might be analysed, and the strength and weaknesses of all of these parts. If the foundational data is not accurate then all subsequent analysis and decisions will be inaccurate. Critical to the whole process is to ensure that the evidence establishes facts, and not the other way around.

Not all evidence is immediately obvious, and even when it is clearly visible, not all evidence presents itself as important. There are two key principles to follow: (Continued on page 47)

1. Know what to look for.

2. Know what you are looking at.

A key step at this stage is to answer the question, is the absence of evidence, evidence of absence?"

For example, just because no fungal fruiting bodies were observed, does not automatically mean the tree has no decay (although that may well be true). Suppose the absence of fruiting bodies is due to the type of fungus (annual versus perennial conks), the time of year you see the evidence, the stage of growth (not yet advanced enough to produce a fruiting body), or the presence of a decay that seldom shows up easily (such as only on the underside of roots). These are limitations that need to be known and understood, because if you have them wrong, your analysis and conclusions may also be wrong.

Collecting evidence requires a systematic approach. Before arriving on site it is useful to envisage the range of situations that may be encountered and be prepared for any of them. On site, do not be rushed, and avoid being pressured into seeing the evidence based on what the client has told you. Do not get sidetracked by the obvious and then forget to check other factors. Conversely, do not get hung up on the esoteric and then miss the obvious. Know how to properly collect evidence. There are well-established protocols for aspects such as soil, water, and foliage sampling. Be thorough in identifying and documenting what you see, and be sure that what you see belongs where you see it.

For example, if you find a perennial conk on the ground and you recognise it as a fruiting body associated with root rot, are you sure it is in its original location, or has it been moved around? Document its location before moving it and note that it might have been

moved. Have a well-planned sampling strategy in place before you arrive to ensure that your time on site is used well. Decide beforehand what it is you want to test for and never forget that you may only get one opportunity to visit the site to collect or document evidence.

A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when it comes to conveying detailed information.

Most evidence can be presented in images, although physical evidence may also be critical in some instances, especially where forensic analysis of plant parts, wood, or soils has been conducted. The starting point is to have photographic images that clearly show what the evidence looked like on the day the image was created; how any one image relates to the overall site and overall tree; where detailed images fit in the larger scale; specific details that informed your analysis.

Courts generally allow evidence and particularly photographs if it is relevant to the matter at trial. In general all photographs must fairly and accurately depict the site, or event under discussion. If the image has been altered by adjusting shadow details to reveal what might otherwise not be visible, provide a before and after image and clearly note what was done to derive the new photograph. It should be obvious but bears noting, that any alterations that materially alter content may be disqualified, and in the process will almost certainly taint any other opinions offered.

In summary, for your opinion to be effective, understanding how to collect, document, and analyse evidence is vital. Evidence forms the foundation of your opinions or conclusions. You need to know what to look (Continued on page 48)

(Continued from page 47)

for, and what you are looking at. You need to be able to document and describe what you saw, why it was or was not important, how you analysed this, and how you interpreted all of these aspects. At the end, the evidence examined, the process used, and the opinions or conclusions reached all have to make sense. Be sure that your opinion is clearly supported by the evidence available.

Acknowledge areas of uncertainty, gaps in the evidence or data, and areas that may affect your opinion. Above all, remember that evidence establishes facts, not the other way around. Never stretch the evidence to make it fit the facts desired by the client.

Julian Dunster is a Forester, Planner, and Registered Consulting Arborist based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He is an Honorary Life member of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and the Pacific Northwest Chapter of ISA. His new book Documenting Evidence: Practical Guidance for Arborists is available from the UKI chapter of ISA. Julian can be reached by email jd@dunster.ca. Additional information can be found at www.dunster.ca.

Evidence is a critical part of our daily work.

This new book by Julian Dunster provides a comprehensive review of why and how evidence should be collected and documented.

Using examples and colour photographs from several decades of experience, the author lays out the steps necessary to provide evidence that accurately reflects conditions on site. This includes the processes necessary to think through what will be needed before the site visit takes place, while on site, and afterwards, when analysing the materials in order to form an opinion based on accurate and unbiased evidence.

The book will be of interest to arborists, foresters, and consultants wishing to show what they did, how they did it, and how they derived their opinions.

Recommended retail price is ÂŁ25. Bulk discounts available.

This book can be ordered from the MTOA office enquiries@mtoa.co.uk

And finally.

T

he last quarter since the publication of the Autumn edition of the Axe has been a roller coaster of a few months to say the least.

For a start off this edition is over three weeks late coming out, so please accept my apologies for my tardiness but good grief has it been busy.

Since “retiring” from full time LA Tree Officering last January I have found myself more involved with the local LA’s than I was before and my part time job in Education has swept up all spare time like a Local Councillor sweeps up his (or her) expenses.

MTOA has gone from strength to strength and as you can see from the article on page 28 we are getting more and more

involved with a number of established bodies with a view to promoting the science and art of Municipal Arboriculture.

consider CPD meetings at this time of year.

It is also pertinent to also point out that organisations such as However, as a counterpoint, MTOA are here purely for your the postponement of the AGM benefit and to provide a due to the poor level of platform for the voice of interest. was a disappointment Municipal Arboriculture. If we lose your support then very A poll of the members quickly the volunteers that run intimated that the timing of the organisation lose their the meeting was most peoples motivation to put in the extra reason for not attending, but outside of their busy day jobs. the AGM has been held at this time of year for many years so The “Banksy” picture below it is hard to rationalise that as reminded me of the reason we a reason. It is more likely that do our jobs. The importance of with dwindling numbers and tree officers in all their guises burgeoning workloads coupled cannot be with Christmas with its rush of understated planning applications, backlog and the work of of complaints from the autumn the MTOA and the close down for two needs your weeks simply means that it is support now Mac just too busy nowadays to more than ever.

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