- MORE POWERFUL THAN EVER 90cc worth of unparalleled power in an easily manoeuvred and lightweight package. An X-Torq® engine with outstanding torque and acceleration and, to top it off, a razor-sharp X-CUT® chain perfectly in tune with your saw. The end result is best in class cutting capacity, making you better, faster, providing you with unparalleled levels of productivity. In short, a better cutting experience. Explore the Husqvarna 592 XP® today, at husqvarna.com/90cc
Here we are with our third edition in 2022. I wish the AA family well as we get half way through the year. As ever we have some solid articles for you this edition.
First up in my review schedule is an old favourite, Guy Meilleur. His Technical Feature – ‘Documenting Evidence for Credible Conclusions’ covers the work of world-renowned Dr. Julian Dunster. Guy takes us through two tree evaluations and a scientific process of evaluation, specification and documentation to help give our work credibility. Thanks Guy, for the new term –Anastomosis, plus it’s always inspiring to see an old veteran be honoured for posterity. I am sure the Flower Hunter William Bartram would be grateful.
Onto a new writer for AA, we have Leigh De Abreu, a highly experienced climbing arborist and adventure climber. Along with brother Arb Aaron Smith, Leigh featured in my first two parts of the new article series on Ancient Fig Trees. He is the climber responsible for high line set ups to enable access for our 30 and 50m climbs. Recognising his talent for ‘artistree’ and my following up to the call from the AA Publisher Kurt (we advertised for climbing writers in 2021), I asked Leigh for input.
‘Switching Systems’ on Single Rope Technique – SRT is his first Climbing Feature for AA. Same as me, Leigh is an ex Merrist-Woodian. We are glad to have you on board mate.
For the consultants, in support of the Development Application bread and butter projects, we have another solid Technical Feature from Michelle King and Jim McArdle. This piece – ‘Pre-DA Arboricultural Impact Assessments’ covers the essential start up to the development process. Historically, Australian consulting arborists have been called in too late to help protect trees on development sites. As well as protect valued vegetation, the pre-DA impact assessment –supports the streamlining of the development process and reduces stress/cost to the
client. We encourage you to dive into a breakthrough process for trees and Arb.
The Technical Feature from me entitled ‘i-Culture - Land Care via Vegetation Management Part 1 – Background’ was seeded out of a late ‘90s article on ‘Arboriculture the Industry V the Profession’, though I sadly cannot recall the author, this perspective has sat with me for years.
This feature is a bigger picture study on the Vegetation Management professions/ industries and a call to collaboration for New Earth ventures.
With resilience, sustainability and mother earth in mind, I see this as one of the most important articles of my career. This draft is a first, I already have three editors lined up for the second, as I intend to get this piece out to the allied professions involved with VM.
I will draft future parts to this topic, as I see the need for a template to the new earth and see arboriculture as an important catalyst to unite us.
Our Cover Feature – ‘Extend the Longevity of your Climbing Career’ is on the Ronin a mechanised tree ascension device – from ABSAFE, the Australian and New Zealand distributors.
As a past competition level swordsman in Western Martial Arts (Ronin is a name better known in those circles) and a double rope and prussic tree climbing arborist (now retired
– well not as a climber), I well attest to the challenge of the RSI – Repetitive Strain Injury.
I first saw one of these machines being promoted by a past QAA President and used by the legendary Guy Meilleur. I encourage all Arb companies to seriously look at this device, I can see solid provision for rapid aerial rescue ascent.
In this edition we also cover the Test Drive of the Monitor 1890 Spider Lift and we delve into the review of Saws and Log Splitters. With regard QAA News there are some great inputs coming in the form of a business resource exploring the true costs of running a business, sponsorship news, member pricing, event recaps (go you climbers), courses/ workshops past and upcoming, (TRAQ and IPZ), a Freestyle climbing comp in Cairns and a major one – the 30 year QAA Gala Dinner Brisbane, mmm – as an old guard past Committee Member/Technical Officer I may just have to attend. Thank you, QAA.
In the brand new Vegetation Management section we look at some of the latest equipment and industry news including the input of TTIA. With the Timber Trade Industrial Association news we have an important article relating to news on Super for Arb employers.
In the next issue we will be announcing the winner of the AA Subscription 2021-2022 prize – a Husqvarna 530iPT5 Pole Saw valued at $1323 and will be launching our new prize for 2022-2023.
Regards, Cassian Rupert Humphreys AA Sub-editor AA
Publisher Kurt M. Quambusch
Sub-Editor
Cassian Humphreys
Production Manager
Arianna Lucini arianna@maynemedia.com.au
Group Sales Manager
KahChi Liew kahchi@maynemedia.com.au 1300 764 688
National Advertising Manager Sue Janjic sue@maynemedia.com.au (02) 8287 0651
Subscriptions
Arlette Kouchakdjian 1300 764 688 (02) 8355 6841 / (02) 9452 4517 arlette@maynemedia.com.au
Design Peter Cartledge art@maynemedia.com.au
ISSN 1327 1784
The Australian Arbor Age is a Bi-Monthly magazine published by Mayne Media Group Pty Ltd. ACN 130 678 812 ABN 27 130 678 812 Postal: PO Box 489 DEE WHY NSW 2099 Australia Ph: 1300 76 4688 Int Ph: + 612 9452 4517 Int Fax: + 612 9452 5319 www.arborage.com.au
Copyright 2022
Mayne Media Group Pty Ltd. Material may not be reproduced or photocopied in any form without the written permission of the publisher. Mayne Media Group Pty Ltd. believes that all material is correct at the time of printing and will not be held liable for any incorrect information supplied within.
Cassian is a Merrist-woodian graduate (NCH-arb - 1991) qualified to Diploma level in Australia (09), his career commenced in Horticulture (85) and transitioned into Arboriculture (89). An experienced tree climber, instructor, arboriculturist, consultant, educator and writer, he has 30 years of experience. He sees his work as making a contribution to the Australian arboricultural profession.
Guy is a Master Arborist and Utility and Municipal Specialist, facilitating the co-existence of trees and people for the past 46 years. His company HistoricTreeCare.com manages the risk in veteran and historic trees by installing lightning and support systems, root invigoration, pruning and community education. Guy writes for tree care publications and works with the ANSI A300 Tree Care Standards committee in the US. He studies the science of arboriculture around the world.
Peter is the CEO of Sydneybased Enviro Frontier (EF). EF utilises over 250 Tree Companies across Australia in managing tree works on behalf of its clients in the Insurance, Government and Facilities Management sectors. All jobs are managed using its proprietary technology platform (TreeManager) making it the leading data provider for the insurance and facility management industry. The company also operates in NZ, UK and Spain.
For almost 45 years Graeme has been based in the Dandenong Ranges East of Melbourne and become world leader in large tree removals.
Working as a production faller for alpine logging operations for three decades, expert witness, Investigator for WHS incidents and Lead Auditor are a sound foundation for him to assist with improving industry safety.
Leigh is an expert climbing arborist with a passion for tree conservation. He is a graduate from Merrist Wood College with a Diploma in countryside and environment and sub-Diploma in Arboriculture. Climbing and leading crews in the south of England, his work/ travels have taken him to Brisbane where he has developed a true passion for adventure tree climbing.
October is National Safe Work Month – a time to commit to building a safe and healthy workplace.
Being healthy and safe means being free from physical and psychological harm. No job should be unsafe and no death or injury is acceptable. A safe and healthy workplace benefits everyone. This is why, during October each year, Safe Work Australia asks businesses, employers and workers across Australia to join National Safe Work Month and commit to building safe and healthy workplaces for all Australians.
Safe Work Australia has released the theme and campaign kit for National Safe Work Month 2022 ahead of the official campaign launch on October 1.
The theme for 2022 is ‘Know safety, work safely’ – encouraging everyone to make health and safety in the workplace a priority.
The campaign will run throughout October and the campaign kit, now available, comes with digital customisable resources.
Start planning your work health and safety activities for October by joining National Safe Work Month. To participate, you can go to the National Safe Work Month Website – www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/ national-safe-work-month – and download resources from Safe Work Australia campaign kit. You can customise and share the resources with your workplace and follow Safe Work Australia on social
media to keep up to date on new campaign materials and to share National Safe Work Month updates. Use the hashtags #safeworkmonth, #KnowSafety and #WorkSafely when promoting National Safe Work Month on social media.
For more information visit www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au AA
Introducing the Ronin Lift – the revolutionary new tool for Arborists.
Climbing activities, such as ascending tall trees can be harmful to joints and muscles. The Ronin team has addressed this problem by designing an innovative climbing tool that allows tree climbers to access the tops of the trees with significantly reduced repetitive stress.
The Ronin Power Ascender was engineered by a team specialising in the rescue industry who recognised a need for professional Tree Workers, Arborists, Tree Managers and Urban Forestry Workers to have a better tool for their daily climbing and hauling activities.
The Ronin’s lightweight and rugged design makes it easier than ever to get up into the canopy. A max working load of 181kg allows the Ronin Power Ascender to get you and your gear up each tree with ease. A hot-swappable battery means you never run out of power while ascending or winching. Battery power keeps the Ronin quiet, environmentally friendly, and ready for all-day continuous use. No matter your challenge, the Ronin Lift is ready to make sure you complete tasks quicker and safer.
“The Ronin Lift can ascend over 100 metres of rope in a single-line configuration with a maximum load of 180kg.”
The rope wraps around a capstan-style mechanism inside the device that then selffeeds the rope to load. A manual-tensioning knob adjusts rope tension to increase or decrease the device’s grip on the rope. The climber attaches to one of the two attachment points on the device and uses a secondary backup on the rope, such as an ASAP or mechanical rope grab.
By operating the variable-speed thumbwheel trigger, the device ascends the rope with the climber at a maximum rate of approximately 0.50 metres per second. The Ronin Lift has an independent braking system and a speed-reduction gearbox designed to allow climbers to control the descent speed.
The Ronin Lift can ascend over 100 metres of rope in a single-line configuration with a maximum load of 180kg. It can lift up to 544kg when using a 3-to-1 mechanical advantage.
A braking mechanism acts as a primary safety feature, in that it is always activated while ascending and stopping.
The brake can be manually opened for controlled descent. Some models have a power-reverse function that will assist in fully removing the rope from the device.
Best of all it is easy to operate, and the lightweight, durable construction makes it an easy go-to for regular use. The main benefit, though, is to the climber. The Ronin Lift can reduce repetitive stress injuries, which will greatly extend the longevity of a climber’s career.
Absafe Group is the proud Australian and New Zealand Distributor of the Ronin product range, a leading multi-disciplined remedial engineering company specialising in height and difficult access.
Find out how Absafe can help you – call 1300 227 233 or visit absafe.com.au/ronin/
In this article I own that there is a measure of repetition, particularly in relation to plant and soil relations, this is intended as based on current land management operations I believe we need reminding and re-educating. Sustainability refers to the ability for something to maintain or ‘sustain’ itself over time. In earth’s cycle natural systems repeat themselves a little bit better with each ‘generation’, this we call evolution. Because nature time follows such a different timeframe to human time, which is very short, a healthy human relationship to earth has historically been intergenerational for us to understand, let
alone influence nature in a positive way. Though we humans can rapidly destroy, the restoration of the great green and the brilliant blue that is earth takes time. An intergenerational relationship with earth in Australia was certainly true of the First Nation Indigenous people who, generation by generation, practised land custodianship. Modern researchers recognise that Australia was sustainably farmed in a highly evolved systematic and scientific fashion by the Aboriginal Australians, who instinctively and practically carried out land care whilst yielding an abundance of food for all their people. Sustainable land management is
difficult for modern humans to understand, based on our many old addictions, it’s even harder to make change. As a result of the last 100 years of technology we humans are considerably lacking in nature intelligence, lacking the ability to learn from our forebears and are lacking the passion to work the land – whilst being driven by money, separation from community and trusting in a governing system that is broken. Despite this observation, I believe in our capacity to be individually and collectively awakened to the silent lore of nature, our survival as a species is dependent on this. As an arboriculturist, I have great faith in our profession, the tree
Vertical lift arms and a 40-hp (30kW) turbocharged Kohler KDI diesel engine gives the CTX100 exceptional lift and tipping capacities, coupled with the operator-centric features common to all Vermeer loaders. Grasp, lift and move brush and logs with ease and efficiency thanks to Vermeer’s Mini Skid Steer Loader range and the Rotating Log Grapple attachment with 360 degree rotation. Perfect for arborists doing the ground work and all tree care companies. Contact your local RDO Vermeer team today.
VERMEERAUSTRALIA.COM.AU | 1300 VERMEER
Vermeer and the Vermeer logo are trademarks of Vermeer Manufacturing Company in the United States and /or other countries. © 2022 RDO Equipment Pty Ltd (trading as Vermeer Australia). All Rights Reserved.
care movement and our capacity to help inspire such an awakening for the other landbased professions.
The current generations of humanity appear to be led by a movement which clearly has its own agenda (Agenda 2021 and Agenda 2030 is well documented), though such controls are true to the previous generations, many of us are waking up to the fact that this directive is not sustainable. The further we follow global government directive with organisations like the World Economic Forum, the World Health Organisation and the United Nations, supported by the world’s media, humanity is being herded further and further away from a healthy relationship to earth and sustainability. This control-based system has always been focussed on the many supporting the few. We are being sold an idea and a dream, yet the reality to self-sustenance involves getting our hands
and spirit back into the soil, certainly not in this international government directive. This article in part considers the problem behind achieving sustainability and looks at the solution. Yet the solution to those that support the new world order is very unattractive, as this involves personal sacrifice. Because we arborists are hands on with the natural environment, we are in a powerful position to adapt and continue to be in service. Many other industries will not be able to survive as humanity takes responsibility in the face of ‘climate change’, particularly under this imposed order.
