A triumph (no, not England in South Africa!)

Practically speaking
Fantastic news! I’ve recently been instructed to carry out an inventory survey for Tamworth Borough Council

http://www.tamworth.gov.uk/

and spent a very happy morning last week with the Tree Officer, Marc Budge, looking at the variety of trees that he is responsible for, and their settings – highway verges (very familiar from my days in Milton Keynes) to parks and gardens.

I can add nothing to my most recent comment about the Registered Social Landlord’s project - it is still nearing completion! I have sought support from an experienced project manager and his ability to oversee the daily progress of the project is making a big difference to me.

For more about the particular tree management software that we are using then access the ARBORtrack web site at:

http://www.arbortrack.com/main.asp

Another tree management project concerns a population under TPO in a private road near Solihull, a mix of limes and horse chestnut, some in good condition, some in terminal decline. I have submitted an application for consent to work on those trees over a five-year period; I look forward to learning the local planning authority’s view of my proposals.

I visited West Ealing last week to start the long-term management of the tree population at the Hanger Hill Garden Estate, an Arts and Crafts development in West London. I have carried out the walkover survey, that which remains (in this phase!) is the post-processing of the data (tabulating all my field notes!) and its analysis before developing tender documents for the priority tree works.

Our project for Oxford City Council is going well, we are approaching the end of the data capture for the housing managers and will shortly move into the open spaces.

I have submitted a PQQ for Buckinghamshire County Council for the management of thier green spaces:

http://tinyurl.com/36cqmpa

I look forward to hearing good news and to being invited to contribute to the next phase!

Expressly interesting
Along with a number of development site tree surveys to the requirements of BS5837 I’ve expressed interest in a project advertised in Horticulture Week

http://www.hortweek.com/

for the Environment Agency in Yorkshire, Northumbria and North Derbyshire, but have not yet heard from them

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/

Another initiative makes reference to the UK Woodland Assurance Standard

http://tinyurl.com/3yfoun4

and so I shall be conducting some research into how I can get the group registered under the scheme.

Looking ahead!

Practically speaking
The Registered Social Landlord’s project is (still!) nearing completion; the process of transcribing the field notes into ARBORtrack is drawing to a close, and there’s a meeting scheduled for early next week. Much has been learned from this project that will be borne in mind when making future offers!

A second project that relies upon using ARBORtrack can be re-booted once the project above has been signed off.

If you are interested in learning more about the tree management software, and new developments that are planned, then access the ARBORtrack web site at:

http://www.arbortrack.com/main.asp


Since my last post, of 9 April, I have had eight more enquiries for tree surveys on development sites to BS5837, of those I have already been instructed to complete three, and a fourth is on going.

My presentation to the RFS/RASE Tree Diseases Conference was duly delivered, and was as predicted nerve-wracking stuff. My thesis on the day was that the title I was given, “Tree diseases and the arboriculture industry – an overview” could not be addressed, as there was not one, single, homogenous community that was being affected by tree diseases. The question that I could not answer was how can those with knowledge to impart reach out to all those practitioners to improve the overall quality of amenity tree care?

All of the speakers’ presentations are now available from the RASE website

http://tinyurl.com/39qpuv8


Another ongoing project concerns the management of the tree population in a private road near Solihull, a mix of limes and horse chestnut, some in good condition, some in terminal decline.

After a troubled gestation I hope to become involved in the long-term management of another tree population, at an Arts and Crafts estate in West London – colleagues in Glendale may become involved in the grounds maintenance.

For detail about the range of green services that Glendale can provide see

http://www.glendale-services.co.uk

Our project for Oxford City Council is going well, we are approaching the end of the data capture for the housing managers and will shortly move into the open spaces.

Expressly interesting
Along with a number of development site tree surveys to the requirements of BS5837 I’ve expressed interest in a project advertised in Horticulture Week

http://www.hortweek.com/

for the Environment Agency - they require tree work throughout England, but predominantly in Yorkshire, Northumbria and North Derbyshire

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/

Another expression of interest is for a Country Parks and Green Spaces Project for Buckinghamshire County Council,

http://tinyurl.com/36cqmpa

I have “form” in this area – I drew on many happy years working in Milton Keynes

http://www.theparkstrust.com/parks-trust/

when I submitted my bid for the management of Northamptonshire’s country parks:

http://tinyurl.com/2ukqj7s

I elected to withdraw toward the end of that process because of concerns over my ability to correctly interpret the financial data that had been supplied. Let's hope that I can go further with Bucks CC!

Another initiative makes reference to the UK Woodland Assurance Standard

http://tinyurl.com/3yfoun4

and so I shall be conducting some research into how I can get the group registered under the scheme.