Tree surgeons at work

[Robmac]

I have just been watching some tree surgeons taking down an old and diseased Ash tree across the road.




I asked them what they are doing with the wood, (Ash is one of the best firewoods you can get) but not surprisingly, the farmer who own the land is hanging on to it.

The young chap is cutting it down in small sections, but they must be bloody heavy to chuck down one bit at a time;



I wouldn't want his job!

 

[Robmac]

(Following a 'phone conversation with another member earlier)

Rae, they cut it down in sections as far as the 'y' where trunk split into 2 sections and the tree was top heavy towards the road, then cut the rest down in one go with the tractor pulling it away from the road as you said.

Impressive.

 

[jagmanx]

Tree surgeons !
Now that is a pompous title for "Woodsmen" or "Lumberjacks" (Lumberjills to be politically correct) however good they are.
I might say I an a "computer surgeon".
Others "Bouncers" no Door management agents !
Dustmen NO recycling agents
Shop assistants NO retail facilitators...
This could get silly !

 

[mark61]

Tree surgeons !
Now that is a pompous title for "Woodsmen" or "Lumberjacks" (Lumberjills to be politically correct) however good they are.
I might say I an a "computer surgeon".
Others "Bouncers" no Door management agents !
Dustmen NO recycling agents
Shop assistants NO retail facilitators...
This could get silly !

lol, I don't know. A good tree surgeon could probably identify a minimum of 50 trees ( and more than likely 100's) during any season, know their common name plus latin name, if introduced where they originally came from, and possibly who introduced them, their family name, what diseases they are susceptible to, how to prune them, from simple dead wooding and pollarding to more complicated formative pruning, crown lifting and canopy thining etc. A good tree surgeon is an artist as well as a surgeon. They are all also slightly crazy.

 

[yorkieowl]

Love to watch them taking down big trees, like you say Rob, impressive. Neighbour had a huge tree cut down, taking it down bit by bit til it was just single trunk, then brought it down, unfortunately they were off from where they wanted it, and very slightly damaged (about 3 inch) of the driveway. When we had a big tree cut down last year it was in danger of hitting the house, and 20ft up on a rock face, just to make it a bit harder, guy took it down with hand saws, no power tools used, shame we were away at the time, so missed it.

 

[tonybvi]

This reminds me of many years ago when the Forestry Commission required a “certificate of competence” in chainsaw useage before they would issue a licence for me to go into our local Scolty Forest to take out fallen or wind blown timber. I duly attended a course at Clinterty College near Aberdeen. All the other guys were training to be tree surgeons and they were all a bit crazy! I realised that craziness was a requirement!
The most interesting thing I learnt was that to prevent certain viruses entering a freshly cut stump and being transmitted through the roots to neighbouring trees one should brush the freshly cut stump with ureic acid - if none was available we had to pee on the stump! I still use this technique when I am taken short when pottering about in my own woods behind our house!! And what’s more my wife believes me and doesn’t shout at me.

 

[Bruce h]

The correct term and the one preferred by professional tree workers is arborist for the hands on practitioners and arboriculturalist for the consultants and qualified specialists. Many arborists have undergone extensive training at many of the UK’s colleges such as Newton Rigg, Merrist Wood and Myerscough. The majority of Arboricultural consultants are degree level qualified or above. Whilst there are many rogues out there, many of the travelling fraternity, it is a recognised and highly skilled profession. No pompous about it.

 

[Robmac]

Correct, and please forgive my terminology re tree surgeons.

The people I spoke to on site seemed to me more like uni graduates rather than wannabee Alaskan bush people.

A potentially dangerous job, but taken on in a professional manner.l