Personally, I have far greater faith in earth’s capacity to deal with change than I do our world’s leaders, who put greater trust in academic rather than natural intelligence, who fly the PHD flag like it’s a flagship to real change. Nature by her own volition is free from compartmentalisation, it is being
aligned to the interconnection of nature and natural systems that gives us humans the true edge.
Though systems like the carbon credit system may look good in theory, the fact stands that the way we will champion climate change is by actually re-greening earth, this means plants (and plant associates) in the ground. Researchers agree that we need to achieve at least 60 per cent vegetative cover over earths hot spots to achieve break point over the damage done by us to date, that includes the cities and the other desertified regions to achieve balance.
For the discerning individual, be it landowner, land custodian, manager or agent (contractor or consultant) what do we need to know when it comes to sustainability? With consideration of this and the mainstream narrative It is clear (based on study of the land) that sustainability is much more of an idea or a dream than an experience or a reality. We only need to see the land to gauge a perspective on what is really sustainable, exposed compacted soils, to sparse weedy vegetative cover and sick trees maybe normal to the untrained eye. But prior to 1788 healthy species diverse indigenous ecosystems in soft soils were the ‘Australian’ normal.
Personally, I try to avoid using the term ‘sustainability’ as, thanks to the pseudogreen movement where the notion of ‘things’ green is only promoted to support industry (for example the use of herbicides is common across all the land-based industries), the word ‘sustainable’ has been reduced to a buzzword, something that lacks heart, integrity or credibility. As is reflective of our narrative in AA since 2021, I believe the word ‘resilience’ carries far more weight. Though, having recently heard that the Aussie government is coining this as a term to help implement greater controls, I may well be seeking out another.
From an old school European perspective (the beginnings of modern Australia) when considering our current retarded land management practices, it’s necessary to understand the key difference between industry (that leads many) and the professions (that make up the few) who represent the land. Agriculture – the culture of crops, Horticulture – the culture of gardens and orchards (amenity and commercial), Forestry – commercial timber
“Sustainable land management is difficult for modern humans to understand, based on our many old addictions, it’s even harder to make change.”Fig. 2: Planting vegetative buffer zones (Lomandra species in this case) on edge trees reduces stress load.
The Snorkel EPV16A is a cost effective truck-mounted articulating boom lift designed specifically for the Australian market. This versatile, all-steel boom lift can be fitted to most 5.5-tonne and greater GVM vehicles and features a maximum working height of 15.8m (51.8 ft) and horizontal outreach of 7.1m (23.3 ft). Truck-mounted boom lifts allow the reach and versatility of an articulating boom lift with the convenience of a truck that can travel at highway speeds.
Fig. 3
production and the Nursery industry which interfaces with all three’ – with on a much smaller scale Arboriculture, the culture of trees. Though this is significant business in the cities and in service to the utilities and main roads, next to Horticulture, Agriculture, Forestry and the Nursery Industry, Arboriculture is almost as fringe as Permaculture, Organic, Biodynamic and Syntropic farming. Yet there is a collective genius in the fringe, there always has been. In the three primary land-based industries alone coupled with national parks, the desertified regions (that includes the cities), military, government and private land (which is made up of all the above) we have Australia covered.
With industry, environmental sustainability is never as important as economics. With sustainability in mind, we are served to reflect on the four foundation principles that make up sustainable living – Environmental, Cultural, Social and Economic – Ref: GEN International and GEN Australia (International and National Eco-village movements).
The natural environment when left to itself or nurtured over time is very abundant in resources, this is most strongly recognised in Australia pre-European settlement. Environmental sustainability or resilience farming (in essence all the land-based professions are farming plants to a greater
Fig. 5
and lesser degree) is all about managing resources. The more I consider this essential topic the more I recognise that the First Nations people where actually the best sustainable farmers on the planet. Next to the current economic model sustainability saves money rather than makes money. For an environmental model to be realised, a whole new human movement needs to be established. This I, other fringe professionals and inspired individuals see as the New Earth movement (to my knowledge the New Earth was first documented as a concept by the writer Eckhart Tolle).
It’s the people that make the land-based professions – the project/people managers, the scientists*, the consultants, educators
Fig. 3-4: The use of native Cunjevoi and Rubus species as edge and understory plants likewise assist with reducing impacts on trees. I call this Ecosystem services.
Fig. 5: Based on associate microbiology the use of Lomandra confertifiolia and L. histerix in association with spreading coniferous ground covers is significantly better for trees than turf.
Fig. 4
and tradespeople. The career professionals make professional development a commitment, though their business may be industry driven, it’s their professionalism that comes first. Whereas industry is largely driven by economics and compliance, the profession is driven by education, integrity and experience. It’s the pride of the few driven by being in service that creates the benchmark for professional excellence, which may or may not make money. *In truth science is the observance and record of nature in action, contrary to the ‘new normal’ – science has nothing to do with politics.
Though I am certain the global elite would say otherwise, generally successful living involves personal sacrifice. This is also true of sustainable living. We only need to look at trees and witness the self-thinning rule, whereby in times of scarcity trees sacrifice themselves to benefit their neighbours. This they do by surrendering their resources (sugars) by dumping them into the soil food web – the rhizosphere, yielding their life energy to their forest associates (the soil food web links forest trees as one). Perhaps, it is this natural principle that leads us to love our brothers and sisters who willingly make sacrifices to save others (the fireman, the police, the soldiers, the health professionals etc.), we the people certainly have little love of the hoarders.
Fig. 6: Whereas young Australian trees (in this case - Ficus species) may endure the highly bacterial turf environment in the short term, in the long trees live short lifespans, particularly in fungi deficient Australian conditions. The dieback in this tree’s lower crown would not be present in compatible conditions.
Fig. 7: Roundabouts surrounded by bitumen and the development process are usually highly desertified, plant associates (and the microbiology that accompanies them) make all the difference for trees. In rare cases below ground resources (i.e. old creek systems) sustained during development retain air, humus and water below bituminised surfaces. This demonstrates what can be achieved at planning stage with New Earth ventures in mind.
It’s the wilfully selfish and the unconscious which overspend earth’s resources for the betterment of themselves. The kind of people that put professionalism over industry tend to have greater regard for people-kind. With sustainability in mind this I believe is essential.
For us to embrace conservation of our planet (Conservation Arboriculture is my primary motivation), we have to face the issue of self-sacrifice and accept that personal sacrifice is for the good of the community. With the times that we are in,
as the wealthy elite push for greater control, we the people have no choice but to re-learn community sustainability. The concept of personal sacrifice is far more attractive when we choose it willingly, over being forced to sacrifice by governance. This appears to be the drive in this post Covid world, where a silently complicit humanity weakened by modern living is allowing ‘itself’ to be herded like lemmings over a cliff.
A number of us who see the capacity for the new earth movement understand this and see personal and community adaption as the best form of integration. This perspective and a love of things naturally resilient is driving the eco-village movement. When I started in arboriculture, I had no awareness of the eco-village movement (Findhorn in Scotland was the first I heard of – I visited in 2016). Personally, my drive is to be in service to the trees, to achieve this end in a bid to learn the art of commercial scale humus production over the last decade I sought to be in service to Third World communities, by aligning myself with the Social Justice movement (project development for the Melanesian Islands and Africa). Between Big Pharma and controlled governments (locked down since Covid) this has completely stalled our overseas movement to date, to achieve my objective of soil restoration services in
Fig. 7
support of vegetation I am having to adapt, land care in First World ventures down under may well be the next evolutionary step. Land care to date like the other professions as a new profession/industry has been forced into herbicide usage because of big Ag(ri-culture) and a misunderstanding in the role of weeds in the landscape – (ref: Landsman and OBE winner Peter Andrews author of Back to the Brink and Beyond The Brink).
Historically, top-end arboriculture has done well in service to amenity, with botanic gardens and parklands being the cream sites for many projects. Yet as I see it, we must now adapt to be in service to community. As in a changing world botanical gardens/parklands support a relatively small demographic, the progress I see needs to be in support of community populations via supporting food production.
I see the global ecovillage movement (a future growth enterprise) as being a catalyst for promoting conservation arboriculture, this platform has community at its heart.
“Because we arborists are hands on with the natural environment, we are in a powerful position to adapt and continue to be in service.”
As harvesters and processors of vegetation arborists are in a unique position to support community with a new global initiative, this involves small scale commercial production of humus or forest grade compost. Contrary to the desire of the corporations and business, it is not practical to produce humus and bag it for storage and the global market. This is because the microbiology that we generate by composting via cold processing or even harvesting direct from nature* does not have a shelf life when separated from the microbiome. Organic composts sold by industry are superheated and are inert or void of life, by industry definition these are called organic, yet in truth are not at all. *We can sustainably source probiotic direct from nature in small amounts to inoculate mulch piles.
With integrity of product, for us to provide forest grade humus as an arboricultural service as well as process it ourselves, we have to deliver to a local market. This is a good thing as we, the arborists, working as individuals in association can all prosper with a value add on to our services. Another reason for harvesting and processing locally is that the microbiology that lives in the microbiome varies from site to site, we can never create a ‘product’ that is generic. Study of the definition of the micro-biome clearly validates this – By Whipps et al. “A characteristic microbial community occupying a reasonably well-defined habitat which has distinct physio-chemical properties. The term thus not only refers to the microorganisms involved but also encompasses their theatre of activity”.
There is a growing trend for agencies that know nothing about land care or vegetation management, which put nothing in the soil – to be a business focus, the idea and the dream of sustainability is a greater focus than the activity. The reason for this is about supporting industry and economics, there is more to be made setting up systems and teaching than there is in physically culturing nature. To be true the best teachers and managers are also the doers.
People management ideas and systems aside, the growing of plants has always been simple. Plants support their own energy needs via photosynthesis, all plants need bar sunlight is a soil environment that delivers air, water and (organicbiologically active) carbon. But because of humanity’s excessively large footprint
predisposition to compact soils, we massively impact on a soil’s ability to hold air, water and carbon. For these essential nutrients to be readily available, soils must be friable. The early pioneers of Australia spoke of Australia’s friable soft soils (ref: The Biggest Estate on Earth and Dark Emu), how horses and riders struggled to gain good purchase when travelling. The only ‘compacted’ regions where the aboriginal foot and animal trails (Australia’s animals are by nature soft footed compared to European). Forest clearing, timber extraction, European agriculture, hooved livestock, carts, leading to modern development as we now know it, road building, mechanisation/transport and modern cities, has created the hard soils we experience today.
In Nature soil friability is sustained by geography (not in Australia), climate and the growth/decay of plants/plant root systems, which create vertical and lateral fissures, with plants constantly adding biology via
the above ground (leaves, twigs, branches etc) and below ground (root hairs) shedding processes. Likewise, the earthworms play a vital role in sustaining friable soils by relocating decaying vegetation. All parts that are shed are already seeded with the (microbiological) organisms of their decay before they fall, the associated microbiology (principally the fungi) that interfaces with plants and soils are also key to sustaining soil friability. The soil/root interface is known scientifically as the rhizosphere, in essence the rhizosphere is the stomach of the plant. We humans gain our energy and nutrients from our stomach lining, plants gain nutrients in solution via the rhizosphere.
Plants are at the heart of the nutrient cycle; they act as pumps cycling nutrients from the atmosphere into the soil.
Plants (scientifically described as primary producers) are the vector/transformer
of inorganic (atmospheric) nutrients (or elements) into organic (soil-based) nutrients, animals (secondary producers), humans, the soil microbiology and plant root systems are dependent on oxygenated (friable) soils for organic nutrient exchange.
To help people understand the ramifications of soil compaction, nutrient absorption and the effects on the rhizosphere I compare the stomach of the human to the stomach of the soil. Imagine if after each meal (three meals a day) we humans where punched multiple times (30+) in the gut. How would that facilitate nutrient absorption? Soil compaction on friable soil/plant associations has the same effect. Hence why urban trees only generally live to the first 1/3 of their lifespans.
To help validate this point whilst being true to the topic, I am drawing on edited input from a past article ‘The Heart of Arboriculture, AA Oct/Nov 2021.
“As long as arboricultural education does not include the science and the accompanying cultural practices, then our education is flawed.”
and ourFig. 8: A traffic island I restored myself from desertification to a de-compacted species diverse understory, the full restoration process features in ‘The Heart of Arboriculture’, AA Oct/Nov 2021.
The Heart of Arboriculture (getting down and dirty) with the Soil/root Interface
To truly take the subject of plant growth to heart I invite the reader to reflect on the heart of arboriculture. Back somewhere around the late ‘90s I saw a great AA article on arboriculture the profession V arboriculture the industry, as an arborist that struggles with an industry prerogative, I take great heart in celebrating the profession – as I recognise that somewhere at the heart of that lies true regard for the tree, land care and mother earth, it is this reflection that lead to the inspiration for this 2022 article on Vegetation Management and Land Care.
So, considering trees (as living organisms) where do we start?
Whenever I have a serious question on trees I tend to go to the source (heart) of arboriculture – tree-culture, no better place to look than the father – Dr Alex Shigo.
It was Shigo that got me to see the tree as giant pump – harvesting, synthesising
and sharing sunlight, water and elements, in the light of his science I took a closer look at science and recognised that as living pumps its plants (woody or otherwise) that drive (pump) the nutrient cycles that all life depends on. Carbon – the building block of the physical-body being the most obvious. It is through the bodies of trees that inorganic elements become organic, it’s thanks to the plants (or the primary producers) that we get any nutrients at all.
So back to the tree, a woody plant with the same biological function as all (photosynthesising) plants, though biologically a lot more developed – as a living organism where is its ‘heart’?
We know that trees gain the energy they need from photosynthesis – from sunlight, sunlight energy drives the many parts and processes that make biological function. To quote Shigo, this is harvested from the top end of the pump, the energy is used, stored and shared. We know that trees as highly compartmented organisms grow in height and girth by stacking cells end over end and by laying down cells incrementally.
That, as those cells age (primary wood) their cell walls become thickened with lignin (age altered wood), we know that trees compartmentalise cracks, decay and (often) if allowed to – occlude other bodies such as rocks, buildings and other trees. We understand that trees lay down reaction wood to strengthen trunks, limbs, forks, buttresses and transport roots, to offset tensile and compressive loads.
Referring to ‘heart’ in the context of the
Fig. 9
Fig. 11
source of things I have always wondered where can the vegetation management professions and land care groups contribute the most?
We tend to focus on the top end of the pump, making our pruning cuts as close to trunk collars or lateral limbs (when reducing them) as we can with the aim to ‘manage’ compromise to the tree, to sensitively carry out volume reductions as a means to reduce load on veteranised crown structure. Yet what are we doing in service to the bottom end of the pump? In truth arboriculture is
Fig. 9-10: The rainforest remnant at Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve is an interesting study relating to the nutrient cycle, the floor of this forest is kept clear of leaf litter by the giant earthworm (1-3m long, 2-3cm thick) a number of species are found throughout Australia’s hinterland ranges. These remarkable creatures clear the whole forest floor of leaf litter and small twigs, dragging the shed organic matter into their tunnels. The important impact this organism has is in the multiple tunnels it creates, earthworms generally deposit their castings above ground, not so the Giant earthworm which deposits its castings below ground. The Trap-door-spider, Fresh-crayfish, and a host of other organisms help keep rainforest soils friable via their tunnels. There are few natural organisms that are counter-arboriculture, thought it can be well argued that modern human beings are not natural.
Fig. 11: We can see the fluffy soil deposited at the site of this excavation, whether created by a worm, spider or freshwater crayfish the fissures in a soil are essential for tree and tree associate (they live in adjoining micron-tunnels, as well as the bodies of the macro-organisms) health.
Fig. 12: Ref. Fig 8, the desertified traffic island restoration project, part of the project involved making three (10cm diameter) vertical fissures (50cm deep) every square metre, the fissures irrigated five times each (until the water drained). Due to soil compaction, a lack of biologically active carbon and fungi in the soil, the soil was completely hydrophobic with rainfall running straight off the soil surface. This project involved the mass planting of 290 tube stock, mulching and the establishment of timber edging and pathways to help mitigate future compaction of the soil. For the full project story Ref: ‘The Heart of Arboriculture’, AA Oct/Nov 2021. Note – for those that wish to access my past The Australian Arbor Age articles you can do so via my LinkedIn profile – www.linkedin.com/in/cassian-rupert-humphreys-888013226/
Fig. 10
Fig. 12
as guilty as all the land professions (bar at times horticulture) in doing little to nothing in service to the trees bottom end.
Certainly, we can see the plant cell generator – the cambium as the source of cell production leading to wood, roots, shoots, flowers and fruit (in the case of cauliflorous plants), is that the heart?
The bio-chemical processes in the leaves (the synthesis of light, carbon and water) is the key source of energy production. Maybe like multiple growing points (dormant and floating buds) trees have multiple hearts?
One thing is clear, for longevity plants need our attention more on the bottom end of the pump, where the root meets the soil. The zone that industry completely forgets, the zone that the profession largely only talks about and the place where true arboriculture happens – the soil/root interface. The place where elements (as essential nutrients) in water are exchanged for carbohydrate – the rhizosphere, for the sake of this article let’s call that the heart of the tree/plant.
It was Shigo that woke me up to the heart of arboriculture in a past 97/98 AA article, an article I have cited multiple times – “Troubles in the Rhizosphere”. This awakening led me on to a study of the work of Paul Stamets and Dr. Elaine Ingham, both microbiologists and like Shigo legends in their field.
The rhizosphere – “(Oxford languages)
The region of soil in the vicinity of plant roots in which chemistry and microbiology is influenced by their growth, respiration, and nutrient exchange.” Described as a jelly-like substance the rhizosphere interfaces the root hairs and soil, less than a micron thick yet encompassing tree root systems and running from tree to tree, in a forest the rhizosphere interconnects all.
The rhizosphere and the soil/plant microbiome are the same, the animal/plant microbiome is the link for all life. This the oldworld cultures called the Web Of Life. This is the world of the mycorrhizae (which enable *10 in nutrient exchange as compared to a root hair which floats alone) where symbiotic fungi and tree root hairs live in complete unison. Ingham describes this interface thus – “The tree low in one element or the other releases a chemical message into the rhizosphere requesting from its associates a mineral top-up, its mates respond with sugar please and the exchange takes place”. Such a dialogue makes fools of us humans with our fertilisers and dollar driven timing, who can replicate such a dance. Best to leave it to nature in the encyclopedia on intelligence.
Fig. 13
Fig. 13: The microbiology associated with the forest is integral to the nutrient cycle that processes timber into humus, fungi are as essential for processing wood (lignin and cellulose) as they are in supporting woody plants to absorb nutrients from the rhizosphere. In live trees the fungi enable solid trunks to lose static ballast by decaying heartwood, cylindrical structure is stronger than a solid, trees as giant highly evolved bio-mechanical organisms are adept at managing force flow. The fungi and the decay process involving brown rot, soft rot and white rot wood decay fungi – process dead wood in live and dead trees standing or otherwise.
Fig. 14: This brown rot* decayed log with its cellulose long gone has become an above ground resource for occupation of feeder roots from a neighbouring live Tallowood gum tree. The log – now more like charcoal than timber – provides a network of oxygenated galleries for the essential associate microbiology and feeder roots. I have seen the same with white rot galleries in standing trees and cut palm logs where the above ground log becomes an extension of the rhizosphere. *Brown rot fungi target cellulose making wood brittle, white rot fungi target lignin making wood soft, whilst soft rot fungi switch between lignin and cellulose – Ref: Professor Claus Mattheck – The Body Language of Trees.
Fig. 15: Ripped logs (cut longitudinally –with the grain) make the best interface between a treated (vertically decompacted fissures filled with humus, charcoal, parent soil or sand) soil restoration area and turf. The raw ripped hardwood logs last a few years becoming compost. These are easy to process, easy to install and easy to replace.
With consideration of the science behind the nutrient cycle and the soil-root interface we easily can also reference this ‘heart’ of the tree as the ‘stomach of the tree’ (with the human perspective in mind). It is here that the many associates (probiotics) operate as a bridge between nutrients in the soil and the plant, in much the same way as probiotics in our gut-lining help us to digest our food.
In arboriculture we know that our activities around trees kill them long before they reach the first third of their lifespans. All the landbased vegetation management industries are excessively dependent on machinery which via compressive load takes a huge toll on the soil environment. We all know that soil compaction is the number one stressor of trees. I believe we are so used to compacted soils that few of us have experience of anything else, so we see hard surface and significant retardation below ground as
You begin each day before dawn with a drive and determination to do more than the day before. When you move at this pace, you know to do more you need equipment that is made for more. That’s why our equipment is built from the ground up to meet your needs, delivering:
More Power and Production
Lower Operating Costs Ease of Maintenance Greater Longevity and Resale Value
If you’re ready to operate equipment that’s made to keep pace with you, then we invite you to contact the authorized dealer in your area of the world. To learn more about our equipment go to www.morbark.com
Morbark
NSW/VIC: Global Machinery Sales 1300 072 926 globalmachinerysales.com.au
QLD: Allclass Construction Equipment 1300 255 252 allclass.com.au
WA: Westco Equipment +61 (8) 9258 9333 westcoequipment.com.au
NZ: Commercial Outdoor Machinery 0800 26 66 88 commercialoutdoormachinery.co.nz
Boxer
NSW/VIC: Global Machinery Sales 1300 072 926 globalmachinerysales.com.au
QLD: Greenstar Equipment 1300767589 greenstarequip.com.au
WA: Westco Equipment +61 (8) 9258 9333 westcoequipment.com.au
NZ: Commercial Outdoor Machinery 0800 26 66 88 commercialoutdoormachinery.co.nz
NSW/VIC: Global Machinery Sales 1300 072 926 globalmachinerysales.com.au
QLD: Greenstar Equipment 1300767589 greenstarequip.com.au
normal (the new normal next to the soft soils known by the First Nations people).
Already mentioned the legendary Australian book Dark Emu discusses accounts of early settlers finding soils so friable they could bury their fingers and even hands to the wrist by pushing/wiggling them into the ground. The historical activities of logging, timber extraction with bullock teams, dairy farming, agriculture, road and park construction, urban development, vehicles and people pressure have left multiple veneers of soil compaction as ‘normal’.
As with many living organisms we know that stressed trees are often subject to premature decline, as a tree risk manager I have long held the belief/experience that even with ‘defective’ trees the best way to reduce tree failures is via soil cultivation practices which boost plant vitality. Healthy trees optimise (strengthen) the weak links in their bodies without the need for human inputs such as failure prevention/fall arrest systems or pruning, as a strategy the latter is best used last. In a past 2014 arborist report, turned three-part 2015 article series I introduced the idea of RNE, Reduction, Nutrition and Exclusion. On reflection the Nutrition could come first as soil restoration involving the vertical treatment, nutrient bed installation capped with a species diverse plant system facilitates tree health, with the combined works acting as a barrier enabling Exclusion. I stand with my five eyes brotherhood (we have no women onboard yet) AUS, NZ, USA, UK and CAN, volume reductions come last, unless we seek to generate the ‘inner’ tree.
The reason for the repetition in this article on ‘what we know’ is a prompt, even in my Merrist Wood (UK) education in the very early ‘90s knowledge on the symbiotic relationship between trees and fungi was part of our education – yet then like now where is the cultural practise?
My question is, what tree cultural practices can we make mainstream (such as pruning – which is often counter-arboriculture when done in excess) to help extend tree longevity? Because what we are doing now is not enough to help amenity/commercial
trees to live into the second third of their lifespans, let alone beyond the first. Maybe as a collective we only wish to see trees live short lives. Perhaps it is easier to recycle them, then let’s get serious and recycle trees into products that benefit other trees, because logs and cooked mulch being dumped into processing depots is throwing away opportunity to practise the i-culture.
As discussed for healthy growth below ground, plants need carbon, air and water. Soil friability is dependent on air-gaps in soils, constant running of mower machinery, cars and people has our parks and city trees surviving in soils like ‘granite’. For sustaining
air gaps, rocky soils (such as shales) fare better with compaction – as the rocks hold the load and the colonies of the beneficial microbiology can continue to function in gaps common to the shales.
With the New Earth model in mind and humanity working in unison, the new earth industries guided by the professions will be far more productive (with sustainability in mind that will not come from big industry, which drives our worlds governments to keep making money to support the few).
There are innovative products and systems galore that will support vegetative growth and economics in all areas of land care.
Turning over money means nothing if we destroy earth’s vegetation/microbiome in the
process. Dr Zach Bush the advocator on the human/earth microbiome maintains that it will take 50 years post the day we stop using glyphosate globally for the earths microbiome to restore a toxic free balance. According to Bush glyphosate toxicity in the food-chains accounts for most if not all the new diseases since WW2, accelerating with the start of chemical agriculture, he regards cancer as the no: 1 symptom of glyphosate poisoning.
To be true to the i-culture in all the land-based professions we need a mass awakening, to truly be in service to the plant kingdom in our modern environments, as a collective we need to be culturing soils.
Whether we undertake this work ourselves, or sub-contract it (this may be
Fig. 16-18: Poinciana – Delonix regia correctively pruned by me after the homeowner, I deliberately left the epi/ endo or elbow limb in the trees canopy (right side) rather than make a large pruning cut on the trees trunk. The trees structural root zone was a major thoroughfare, so I installed a ripped timber perimeter, a log round pathway (and pond for the children), as well as vertically treat the area (including tilling the compacted soil surface) I planted an understory of native tube-stock.
Fig. 19: The traffic island project a 16.5 by 9.5m nutrient bed, 155m ² + treated with approximately 910 fissures (to de-compact and open up pathways for microbiological activity) ranging from 10cm (auger) to tube-stock size, with 290 young plants in the ground, capped with composted forest blend mulch, log rounds (to act as maintenance pathways to prevent future compaction) and ripped timber edging to interface with turf on the western side. Note the timber edging and log rounds help keep moisture in the soil.
more cost effective in the short term) we are to overcome the market resistance to pay arborist rates at soil level. Horticulture, Agriculture and the Land Care professions are paid considerably less than arboriculture for ‘culturing’ soils.
In the 2021 project of mine (Ref: past article ‘The Heart of Arboriculture’, AA Oct/ Nov) with all the materials discussed I priced the restoration of the traffic island at $70.00 per m² for labour and materials (based on arborist plant health care rates), even with adding in the extra variables I am certain that land care (re-vegetation) operates on much less. I know that to gain the value this service deserves we will need to become salespeople of the microbiome, principally the rhizosphere, or soil root interface.
To achieve this, we need to understand it, this means educating ourselves in the science of the microbiome, as long as arboricultural education does not include the science and the accompanying cultural practices, then our education is flawed.
Because mainstream arboriculture is not delivering, we owe it to the tree to practice conservation arboriculture.
In summary to be affective, conservation arboriculture (education and practice) needs to be applied to all the areas of vegetation management/land care, this needs to apply to Horticulture, Agriculture, Orchards, Forestry, the Nursery Industry, Permaculture,
Fig. 20 Fig. 21
Fig. 20-21: I use the same strategy of soil cultivation for vegetable gardens, creating fissures, trenches or simply single digging – of blended humus (90%) charcoal/sand (10%) depending on resource availability. In the case of this salad/vegetable garden I treated under the sleeper pathways to support root generation under the paths. This maximised surface area/water retention, I utilised 1.5m of humus that I harvested straight off an old tree/leaf litter covered horse shed. Personally, I disagree with the no dig garden (the microbiome does just that) when it comes to top soils, plus raised gardens end up being divorced from the microbiome as well as being prone to hydration. From what I have seen of the Wix system is sick plants.
Fig. 22: A past depot sized poster of mine on target pruning and reduction cuts –Horticulturists please read Dr. Alex Shigo or save your secateurs for cutting cellulose and leave the lignified tissues to arborists.
Organic, Biodynamic and Syntropic farming as well as Arboriculture.
Based on arboriculture as it already stands as a profession and industry, it is actually a relatively simple process to switch from producing green mulch which is stockpiled, allowed to super heat and cook, to producing cold processed forest grade compost or humus. To best mimic natures cold process this takes passion, artistry, a controlled environment and commitment to the process – Ref: SFI training Soil Foodweb Institute Australia.
Consider nature, consider plants as shedding organisms made up of leaves, twigs, limbs and trunks. Non-woody plants are made up
of cellulose, woody plants – shrubs and trees are made up of cellulose and lignin (woody cement for thickening/strengthening the cell wall). Yet all plants draw their valuable sugars (energy produced via photosynthesis) back into their bodies before shedding. In the same way the bodies of humans and animals manage their resources with optimal efficiency, the intelligence of nature governs plants. Nowhere in nature is a woody plant processed (chipped) into a green pile. As discussed, when a leaf is shed with its resources withdrawn, the leaf is already seeded with the microbiology necessary to start the composting process. With fall, when that leaf joins the forest floor – along with the carpet of already shed leaves, it twigs and dead wood – the tree’s previous seasons canopy, is decomposed into humus. According to Dr. Elaine Ingham (founder of the Soil Food Web Institute and a host of publications), fungi play the greater role in humus production. Whereas when we humans process green vegetation into mulch piles the sugars in leaf, twig, branch and trunk remain.
Piled chipped green vegetation becomes volatile, bacteria in the chipped vegetation rapidly super heats, with green mulch piles commonly igniting. Even if green mulch does not catch fire if not managed the ‘green’ cellulose/lignin mix cooks. The end result is an excessively woody mulch which is inert, dead, void of the kind of microbiology (largely fungi) that makes humus, humus the chocolate-gold of the forest ecosystem, humus the probiotic of the soil. Human/ animal gut health and soil health are
intrinsically linked via the micro-biome. For a brief yet fundamental background on the importance of soil/gut health and the damaging effect of non-sustainable vegetation management (involving chemical herbicides, fertilisers and fungicides I strongly recommend study of Dr Zach Bush as part of the education process –youtube.com/watch?v=Aw16LPVnNco
The culture of orchards comes under commercial horticulture, it surprises me that there is not a stand-alone descriptive term to describe this, such as ‘Orchardary’. When we consider the Latin i-culture that supports Arbor, Hort and Agr I would expect the culture of orchards to have its own Latin term. When we look to the this – the Latin for Orchard is Pomarium –Pomariumiculture? Yet with sustainability in mind this is another area of essential business that will hugely benefit from conservation arboriculture.
Study of almost all orchards in Australia reveals a major mis-service to the longevity of fruit bearing trees. Most Australian Orchards are topped, forcing the crowns of such trees up rather than out. Topped trees losing their lower crowns fruit higher, making harvesting difficult, not to mention the excessive wounding*, oxygenated wood, decay pockets leading to columns and stressed trees with epicormic crowns that often fail to ‘switch’ to endocormic (Ref: AA Epicormic, Endocormic adapting Veteran Trees and Arborists Minds, April/May 2021). *Flush cutting, wound
dressings and cavitation are common in the Australian orchards that I have seen. Between 2007-12 doing proactive tree assessments on HV from Greater Brisbane to Tin Can Bay I drove through many orchards and witnessed the same.
Drawing on the artistry of formative pruning, training trees to have broader crowns than tall, less trees can be planted with greater fruiting yields sustained. This coupled with soil restoration practices involving de-compaction, the vertical inoculation of soils with probiotics (the chocolate-gold) the installation of cellular confinement systems between harvesting rows and the interplanting of low vegetation to carpet mulched areas, I suspect much greater returns will be made, with trees living two thirds longer. I see greater all-round gains for orchards aligned with Syntropic farming methods. Though having seen a number of syntropic systems I see such systems needing conservation arboriculture to succeed long term. As with Permaculture and Biodynamic farming education grounded in robust cultural practices is missing from syntropic farming. There are many people with only weekend/two-week education courses aligning themselves with a professional status (getting into
education) and yielding nothing in the field. The distinct lack of the ‘fringe’ delivering in the field is a problem that lacks credibility, unlike arboriculture and top end amenity horticulture which is proven.
At this juncture it is important to call out Horticulture – people when it comes to pruning your work is completely off standard, look at the Arb global standards on tree pruning and you will see your pruning work is tree lopping, if you want to train a tree into a shrub - at least start when the woody plant is young two-three years old, cuts that are on older trees, that are inter-nodal, that are in heartwood, fail to honour the tree and your profession. Remember Arboriculture as a profession is part of Horticulture, embrace us as your brothers who know better and learn from us, we embrace you for your top-end land care skills and honour that (but please dump the herbicide).
With this article though I drafted the first draft, I also have invited in another three individuals to co-author the final, as I reach the deadline for this submission, this will have to be a future draft/article, I intend to use this work as a means to break ground with the allied professions, hopefully this will spark a collective unity to get us in
service to the next level. The individuals in Australia I aim to enlist with the second draft (more may be called to input) are –now retired, a leading pioneer in his field of Land Care, Robert Tap. Still active in his, Jason Hilder with a PhD in study of the Eco-village movement and the director of the Soil Food Web Institute Chris Ellery
On the flip side of getting more solid on the background, I intend for follow up parts on this topic. With resilience and the future in mind I perceive the need to professionally and collectively get clear on the template for land care via best practise vegetation management. It's time to roll out the i-culture – via AA we arborists are the first to receive this input, I would love to see Arbor-iculture be the flagship for Land Care.
The New Earth - Eckhart Tolle, The Future Eaters - Tim Flannery, The Biggest Estate on Earth - Bill Gammage, Dark Emu - Bruce Pascoe, Back From The Brink - Peter Andrews. Dr Elaine Ingham – founder of the Soil Food-web Institute (numerous publications). Dr Zach Bush – Optimal health and the microbiome (podcasts/videos).
Cassian Humphreys AAIn this age of misinformation and disinformation, it is a struggle to sort fact from fiction. Opinions abound, but conclusions remain elusive.
Opinions lack certainty, as Dr. Julian Dunster reminds us in Documenting Evidence: Practical Guidance for Arborists. “By contrast, a conclusion is generally considered to be the end point in a series of systematic steps in a scientific process… Evidence used to support a conclusion needs to be clear, irrefutable, and so convincing that it is beyond challenge.”
Documenting such evidence sounds like a tall order! But opinions need staircases of support to become useful conclusions.
This book lays out a system that guides every supporting step, so our inspections and conclusions will have scientific validity. Dunster’s case studies illustrate forensic work after tree failures, but his system applies to other aspects of consulting. This review will use two trees with codominant forks. One is actively failing; the other might.
One case involved a large white oak, Quercus alba, covering the back half of a house. Two other old trees on the site had recently been removed, at the urging of Mrs. Jones, because cavities created concerns
about their condition. Attention turned next to the suspicious looking codominant unions on the white oak. Recently, a small limb fell and dented the family vehicle. All kinds of speculation about the tree followed. Mr. Jones wanted credible conclusions, so he called for a consulting arborist to document and analyse evidence. He confirmed the standard objective: “Maximise health, safety, and longevity.” He sent a picture showing black streaks extending below those unions; perhaps from rain, or something else.
Fig. 2: A gap (pink) in the tree crown is evidence that a big leader(s) has sagged downward. Reduction pruning (red) starts at the top, clearing the limbs below so they can grow more upward, and less downward.
Fig. 3: The stem arising from the compostfilled cavity is fortified by a column of response growth (blue). Mechanoperception triggers thigmomorphogenesis. The 8" bridge (orange) connects the middle of the tree, limiting the strength loss from the cavities.
“Evidence can take many forms… in a tree case, the starting point would be the tree itself.” Here Dunster states the obvious, and restates Alex Shigo’s “Trees must be touched to be understood.” Too often, clients and even consultants can get misled by subconscious bias and internet “research” and forget to touch the tree. I know I have!
A ladder easily reached the main forks, debris was brushed away, and basic hand tools revealed evidence of where the stems were connected, and where they were not. The data were remarkably symmetrical: The outer 8" on both sides was connected. Adjacent to those connections were 16" wide areas where my handsaw plunged deep into the compost between the stems, and extracted 20" long Hedera helix roots. In the centre was a stout 8" wide bridge.
Beyond that fork, some stems that arose from the cavities added ribs of response
Fig. 2
growth on their upper, tension sides. Mrs Jones was quite concerned about a 28" long section where two big limbs had grafted together. She was skeptical that such grafting was a sign of strength, hinting that my report needed references on inosculation, anastomosis, self-grafting, cambial kissing, and swapping of sap and strength.
Two 6" branches that grew toward the sun had failed at their attachments. Further
out were a few signs of smaller branches shedding. Images of the trunk, branches and crown were recorded from all available angles. These and satellite images were deemed adequate, so the drone was not unpacked.
The evidence pointed to reduction pruning of overextended branches and limbs to “take the whip out” and mitigate their risk of failure. Branches at or extending beyond the crown outline were marked for reduction by 3' - 12'. Cuts would be 2" - 4" diameter, back to upright branches or those growing into the open. Limbs that extended over valuable structures, and those adjacent to recent failures, got special attention. Illustrations of cut locations were compared from multiple views, to make them easier to follow. Mr. Jones trusted the company that did the prior removals to follow the specs and illustrations, but a half hour of online review of the PowerPoint report was added to the bill, just to be sure.
Fig. 3
The next tree was much more complicated. It was the second largest Magnolia grandiflora measured in the state of Florida, but it was coming apart. Its two trunks were grafting four years ago, but new cracks up to seventeen inches long have formed. Seeing fibres tearing apart, along with a new view through the core of the trunk, can have a visceral effect, a gut punch. But what facts can we read in empty trunks? “Above all, remember that evidence
establishes facts, not the other way around.” The evidence led to a suite of specifications to lessen the strain on the cracking areas.
The huge old tree has one – very tight! – cable in it. A much higher cable was specified four years ago. That cable was installed just two feet above the first cable, and extended to one codominant trunk above a union. By the looks of the jagged end of the cable, both the cable and the fastener failed. Wounds below the attachment point were from obsolete climbing spikes.
The first step was to ascend the tree and locate the highest location for the second cable. Since this tree is the tallest thing around in a lightning prone region near a body of water, a lightning protection system was installed and bonded to the two cables.
The crown was reduced over land before the second cable was installed. Sprawling ends were reduced back to upright and outward laterals. Space was cleared between limbs, so that new growth could arise upward and inward, instead of being
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 4: Illustrations show the approximate locations of a second cable, two rods, two props, and layering.
Fig. 5 (2018) and Fig. 6 (2022): The central crack is opening to reveal the sky; the smaller crack below is fortified by response growth.
Fig. 7: A view of Bartram’s 1774 canoe route. The crown of this old tree has healthy young growth, a reminder that good vitality does not always indicate good structure, and vice versa.
Fig. 6
forced outward. The heaviest Spanish moss Tillandsia sp. that was adding load and suppressing interior growth was removed as well. Most of the lower branches growing away from the water had unfortunately been raised to allow turf maintenance. Two of these limbs have horizontal sections about 12 feet from the trunk, suitable for propping. The trunk over the river was not pruned due to logistical reasons – we had no way to remove the branches from the water.
With half the load reduced, attention went back to the crack. Different standards called for two to eight rods to brace this failing structure(s). Mitigation options were presented: Two brace rods, two props, reduction pruning over the water, carving away bark where the cracks were closing to aid grafting, and securing one limb to the ground, to aid layering (growing roots).
Like live oaks, magnolias show a natural propensity for layering, so this work just helps nature along. One limb sagged over the natural area. It was a couple feet above
grade, but we tied it down so that outer branches, which were abraded where they contacted the ground, could be buried in locally harvested soil teeming with mycorrhizae, to facilitate the growth of new roots from parenchyma stem cells.
Vines make a dense ground cover under a large portion of the branches. Additional wood chip mulch was specified on part of the turf area near the trunk. At the bulkhead, random chunks of concrete were specified to be secured, and the bare area
raked smooth and covered with chopped up magnolia branches. These will be covered with jute webbing to hold them in place while the vines colonise them to provide long-term stability. As soon as possible, the installation of the props and the brace rods and the reduction of the crown over the river will be scheduled.
In 1774, the plant explorer William Bartram, known to his indigenous Seminole hosts as “Flower Hunter” or “Puc-Puggy”, reported camping under a magnolia tree at this approximate location. People say that this could be that same tree. 248 years later, it’s not clear this legend would hold up to scrutiny. But few legends do; anyway, the evidence documented in the annual rings rotted away long ago.
Questing for facts in a legend just gets in the way of a good story. Questing for tangible facts in a report, guided by Documenting Evidence, can lead the way to compelling and credible conclusions – the story the client needs to hear. AA
Bandit ‘s SG75 stump grinder is a class above. With a Kohler 74hp engine and intuitive radio remote control, the SG75 is the perfect machine for your next site. New stock incoming, enquire today!
Leigh De Abreu joins AA from this issue. Leigh is an expert climbing arborist with a passion for tree conservation. A graduate from Merrist Wood College receiving a Diploma in countryside and environment and sub-Diploma in Arboriculture. Climbing and leading crews in the south of England, his work/ travels have taken him to Brisbane where he has developed a true passion for adventure tree climbing. Using all the latest and greatest equipment and techniques over the past nine years to help aid the process, transferring skills back to daily work and passing on his wisdom with like-minded arborists.
In recent years, countless climbing setups have popped up enabling us as arborists, to access and traverse trees in more efficient and safer ways. Having learnt and climbed on moving roped systems from the beginning of my career, starting with the humble English prussik and now to more advanced mechanical devices, the decision to change to a single rope system has undoubtedly made the biggest difference to my time aloft. My aim with this article is to share a few personal insights and uses that have helped change the way I climb for the better.
To first start climbing on a single rope system, a few things must be in place, a few SRS specific devices must be purchased, with an understanding of some industry standard knots and a proficiency with the throwline; together with the basics of
highpoint installation a world of possibilities start to open. Accessing large trees is made a breeze with the addition of a Bigshot or APTA. Truly a game changer for anything over 30 metres. Rapid ascents can be made using a variety of ascending devices paired with proper technique.
Movement up a single rope system, once proficient, requires half the effort if not less than a moving rope system. Thrusting motions are gone, with a more upright position to be adopted (a huge improvement that my back is extremely thankful for). What started as merely a method of access for myself quickly became my primary working system.
Many variations for highpoints are being used currently with the biggest variation being basal or canopy anchor, both have uses in different circumstances. Although personally for a majority of situations the use of a basal anchor is primarily for access, the case being that not only is the anchor at the base of the tree now subject to interference,
but the line goes up one side of the tree and down the other, three points to be cautious of compared to the one of a canopy anchor.
Image 2 and 3: A personal favourite and extremely versatile canopy anchor, using an alpine butterfly paired with a pinto pulley and carabiner. Notice the gate always facing away from the chosen stem to avoid accidental opening of the carabiner. This can be made retrievable by having the tail end of rope reach the ground. Using this same method, the climbing side of the line can be measured out, the tail end then bundled and tied off in a convenient location. This has proved a great situational safety measure for when machines and other hazards could have potential to catch the climbers line. While working a spar as in image 3, the climber can adjust the retrieval length to the size of the logs being cut, descend to the measured-out point, make safe, retrieve the anchor point via the retrieval side of the line and reinstate the anchor point at the new desired location, the process is smooth and reassuring in use. The line being static and choked around the stem greatly increases the speed of decent if injury or other complications occurred; branches that could potentially snag a climber’s line in a moving rope system on decent don’t affect a static line.
Using SRS to navigate the trees canopy is the next hurdle, and one worthy of
“Movement up a single rope system, once proficient, requires half the effort if not less than a moving rope system.”Image 2. Image 3. Image 4.
overcoming. Alterations to climbing style are required for the abilities of SRS to be utilised in full. Once a suitable highpoint is installed, a pathway can be mapped out in the tree using redirects to attain the best positioning for more difficult limb walking. In image 4, the use of two redirects to traverse has enabled a greatly improved rope angle, while limb walking in a large spanning eucalyptus, all the while sustaining a main highpoint which was later returned to access the opposite side of the tree. Redirects can be chained together one after the other with no change to the climbing experience – all friction is dealt with by the climbing device while the rope stays static. In comparison, getting to the same position on a moving roped system would require changing highpoints, or a redirect adding more friction into the system. Bypassing these options and limb walking out would increase risk of a swing and the result would give worse overall positioning.
Image 4 and 5: a redirect using no extra hardware makes this my preferred choice.
Image 5.
To tie, the rope above the climbing device is first looped over the chosen limb and pulled tight, then using the rope above the climbing device multiple half hitches are tied over the loop. This redirect can be made retrievable by clipping the tail of the climber’s line to the rope between the two anchor points and pulling, after weight is taken off the system. I tend to use this over the option of a natural redirect as the forces of a natural redirect will pull the two points together when weighted. This does not happen with a static redirect such as the example in picture 3 and 4. Instead, the two points will move in conjunction with each other sharing the load between the two points.
So, why take the time to learn a new system when the old one works? To put in short, our skillset as climbing arborists is based on consistent results that we achieve using techniques we learn along the way. Learning the technique of SRS expands our possibilities while providing a consistent, fun and reliable climbing experience. AA
A Preliminary Arboricultural Impact Assessment report (or Pre-DA for short) assesses the potential impacts that a proposed development may have on trees prior to designs being drafted.
Pre-DA reports are typically used for drafting pre-development concept plans, for reviewing draft plans, and for other purposes such as correcting the placement of service lines and foundations to ensure the health and viability of trees.
Developments require input from many key personnel such as Arboricultural Consultants, landscape designers, engineers, town planners, heritage consultants, and possibly ecologists for sensitive sites; therefore, changes to structural details and materials, or finding out that trees are structurally sound, healthy or suitable in the new environment proposed, replanting specifications, weed species or are exempt under the 10/50 Vegetation Clearing Scheme can quickly accrue costs, delay progress on key development stages, and be distressing for clients. Time is essential for a development and this process can be streamlined with good quality consultancy, by matching experience with the project size and portfolio, and by having sequential and related programs.
By combining information from planning instruments (e.g. development control plans, NSW Planning Portal, SEED, NSW Rural Fire Service 10/50 Online Tool, etc.) and an arborist’s assessment of the trees’ health and condition, a Pre-DA report can reduce some of the planning costs associated with the re-drafting of plans by:
• Identifying which trees are protected or are desirable for preservation
• Determining what setbacks are required from a tree to minimise impacts from construction and to ensure their viability
• Stating tree defects, hazards and timeframes for intervention (this is a requirement within the Tree Contractors Association Australia’s Tree Management Guidelines)
• Providing recommendations for the management and protection of trees; and by, Caryssa Jones assessing a tree.
• Tabulating the types of checks and certifications which need to be completed prior to ‘frozen plan design’ and future demolition.
Pre-DA assessments also provide strategies to ensure that quality, healthy vegetation is protected. Most clients like to gain yield per square metre rather than keep healthy feature trees, and it’s certainly the consultant who can keep the trees in perpetuity with comments like ‘significant patch’ or ‘high retention value’. Australian Standard® AS 4970-2009 – Protection of Trees on Development Sites allude to design alteration for these types of quality trees, so if a client wants to pursue a higher yield, then they need to be clear on the trees’ current retention status in arboriculture.
To complete a Pre-DA report, a consulting arborist will require a scope of the intended works and a survey plan that pinpoints the location of all trees within or adjacent to a development site that may be impacted. A development site may be a residential plot,
a riparian corridor, or a biodiversity area where tree species belonging to a critically endangered ecological community (CEEC) need to be protected. With increased access to planning tools such as the NSW Planning Portal, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), SEED, Nearmap, SIX Maps, pathological laboratories, Euclid, DNA and soil testing labs, additional information can be sourced to check whether there are any development constraints and provisions. The time set aside to use these tools in important with Pre-DA assessments.
The pitfalls of not having a Pre-DA assessment and organised trades are evident when site issues such as soil contamination, land erosion and slip, compaction and deterioration of landscape feature trees arise. These issues can be flagged in the initial stage of a Pre-DA assessment and are more common for sites that have been tenanted or left vacant for many years. The Trees (Disputes Between Neighbours) Act 2006 can also ‘come into play’ when trees on neighbouring sites are
not considered, and going to court can be costly to a client without a consulting arborist on board (see Bowler v Mackney 2022 NSWLEC 1250). With Stephen Williams being the consultant arborist, it was a no brainer that you get bang for buck!
It has been my experience that when clients have the preparation from a Pre-DA assessment, they have a smoother entrance and exit process and achieve goals in a desired timeframe. Within the Land and Environment Court (LEC), issues of garden infrastructure and building design concepts are evident (see Gramadah Pty Limited v Hilltops Council 2022 NSWLEC 1022) where a Regional RV park was approved, but Council wouldn’t issue a construction
certificate (CC) until a tree risk assessment had been completed. The slowdown of progress from the client’s perspective was costly and distressing. On asking 80-yearold George whether he would undertake development projects, he refers to going back to Canada where the mayor was proactive in assisting development. A PreDA assessment in this case would have determined a better planning outcome and allowed for more time to be spent in other areas of the client’s life.
In accordance with Section 3.3.3 of Australian Standard® AS 4970-2009 –Protection of Trees on Development Sites, a major impact is considered to be any encroachment that is greater than 10 per cent of the area of a tree’s TPZ, or any encroachment within a tree’s Structural Root Zone (SRZ). Where major TPZ encroachments occur, root mapping investigations and tree-sensitive construction measures are required to minimise these impacts and can result in further costs to developers. Timeframes can be horrendous
when a consenting authority issues a Stop the Clock on development applications (DA) to request further information, and frustration can edge on both sides with juggling a full schedule and implementing priority works (i.e. root mapping investigations or further assessments), adding pressure to an already over-stressed client. If the issues were in plain sight prior to development, they could gather the evidence without the added time pressure of assessing, then reporting, then seeking the best quotes for the work.
A consulting arborist requires in-depth experience for many years within the industry prior to operating a consultancy. The quality communication required for industry best practice (IBP) is rarely developed within an arboricultural qualification course, but it is a benchmark for performance and is gauged by a client. It basically means that consultants have to utilise the underpinning standards, tree management guidelines and refer to their industry peer associates to communicate well, with a client or stakeholders and consenting authorities.
“The pitfalls of not having a Pre-DA assessment and organised trades are evident when site issues such as soil contamination, land erosion and slip, compaction and deterioration of landscape feature trees arise.”Michelle King – B.Sc (Syd), M.ConsBiol (MQ). Robert McArdle drill testing in elevated work platform. Dan and Jim McArdle, Author of 'Tree Management Guidelines', enjoying a cup of tea in younger days.
Having a Pre-DA assessment is therefore beneficial in streamlining the development process, reducing costs and stress to clients, and by ensuring the preservation of highvalue vegetation.
Jim McArdle – TCAA President B.Ed.Sc (ACU) Diploma Arboriculture AQF5 (Ryde), AQF3(RPL). vTRA & QTRA
Australian Standard® AS 4970-2009 –Protection of Trees on Development Sites. NSW Caselaw
D&J McArdle (2022) Tree Management Guidelines - Tree Contractors Association Australia. AA
You won’t find many, if any, with a narrower footprint of the 1890’s 790mm.
If the Monitor 1890 Spider Lift was a kid at school, it would be that kid who got always picked first on sports day for anything else for that matter. The 1890 ticks all the boxes for a very economical and compact machine that is trailer able, very quiet and has impressive reach for its size.
In the Australasia region you simply won’t find a more popular spider lift than the Monitor 1890 Spider Lift. Its ease of use is right up there and, with multiple add-ons and variations, this machine can be tailored to your specific needs.
The Monitor 1890 almost sounds too good to be true but after seeing it in action firsthand down in a busy area in Brookvale, I’ve got to say I too was impressed with the reach and small footprint of this fantastic machine. Our test operator for this review was Alex Penn from Northern Beaches Tree Services, who gave us a first-hand experience as to why the 1890 is so popular.
As we set up at 6:45am, Alex was able to use the Lithium battery to get the machine off the trailer and into position and ready to go with next to zero noise from the spider lift. Then, when the clock ticked over 7:00am, he started the Honda Engine and started work. Having the best of both worlds with the petrol engine and Lithium battery was impressive.
The machine was working on mostly flat concrete, so the set up and leveling was a breeze. The variant we had to test didn’t have auto levelling, but this feature is an add-on that can be easily added if needed.
For those working in residential areas and needing tight access capabilities, the 1890 goes down to 790x1920mm in size which allows it to drive through a domestic doorway. Chatting with Alex about the ease of the set up, he shared: “You couldn’t ask for a better machine to set up, it was ready to start work in minutes, and even though
today’s site was in a car park with plenty of room, a lot of our work is on residential homes where tight access is an absolute must. Being able to fit through gates, doorways etc is key, and you can see from today, when the machine is configured for tight access, it’s not going to cause you any headaches.”
Alex continued: “As we were setting up this morning, it was pouring with rain. Then we were lucky enough to have a narrow window of time to get in and get our work done. If we were climbing, there’s no way
It’s not surprising this is such a popular machine with these features and ease of use.
“Having the best of both worlds with the petrol engine and Lithium battery was impressive.”Extra-long stabilizer legs.
we would have completed today’s job. There were some thick sections on several blue gums that needed to be cut back, and a handful of palms that needed some attention as well. To be able to utilise the 18m working height and 9m horizontal reach so quickly and easily made short work of this morning’s job. Being a busy car park area, we needed to get in and get out with as little impact on the surrounding businesses as possible, and with the Monitor 1890 Spider Lift we certainly did that. In amazing time.”
The Monitor 1890 sports some extra-long travel stabilizer legs which make it perfect for working on sloping sites. So, operators like Alex who work in a mix of residential and commercial projects are going to find a range of standout features that make this such a versatile machine.
Alex said: “If I had to pick the top three features that made this such a hit for us today,
they would have to be, #1 Impressive reach, #2 Compact size, #3 Ease of use. Earlier today I wasn't sure we were going to have the reach we needed to get to the top of these big trees, but the Monitor got us there without any problems. The fact you can easily tow this to site on a trailer, quickly unload and make your way through gates or doorways and get into position, is awesome. The basket can be removed by a single person in less than one minute and the operations are simple and straight forward. If for some reason you do have a drama when operating your spider lift, you can call Monitor who will direct you to the onboard Cam bus system, where they will step you through a quick and easy diagnostic system to identify the problem and get you back to work in no time. This onboard system also controls the safety aspects of limiting the positioning of the spider to stay within safe working parameters.”
As the looming storm clouds rolled in a few hours after we started work, the boys were in pack-up mode as the job had been completed in great time and total safety.
Without the Monitor spider lift on site, there was no way Alex and his team would have been anywhere near completing their work when the rain set back in.
It’s this huge time saving element, along with the added safety, compact size, ease of use and amazing reach that has made the Monitor 1890 Spider Lift such a well-rounded and popular machine and with the customisation that exists with this great spider lift, it’s looking like the 1890 will continue to be the first choice for many operators in the tree care, arboriculture and vegetation management area moving forward for some time.
Simon and his team have put more than 1,500 hours into their Bandit chipper and haven’t regretted a moment thanks to the fantastic after-sales service.
When choosing a new woodchipper for his business in 2019, Simon Lonsdale needed a machine he could count on to perform over many years of chipping on all types of job sites.
Simon’s business, Frontier Tree Services, has been based on the Gold Coast for more than 30 years, and needed a chipper to process the unique rainforest trees and palms commonly found in the area.
“We choose Bandit and the 15XPC over other manufactures because of their good reputation, reliable machines and excellent sales and after care support,” says Simon.
“As anyone in the industry knows, chippers need constant servicing and maintenance, so the key important factor for us was to have someone who we could trust and rely on to maintain the machine and have parts readily available for quick turnaround repairs.”
Frontier Tree Services has now racked up more than 1,500 hours on the 15XPC and has been impressed with the tireless efforts of the Bandit service team in keeping the chipper in supreme condition.
“I feel Jason and the Bandit team really do try to go above and beyond to ensure we are looked after as a client and could not fault their customer service efforts,” says Simon.
“Jason regularly checks in to see how the machine is running and ensures we have
stock of any required parts or consumable items. He always offers to personally deliver any orders when he is in the area.”
A standout feature of the 15XPC is its large engine, delivering the same power as its big brother, the Bandit 18XPC, in a smaller machine.
“We find the 15XPC is a good compact machine without compromising on chipping capacity,” says Simon. “We often require smaller machinery, and precise work processes to safely dismantle trees and undertake pruning works.”
“We particularly like the 15XPC’s lift and crush ability.” Other
•
•
Established in 1991, Frontier Tree Services primary customer base is the private domestic market on the Gold Coast. Simon has been the director for the past five years and has more than 20 years of experience in the industry.
“We specialise in providing tree pruning, tree removal, stump grinding and consultancy services to residential homes, residential housing complexes, hotels and resorts,” says Simon.
“We predominantly work within an urban environment, often in confined spaces, and in and around a lot of buildings and infrastructure.
“I feel Jason and the Bandit team really do try to go above and beyond to ensure we are looked after as a client and could not fault their customer service efforts.”
The new Husqvarna 90cc chainsaw is developed to meet the toughest of demands, in the most user-friendly way possible, for demanding tree professionals. Designed to meet heavy-duty challenges with power output, user-centric design and excellent manoeuvrability. It is built to endure and to be truly reliable. In short, it is made to provide you with the very best workday.
More powerful – best in class cutting capacity
The cutting capacity is the result of a combination of the extremely powerful X-Torq® engine and the razor-sharp X-CUT® chain, and the end result is unparalleled levels of productivity. It’ll make you better and faster and provide an improved cutting experience.
More efficient – best in class power-to-weight
When compared to competitor models in the same displacement class, the new 592 XP® offers an unbeatable combination of low weight and high power output levels, making you more efficient. The saws optimised balance is a result of optimised centre of gravity and, with the X-Tough™ Light bar, will provide for easier manoeuvring and a more efficient workday.
•
More reliable – vital reliability and easy starts
Husqvarna 592 XP® features new starting technology that makes the chainsaw more reliable and provides easier starts. Thanks to AutoTune™ 3.0, the engine settings are always optimised for maximum performance in all conditions, keeping you going no matter the challenges. The starting procedure is simplified and only one starting procedure is required no matter the conditions, or the temperature of the engine, which further improves the reliability. Additionally, it’s
equipped with a heavy-duty air filter with rubber sealing and a robust crankcase that handles bars of up to 36".
The new 592 XP® saw will deliver impressive cutting capacity by being equipped with the combination of the X-TOUGH® Light or X-TOUGH® bar, and a razor-sharp X-CUT® chain with hard to match stay-sharp properties. The X-TOUGH® Light bar is a robust bar with reduced weight that greatly improves manoeuvrability. The X-TOUGH® bar made
•
•
•
“Husqvarna 592 XP ® features new starting technology that makes the chainsaw more reliable and provides easier starts.”
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is urging taxpayers to be vigilant following an increase in reports of fake websites offering to provide tax file numbers (TFN) and Australian business numbers (ABN) for a fee but failing to provide the service. The fake TFN and ABN services are often advertised on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The advertisements offer to obtain a TFN or ABN for a fee. Instead of delivering this service, the scammer uses these fraudulent websites to steal both money and personal information.
It is free, quick and easy to use government services to apply for a TFN through the ATO,
Tree Radar Australia uses a ground penetrating Radar Unit to provide the only, completely non-invasive method of tree decay detection and tree root detection available in Australia.
or apply for an ABNExternal Link through the Australian Business Register (ABR).
ATO Assistant Commissioner Tim Loh said: “Scammers are constantly developing new ways to target the community, and we expect to see more of these malicious attempts to steal identity details in the lead up to tax time.”
In 2021, more than 50,000 people reported ATO impersonation scams with victims losing a total of more than $800,000.
For more information on how to identify and report a scam visit www.ato.gov.au/ General/Online-services/Identity-securityand-scams/Verify-or-report-a-scam/ AA
Tree Decay is a severe problem which can put all the structure around a tree at risk. With Tree Radar Units™ decay detection, Tree Radar can scan for decay in any tree regardless of its height. The Tree Radar unit can give an accurate read out of the severity of decay in a tree without having to penetrate the Tree’s surface.
Tree Radar Unit™ can detect and establish the root proliferation of a tree, this allows the arborist to inform developers of any structural or instability issues without the need for drilling or digging.
CMC Aerial Platforms are world leader in aerial lift technology. Based in Bari, Italy, CMC Lifts are a best seller in more than 30 countries. Safety and innovation are at the forefront of all Aerial Platforms, with all design based around the operator of the machine. CMC Aerial Platforms range from 13m to 41m of maximum working height, providing safe and easy access to those hard-to-reach places. This winning combination provides our customers a better value and greater ROI.
Först is a brand of Redwood Global Ltd, one of the UK’s best trusted, longest established and leading suppliers to the arboriculture industry. Launched in March 2013, the Först brand has fast become recognised as something set apart from anything else the market can offer. Först brings a new level of performance and quality to the industry and has been quickly placed by Global Machinery Sales customers as the undisputed best value for money wood chipper on the market.
Rayco was founded in 1978 in Wooster Ohio, by John M. Bowling who created the original RG 145 stump cutter. Since then, Rayco has grown to be one of the most recognizable names in the industry, providing a wide range of innovative environmental equipment. Rayco offers a variety of stump grinders from self-propelled, to compact stump cutters with the versatility to handle any stump cutting job. They are truly un-stumpable.
The Waimea T320 is an agile unit with an incredible 11m horizontal outreach and compact stowed dimensions. At only 7.9m long, 2.2m in width and 3m in stowed height, this machine allows you to access those hard to get to applications and makes roadside applications look easy with its small stabiliser footprint and minimal tail swing!
Seated on a Hino 921 Automatic Cab Chassis, the Waimea T320 is powered by an engine driven PTO, allowing you to switch from stacking up kilometres to chopping down trees.
With pilot operated hydraulic controls for smooth boom functions, the Waimea T320 provides you with the proportional functionality required in the Arbor industry and yet still has fast boom movements when time is of the essence. Four hydraulic levers at the rear of the truck allow you to level the stabiliser legs quickly and efficiently, providing you with a view of both sides of the truck as you’re doing this.
The Waimea T320 Truck Mount is built to accommodate two persons and tools with a maximum rated basket capacity of 225kg. Also, this machine runs a 240V Electric Outlet to the basket allowing you to operate power tools safely at height or charge your spare batteries as you operate.
Once level and in the basket of the Waimea T320, having only one boom allows the operator to point and shoot the basket in the right direction and is very simple to operate with just four hydraulic functions. One lever allows you to slew the full boom of the EWP 360 degrees and provides you with a continuous slewing ability. This means you can rotate the boom 360 degrees in the one direction multiple times, if required, allowing you to access more trees in one setup. The second function allows you to elevate and lower the boom. Third function allows you to telescope the boom in and out giving you access to a much greater radius of a canopy, and the fourth function provides you with platform rotation allowing an operator to navigate his way through a clustered canopy or display the full face of the basket providing a more comfortable working position.
To find out more about this great machine, email trucks@waimea.net.au or call (02) 8610 5601.
Y L
A D E R S I N F I R E W O O D M A C H I N E R Y
Teufelberger Treecare has been present for many years on the Australian market and offers nearly 450 products to arborists through its network of dealers. But Teufelberger undertaken a global overhaul of its distribution system and its partnerships in order to be able to offer the best products and services to all arborists on the Australian continent.
The Austrian company signed an exclusive import and distribution agreement earlier this year with Sydney-based RISE® Equipment, who was founded by Clancy Simpson. RISE® Equipment has developed a nationwide dealer network and will be taking part in multiple events in-country and maintaining Teufelberger stock locally in Australia to service the demands of the market for arborist products.
RISE® Equipment (rise-au.com) is a
professional equipment supplier for the heights industry. It has been specifically tailored to a range of at height professions including arborists, rope access technicians and riggers (entertainment riggers –industrial riggers – stunt riggers).
Teufelberger has also decided to expand its ambassador program to Australia with the addition of Chris Maata, an Australian arborist living in the Sydney area, who will
strengthen the team already made up of 24 climbers from 15 countries. His main missions will be to conduct workshops to promote good practice and safety, provide technical assistance to partners and resellers of Teufelberger products and promote all tree-related professions. It is likely that Chris will be supported by a second ambassador during 2023, stay tuned!
In 2022, Teufelberger is excited to launch two new treeMOTION Essential and Pro harnesses which replace the old S.Light, Standard and Evo versions. Teufelberger has collected over the last two years the input and feedback from hundreds of climbers, dozens of partners and 25 ambassadors in order to propose the best harness that Teufelberger has ever designed and manufactured.
For more information visit www.teufelberger.com
As you would know, having a stable machine relieves a lot of the stress on your calves and ankles and prevents you from having to hold yourself still in inferior machines that wobble and move at full height – therefore, allowing you to complete your applications to a greater standard.
To start with, you can order the Monitor 2714 Spider – which is the big brother of the Monitor 2210 Spider – in either the Diesel engine only setup (a powerful Kubota engine) or Diesel/Lithium battery hybrid version, which comes with so much added potential to this already impressive setup.
The optional onboard Lithium battery pack provides almost silent, emission-free use. Majority of machines sold to date in Australia have this feature and can be a real game changer when positioning the machine in and around buildings where noise needs to be kept to a minimum and allows for simpler communication with the ground crew which is critical in this industry.
Working height and reach Being able to reach 27m is impressive enough but the 15.1m horizontal working outreach and the 10m of up and overreach allows for an enormous amount of flexibility so that you can safely setup the machine. Having this incredible reach allows you to accomplish a lot more in just the one setup, therefore increasing efficiency and effectiveness which we all know is critical in this industry. Also, the Monitor 2714 Spider is known to make all the impossible tasks
become achievable, providing added safety and usability.
Even though the reach of this machine is extremely impressive, its accessibility and manoeuvrability are both equally impressive features. The tracks on the Monitor 2714 Spider tuck into and get just about anywhere with its min-width of 890mm. It can also be folded down to a max height of 1.99m, giving excellent access to backyards through side gates and alike. This type of access is very impressive for a spider lift of its height as you could imagine.
The radio control unit is very ergonomic and simple to use. All functions are fully proportional, and several aerial functions can be performed simultaneously. The functions speeds are nice and fast if desired, making for quick set-up times and productive work times. The variable position outrigger system
is brilliant. Even with all outriggers in the narrow position, the Monitor 2714 Spider will achieve full working height with full SWL and 360 degrees of slew. If you are setting up in tight areas, or in and around obstacles, this feature will be a game changer. This is an awesome machine for working in confined spaces where access to taller heights is required and the high-speed Auto level along with the long outrigger travel allows for fast and versatile set-up options.
Then, once your application has been completed and it’s time to pack the machine up, the auto stow feature makes this machine simple and easy to centre and settle down into its correct stowed position, therefore making your life easier at just the push of a button.
The Monitor 2714 Spider Lift has proven to be an absolute game changer for many clients now and can be so for you too.
For more information call 1800 025 024 or visit www.monitor.net.au
Snorkel
This versatile, all-steel boom lift can be fitted to most 5.5-tonne and greater GVM vehicles. Truck-mounted boom lifts allow the reach and versatility of an articulating boom lift with the convenience of a truck that can travel at highway speeds.
With a maximum working height of 15.8m and horizontal outreach of 7.1m, this boom lift is ideal for agricultural, maintenance, and tree-trimming and pruning applications. The platform measures 0.61m x 1.07m and has a weight capacity of 200kg.
The EPV16A’s all-steel boom and base construction ensures strength and durability, while the stabilizer/boom interlock and failsafe hydraulics with check valves ensure safe function and balance while the boom is in use. The boom lift also features automatic self-levelling stabilizers, a full-steel deck with perimeter handrails, and a boom arm that is fixed on a turntable that offers 540-degree rotation (non-continuous). Some optional features include an AC or hydraulic outlet on the working platform for convenience, a flashing light on the boom, and a safety harness and lanyard for increased security.
All Snorkel truck-mounted boom lifts are built to the highest standards and engineers carry out rigorous quality checks at every stage of production. To ensure customers have peace of mind in purchasing Snorkel products, all Snorkel machines come with a five-year structural warranty and a two-year warranty for parts and labour.
A leading global manufacturer, Snorkel creates elevated work platforms that are simple, reliable and robust. Made with all-steel construction, Snorkel EWPs are dependable and long-lasting. Four fully equipped sales and service facilities in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth offer nationwide service, and locations are supported by a network of field representatives and certified technicians.
For more information call the Ahern Australia team on 1300 900 700 or visit ahernaustralia.com.au AA
Kanga Loaders invented the mini loader on the Gold Coast back in 1981 and during that time has undertaken several identity changes. The latest being a name change to “Kanga Loaders” back in the late '90s. The logo and machine branding had remained relatively unchanged since then.
“It was important to us that we embraced Kanga’s rich 40-year history and respected our heritage,” said Rod Lehpamer, Kanga General Manager. “We didn’t want the new logo to stray too far from the original design, which has served the brand so well over the years,” he continued.
With technology moving ahead so quickly, the modernised logo will better reflect the exciting future ahead for Kanga Loaders as they embrace the latest trends. In addition to the logo change, Kanga Loaders will be updating machine branding as well as upgrading all safety decals to ISO standard.
For more info visit kangaloader.com AA
EXTREMELY COMPACT, MINIMAL INCREASE OF THICKNESS
PORTION OF CORE INCORPORATED IN EYE INCREASING STRENGTH
PASSES THROUGH MOST COMMON SRT & DRT DEVICES
HANDMADE IN ISNY, GERMANY
Kanga Loaders, the leading Australian manufacturer of stand on mini loaders announced that it has completed a major rebranding, the first in over 20 years.
“Cost of Living” Bills to ease cost of living pressures through the tax system.
The Treasury Laws Amendment (Cost of Living Support and Other Measures) Bill 2022, the Excise Tariff Amendment (Cost of Living Support) Bill 2022 and the Customs Tariff Amendment (Cost of Living Support) Bill 2022 have been introduced and passed by Parliament.
Among other things, these Bills will increase relevant Medicare levy low-income thresholds for individuals and families in line with movements in the CPI; allowing an income tax deduction for taxpayers who incur relevant COVID-19 testing expenses in gaining or producing their assessable income (for expenses incurred on or after July 1 2021).
It also makes it easier for businesses to create employee share schemes that meet particular requirements (with effect from six months after Royal Assent to the Bill);
reduce the GDP adjustment factor for the 2022-23 income year to two per cent for working out the amount of PAYG and GST instalments payable by a taxpayer in certain circumstances (with effect for instalment quarters that fall due for the 2022-23 income year); increase the low and middle income tax offset for the 2021-22 income year by $420; provides a “cost of living payment” of $250 to various social support and other recipients (with effect after the Bill receives Royal Assent); temporarily reduce the excise duty rates and excise-equivalent customs duty rates for fuels, including petrol and diesel and similar petroleum-based products, including oils and grease (with effect from March 30 2022).
For more information on the new bills visit www.aph.gov.au AA
You’ve got killer ideas, fire in your belly and you’re prepared to put in the hard yards.
The first months of a new business venture are often highly exciting and productive. But a slip up now could cost you not only your capital but also your confidence, your reputation as well as your business.
Sadly, Australian business failure rates are at a six-year high, with more than 250,000 businesses deregistered from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission last financial year, most of them (87%) small businesses.
Starting a small business can be very rewarding but it is also very challenging. So, here we’re taking a look at five common
mistakes that new businesses make and how you can avoid them.
Setting a business plan is crucial – it is one of the very first things you should do to help ensure the success of your new venture.
A business plan can help you focus your efforts, refine your ideas and start you budgeting for your launch.
While there are no hard-and-fast rules about what you should include, the Department of Industry and Innovation has a great template and guide that covers all the big picture stuff – your vision for the business, market, future and finances.
The most important aspects of how to make a business plan from this guide include:
• Do your research
• Work out who the plan is for
• Get professional help
• Record actual v expected figures
• Review, review, review
Following these will get you thinking about the really important foundational details like competitor research, your marketing strategy, legal considerations and start-up costs.
This brings us to cash flow. Sadly as many as 46 per cent of Australian businesses fail due to either inadequate cash flow or high cash use, according to ASIC.
The Victorian government offers a cash flow forecasting template and a cash flow improvement checklist, while the Western Australian government outlines some levers you can pull to improve your cash flow.
In the global digital marketplace, pricing can be one of the toughest factors for a business to settle on. But getting it right is essential –pricing affects how competitive you are, the kinds of customers you attract, whether your business is sustainable and how much you can invest in growing your business.
Pricing strategies you may want to consider include premium pricing, penetration pricing, skimming and going-rate pricing.The federal government offers an introduction to pricing strategies, while Business Victoria
has a guide to getting your pricing right and Business Queensland offers an online calculator.
So far, we’ve focused on the importance of taking a careful and measured approach to launching your business. But there’s a balance you need to strike. Many new business owners leave it too long before they launch – they wait until they’re 110 per cent sure the product, the website and the marketing are perfect.
But there comes a point when the only way you can make your business better is by getting it out there, finding out what works, what doesn’t and learning from it.
When you’re starting out, it can be tempting to think “I’ve got nothing to lose yet” and delay buying business insurance until you feel that there’s “something to insure”.
But the reality is that your exposure to financial loss starts from day one and if you haven’t structured your business carefully, you – and indirectly your family – could be personally liable for any losses.
For an audit of your main exposures to risk – both now and as your business grows – be sure to speak to your local Steadfast insurance broker about your small business insurance needs. More often than not, they’ll be able to identify risks to your business that you hadn’t even considered.
Fitzpatrick & Co. Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd (ABN: 25 050 242 914, AFSL No.: 244386). This article provides information rather than financial product or other advice. The content of this article, including any information contained in it, has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs.
You should consider the appropriateness of the information, taking these matters into account, before you act on any information. In particular, you should review the product disclosure statement for any product that the information relates to it before acquiring the product.
For more information on how Fitzpatrick & Co. Insurance Brokers can assist with your insurance needs please call (03) 8544 1600 or visit, www.fitzpatrick.com.au AA
What a crazy first half of the year we’ve had in 2022. Between continuing Covid challenges, weather that has impacted several states, workforce pressures and increasing costs, it has been a very busy and stressful time for those in the arboricultural industry.
While we know you all love being busy, we’ve also heard about an increasing number of accidents and work-related injuries as a result of people trying to take shortcuts in order to save time. We work in a dangerous industry and every time you fail to properly focus or try to make things faster, you are rolling the dice with your lifestyle, your financial situation, your professional reputation and your life.
Whether it is missing that final safety check, not going back to the truck or office for the right piece of equipment, failing to use PPE, or just rushing through a job to get to the next one, no one wins when the result is a potential injury and time off work.
Slow down, take the necessary time to do inspections, form a plan, and always put your safety and that of your colleagues, first. Everyone deserves to be safe and go home healthy at the end of each day.
Just like you, the QAA has been impacted by the rising cost of living in 2022. With the price of just about everything going up, businesses are looking for ways to reduce costs to ensure their longevity, but many aren’t sure where to start.
That’s why we’re currently working on a resource that examines the true cost of running a business. It will look at what the costs of an employee versus a contractor are, along with the rules people should know on using each one.
Our aim is to help businesses identify those ‘hidden extras’ that we don’t always consider when planning for future growth and when pricing jobs. The resource will be available on the QAA website later this year; check our social media for updates on its release.
The new financial year is almost here which means our new sponsorship packages will soon come into effect. Our sponsorship packages were very popular in 2021 and we are excited that most of our sponsors have returned in 2022.
Due to the interest we had in becoming a QAA sponsor last year, we increased the number of available packages in 2022 which means there are still some opportunities available for new sponsors.
If you are interested in finding out more information about our sponsorship packages, contact office@qaa.net.au.
As per the membership review in 2020, membership fees will increase effective July 1, 2022. This increase was due to come into effect in 2021 but we delayed its implementation with the industry being so hard hit by Covid-19 and lockdowns.
QAA is 30 years old in 2022 and, until now, we have not changed or increased our membership fees. This price increase will allow us to better cover operational costs, particularly around the increased number of workshops and events we are now offering.
Effective July 1, the membership fee will increase by 2.5% for General members and 10% for Qualified and Corporate members. The Student member fee will not increase.
Our first climbing competition for 2022, the Husqvarna Amateur Open on March 19, was an amazing success. It was a great day with climbers ranging in experience level from
12 hours to state champions and we saw some fantastic efforts, particularly from our rookie climbers. Thank you to all those who took part and congratulations to our winners (listed in order of placing):
• Novice – Male: Caleb Pratt, Rory Haydock, Jackson Tom, Jake Nyhouse, Oscar Bamford, Nathan Lang
• Novice – Female: Tammy Brown, Julia Steele, Tanya Devereaux
• Pro – Male: Jamie Boston, Grant Woodcock, Shay Williams, Seb McDonald, Beaver Kindred, James Morris
• Pro – Female: Jess Hamer, Alana Murray
We would also like to thank our fantastic volunteers who helped make the day so memorable. Without your assistance, we simply wouldn’t be able to put events such as these on.
Finally, a massive thank you to our main event sponsor, Husqvarna, as well as our individual event sponsors, Inspiration Trees (Work Climb and Spirit of the Competition), Reecoil (Ascent), Brisbane Tree Experts (Aerial Rescue), PowerClear (Speed Climb), Vermeer Australia (Throwline), and Husqvarna (Volunteers). Your support means ticket prices can remain low which gives more climbers the chance to participate.
In April, the QAA hosted ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) training at MyHorizon in Capalaba, QLD. In total, 26 people enjoyed the beautiful views and great catering while attending the re-certification course on April 19 and full, three-day course from April 20-22.
Participants praised the efforts of Mark Roberts and Ben Kenyon (full course only) on delivering an informative and enjoyable course. Thank you to Mark and Ben for delivering these great courses.
On Friday 29 April we held our Industry Protection Zone event that examined the Skills Gap topic. A lot of issues were discussed including education, longevity within the industry, attracting new people, funding and regulation. Thank you to our Panel Leader, Rod Morris, for leading such an absorbing and thought-provoking discussion.
Thank you also to our awesome panelists, Steve Hayes, Craig Reid, Janis Lamont, Harry Pearce, Ben McDonald, Simon Lonsdale and Nick Smith. Your insight into the topic from your respective roles was very enlightening.
After the success of last year’s event, we’re excited to be heading back to Cairns next month. The two-day event kicks off with a Complex Tree Climbing Workshop on Friday 22 July. This will be followed by the Vermeer Freestyle Climbing Competition on Saturday 23 July where we will no doubt see some incredible efforts.
For more information scan the QR code below, visit the QAA website or follow our Facebook event.
Tickets are now on sale for our 30 Year Gala Dinner on Saturday 19 November. The event will be held at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane and is promising to be a memorable night.
Tickets include pre dinner drinks, a delicious three-course dinner, entertainment including a five-piece band, dancing and the announcement of our latest award winners.
Nominations and voting for awards open in July; check our social media pages for updates.
For info call QAA on (07) 3821 1488, email office@qaa.net.au, or you can go to www.qaa.net.au. Follow us on Facebook (QueenslandArboriculturalAssociation), Twitter (QLD_Arb_Assoc), Instagram (qaa_arborist), LinkedIn (queenslandarboricultural-association) or via the QAA App. AA
Safe Work Australia has released new work health and safety (WHS) guidance on Japanese encephalitis for persons conducting a business or undertaking.
Japanese encephalitis is caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). It is spread through mosquito bites and is more common in areas of increased mosquito activity.
Infection in humans is usually asymptomatic, but on rare occasions it can result in severe disease such as encephalitis (infection of the brain) and even death.
JEV spreads when a human is bitten by a mosquito that has previously bitten a pig or a wild waterbird infected with the virus. Japanese encephalitis has been detected in parts of South-Eastern Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Victoria and South Australia.
If you are a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) in an area where Japanese encephalitis is a concern, you must do everything that is reasonably practicable to eliminate the risk of workers
and visitors contracting it. Where you are unable to eliminate the risk, you must do everything that is reasonably practicable to minimise it.
To minimise risks, you must implement all reasonably practical control measures such as:
• Encouraging or ensuring vaccination, particularly if your workers have been identified as part of a group for priority vaccination
• Avoiding or minimising working outside where possible, especially dusk/evening and dawn when mosquitos are most active
• Eliminating mosquito breeding sites around the workplace where possible, including removing any debris which may collect standing water
• Ensuring workers avoid contact with bodily fluids and tissues of potentially infected
animals, or if this is not possible, ensure workers have appropriate training in handling potentially contaminated animals and are provided with appropriate personal protective equipment such as masks, eye protection and gloves
• Installing insect screens on windows, doors, vents and other entrances
• Using insecticide sprays, vapour dispensing units (indoors) and mosquito coils (outdoors) to clear rooms or repel mosquitoes from an area, and
• Protecting workers and others at the workplace from being bitten by mosquitoes.
You must also provide information to workers on the risks and symptoms of Japanese encephalitis, and train workers in the use of controls.
For more info visit safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/hazards/japanese-encephalitis
Safe Work Australia has released new solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) fact sheet.
Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is a risk for anyone who works outside. Solar UVR is not only a hazard when working in direct sunlight, it can also be reflected off certain materials, such as concrete, metal, snow and sand. PCBUs must do everything that is reasonably practicable to eliminate the risks associated with workplace solar UVR exposure.
Safe Work Australia has announced the development of a fact sheet on the risks of solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure at work.
Raising awareness of the dangers of UVR for anyone who works outside is important, given the high rate of skin cancer in Australia. Around two in three Australians will be diagnosed with some form of skin cancer before the age of 70*. Exposure to solar UVR is a risk for anyone who works outside. Solar UVR is a hazard when working in direct sunlight as well as when light is reflected off certain materials.
Safe Work Australia latest fact sheet contains information on identifying when UVR exposure may be a hazard, and ways to assess and manage the risks associated with exposure.
Download and share the fact sheet in your workplace today by visiting www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/managing-risks-solarultraviolet-radiation
*Data source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Skin cancer in Australia, AIHW, Canberra, 2016.
For more information on exposure to solar UVR visit safeworkaustralia.gov.au/resources-and-publications/guidancematerials/guide-exposure-solar-ultraviolet-radiation AA
another income stream for his Vermeer machinery led Stefan Karlsson to set up Brisbane Tree Equipment Hire (BTEH), a successful wet and dry hire business that services Brisbane and the wider region.
Stefan started working with Vermeer machines back in 1989, trimming fallen trees out of powerlines. In 1995, he started Hi-Tech Tree Services, which was primarily a tree cutting business, but after running that for five years, he was looking for other ways to use the machines he had invested in for the business.
“If we’d lose out on contracts, our machines would have too much downtime, so we started to wet and dry hire them out to see how that would go for us, and it turned out to be quite successful,” Stefan says.
“Then in 2017, I decided to solely focus on equipment hire and sold the tree services side of the business, and it’s been going strong ever since.”
BTEH is based out of Deception Bay in Queensland, but service areas from Toowoomba all the way up to Hervey Bay and down to Lismore in NSW. Stefan hires
his machines out to mostly private sectors and local councils.
“People will travel that far to hire our machines and workers, as they know we offer a good service with good machinery.”
Stefan says currently about 95 per cent of his work is dry hire, but he can see the market is shifting to more appetite for wet hire, as businesses shift to outsource more work.
“At the moment, we just don’t have the labour for more wet hire work, but it’s definitely something I want to look into over the next year or so and expand more in the wet hire space. The demand is there, and the time is right,” Stefan says. “I think if we work on that part of the business, I could turn it into a more 60/40 split with dry/wet hire.”
Stefan started with five Vermeer chippers,
and now he runs 12 chippers, along with stump grinders, cherry pickers, spider lifts and tip trucks, all for wet and dry hire.
“The tree industry can be difficult to work in, and hiring out machines is even harder, but we’ve made it work, which has a lot to do with the quality Vermeer machinery we work with.
“Vermeer has always been well-renowned and the most popular in the industry, and they have definitely lived up to their reputation with us for all these years.
“The team we work with there is very knowledgeable and you can tell they know the industry. They’ve taught me a lot about the machines over the years, and I’ve brought that knowledge back to help me build and grow my business.”
To find out more about Vermeer Australia and their range of tree equipment machinery, call 1300 VERMEER or head online to www.vermeeraustralia.com.au
Since launching in 2013, Först have rapidly become the market leaders for commercial woodchippers throughout Europe.
The brand has become a firm favourite for arborists, rail contractors, local authorities and rental/hire companies thanks to their absolute focus on performance and reliability, as well as being the first company in the industry to offer a three-year, no quibble warranty on all machines.
Först chippers are now available throughout Australia thanks to an exclusive distribution deal with Global Machinery Sales. Global Machinery Sales supplies the arboriculture, forestry, access and landscaping industries with machines including woodchippers, stump grinders, spider lifts and forestry mowers across the
country from their locations in Melbourne, Sydney and, from February 2022, Brisbane.
Global Machinery Sales offers both wheeled and tracked Först chippers, but has noted that Australian customers are particularly interested in the ST8D and ST6P models.
“One thing I hear a lot from contacts in the arb industry about Först chippers
is ‘wow, someone has put some serious thought into these machines.’ The access to the engine, grease points, blades and variable speed controls are all designed around the end user, making service and maintenance easier,” says Brian Evans, Director at Global.
Boasting 45 horsepower with a huge amount of torque and phenomenal performance, the Först ST8D makes light work of any type of timber and brash up to
8" in diameter. The ST8D is fast, aggressive and powerful with its Kubota diesel engine delivering exceptional fuel economy. The chipper is compact enough for the city, yet offers performance comparable to machines twice it’s physical size.
The Först ST6P is the fastest, most aggressive and most robust machine in its class making it the best-selling 6" capacity petrol woodchipper in the UK and Europe. At the heart of the machine is the industry renowned FörstGrip feed roller system and Först flywheel system giving this machine unmatched performance in processing all types of material.
Brian’s son Sam Evans, who also works in the business as the General Manager shares this feedback from an ST6P customer: “The customer came back saying that the Först machine did the job in half the time of the last chipper he’d rented – he was really pleased with it.”
The reliability and ease of maintenance for Först machines makes them ideal for arborists undertaking any type of work. Add to that their robust build quality and resulting ability to take a pounding from the most reckless of customers, why not consider adding Först machines to your fleet today?
For more information, please call Global Machinery Sales on 1300 072 926 or visit globalmachinerysales.com.au
“The reliability and ease of maintenance for Först machines makes them ideal for arborists undertaking any type of work.”
Having represented brands such as Hultdins since the early days of mechanised logging in Australia, equipment supplier Forest Centre has built a solid reputation supporting some of the most widely used attachments in the forest industry including SuperGrip bunching log grapples and SuperCut hydraulic chainsaw systems.
The Forest Centre product stable of attachments has steadily grown, today covering a huge range of working tasks and machine sizes both in and out of the forest.
For those working in urban areas or along roadsides and waterways, for example, attachments from TMK Tree
Equipment felling grapples bring cutting capacity to nearly any standard excavator which may have already been utilised for other tasks on the work site such as loading trucks or feeding chippers.
GMT Equipment launched a new product that they’re particularly excited about.
“It combines the ease of operation afforded by a dangle type rotating grapple saw with patented technology that also allows the operator to freeze the tilting motion of the grapple after a tree section has been cut by the built-in hydraulic chainsaw unit. It is unique in its capacity, as both a fixed and flexible grapple saw,” explains Forest Centre Sales Manager Rey Kell.
GMT’s new system, called Total Tree Control, allows a limb or trunk section to be cut and withdrawn from the work area in the same orientation, while the “brakes” can be released at the touch of a button for steady tilting downward when the load is positioned safely closer to the ground or into a waiting truck.
Removing the $450 per month threshold for Super guarantee eligibility.
The Australian Government announced it will remove the $450 per month threshold to expand coverage of super guarantee to eligible employees regardless of their monthly pay.
The change is now law by the Treasury Laws Amendment (Enhancing Superannuation Outcomes For Australians and Helping Australian Businesses Invest) Act 2021 with royal assent on February 22, 2022.
From July 1 2022, employers will be required to make super guarantee contributions to their eligible employee’s super fund regardless of how much the employee is paid.
Employees must still satisfy other super guarantee eligibility requirements.
For instance, the rules for workers under the age of 18 will remain generally the same. They will still only be eligible for SG contributions if they work more than 30 hours per week.
The ATO will work with digital service providers in updating their payroll and accounting software to be ready for this change.
Employers will need to check that their payroll and accounting systems have been updated for super payments made after July 1, 2022 to ensure they correctly calculate their employees’ super guarantee entitlements.
The change will expand the coverage of SG to eligible employees regardless of their monthly pay. The ATO have advised that they will update their advice and guidance, including online tools and calculators, on July 1, 2022 to account for this change.
Tree contractors with any queries in relation to this matter are invited to contact the TTIA National Timber Hotline on (02) 9264 0011.
Brian Beecroft, Chief Executive Officer AA
“The change will expand the coverage of SG to eligible employees regardless of their monthly pay.”
Three years on from the 2019-20 fires, the Grafton timber industry is looking to the future, with a 10-year supply of timber and wood products on offer for processors looking to set up in the region.
Forestry Corporation of NSW Grafton
said while local softwood plantations were badly impacted by the 2019-20 fires, replanting was ahead of schedule, with a third of the region’s fire-affected plantations already replanted and rapidly regrowing and the remainder to be replanted within the next four years.
“Softwood timber plantations are where we grow the structural timber such as house frames and engineered wood products that underpin our building industry, as well as a range of other wood products and by-products, from fencing and furniture through to paper and packaging,” Mr Froud said.
“Since the fires, we’ve been harvesting at up to four times the normal rate to salvage timber from the dying trees, we’ve doubled the growing capacity at our Grafton nursery
and we’ve put record numbers of seedlings in the ground.
“Coupled with the phenomenal growing conditions we’ve experienced, our plantations are in great health and growing the house frames of the future.
“Unfortunately, the mill at Rappville that previously processed local timber burnt down in the fires, so we’re now looking for partners to turn these trees into the timber and wood products our communities need.
“Every tree can produce a range of products, for example the strong trunk is converted into strong structural lumber while the crowns and branches from the same tree can be converted to lower grade products from particle board to cardboard to biofuel so nothing goes to waste.
“From 2025, we’ll be ready to harvest 120,000 tonnes of timber a year from this region’s plantations and we’re reaching
out to the industry for new proposals to process all grades of timber grown in the local area.
“Plantations are a long-term industry and we’re looking for new partners to work with us here in Grafton for at least the next ten years.
“We’re working hard to regrow and reinvigorate the timber processing industry here in Grafton, and this is an exciting milestone in our recovery.
“Of course, timber is the ultimate renewable resource, and we replant every tree we harvest, so our region’s softwood plantations will continue producing the same amount of sustainable timber and wood products for the next 100 years and beyond.”
For more information visit www.forestrycorporation.com.au
Community members are invited to review and provide feedback on updated forest management plans for the softwood plantations and coastal hardwood forests managed by Forestry Corporation of NSW.
Sandra Madeley, Forest Management System Specialist for Forestry Corporation’s Hardwood Forests Division, said the forest management plans would be on public display until June 30 and welcomed community feedback.
“Forestry Corporation has been appointed to manage two million hectares of State forests in NSW for multiple uses, including environmental conservation, tourism and recreation, and renewable timber production,” Ms Madeley said.
“We do this in line with very detailed regulations, including Regional Forest Agreements, which are long-term agreements between the State and Commonwealth Governments, various Commonwealth and NSW legislation, and our independent certification to the Australian Standard for Sustainable Forest Management – Responsible Wood.
“These policies, regulations and frameworks set out the framework for sustainable forest management in State forests. They detail what forest management and timber production activities can take place, as well as where and how they are conducted, and include monitoring and reporting requirements.
“Our forest management plans have been developed to align with these policies and regulations. They summarise our activities as well as the systems, processes and procedures we maintain that ensure we continue to manage forests sustainably.
“The principle underpinning our forest management is continuous improvement, and our forest management plans describe
our commitment to planning, monitoring and adapting our activities in response to new information so that we continually improve our practices, processes and outcomes in the forest.”
David Lale, Forest Management System Specialist for Forestry Corporation’s Softwood Plantations Division, said the forest management plans are reviewed and put on public display for input every five years.
“The agencies responsible for the forest management rules, regulations and frameworks engage with the community while developing them and during periodic reviews, and Forestry Corporation must ensure our forest management plans reflect and implement government policy and regulations,” Mr Lale said.
“Key changes since the previous plan reflect regulatory changes made by
Governments since the last plan. These include the renewal of Regional Forest Agreements, the transition to the current native forestry regulations – the Coastal Integrated Forestry Operations Approval, and amendments to the Forestry Act 2012 to allow for potential renewable energy production within softwood plantations.
The plans also reflect the impact of the 2019-20 fires, which impacted large areas of State forests.
“We welcome the community’s input and feedback and invite people to visit our website to find out more.”
To view the forest management plans, ask questions, or make a submission, visit www.forestrycorporation.com.au.
For more information visit www.forestrycorporation.com.au AA
Customer satisfaction is our #1 goal. Graham from G McColl Tree Services is a testament to that. Graham has been using his Bandit 1590HD chipper since 2021, and we’ve supported him with great machinery, and backup parts and service since his business began. “When I started my business, I wanted somthing reliable,” says Graham. “I wanted someone with good service, and Bandit has looked after me.” Graham is excited to be adding a new stump grinder to his fleet, the Bandit SG40. “I needed something with alot more power, but still a small machine so it can get into tight areas to work.”
Customers like Graham are the reason why we love what we do at Bandit. Our goal is simple. To ensure you have an outstanding experience with your Bandit chipper every day. Our team is here to support your success. Welcome to the Bandit Family.
NSW/ACT
Bandit Tree Equipment 1800 681 733 www.banditchippers.com.au
VIC/TAS
Bandit Tree Equipment (03) 9801 5066 www.banditchippers.com.au
QLD/NT Bandit Tree Equipment (07) 3711 2055 www.banditchippers.com.au
WA/NT Bandit Tree Equipment (08) 9272 6666 www.banditchippers.com.au