More BCC hatracking

Eric Frei

I get constant people asking me to prune their gums like this one ... must be OK, this is what the Brisbane City Council done with theirs.

Click on the tabs for the rest of the images including location. This is a Tallowood tree (Eucalyptus microcorys)

There's nothing I've read in anything telling me what's going on and no sign on the tree. Busy road too and is a really obvious. Just like the other ones in Cathedral Square Brisbane.

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Sean Freeman

Mate that is f@#*ing terrible, I'd be emailing BCC on this one if its their crew they need a massive kick up the you know what, and if its contractors then they should read and adhere to their own policies and proceedures That is soooo out of order it ain't funny

SF

Eric Frei

Done, here's the copy

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TreeCo

It's hard to believe they can abuse trees using tax payers money!

Heads need to roll.

Eric Frei

This is Queensland mate, she'll be right.

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mdvaden

On your street signs, are the small numbers for map coordinates, or for something else like "15" for the "1500" block, etc.?

The tree stands out too, because nothing in the background resembles it

Eric Frei

That's for the range of house numbers on that segment of street ... helps you know which way to turn, left or right.

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yooper

today i brought my 10 yr old to a basket ball game in a town about 80 mils from me, i did r.o.w. clearence there back a few years ago and drove around looking for a campher down elm i knew was in the area, I have to go there tomarrow too maybe ill find it, but i couldnt bealeave the trees in the town that
where trimed the same way all tipped at the branches and suckers just reaming.

Eric Frei

When I recently went to Bundaberg and was driving past Sugarland shopping village the street gums were done the same ... lop job.

Then as I drove the entire length of that main road to where the little bridge goes over the creek to the rum factory the large tree by the bridge was lopped as well. Good to see the law makers being the law slayers.

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Notahacker

I hate seeing trees like that.

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"Quality costs as much as it saves." My great uncle Simon Murphy

yooper

I took a couple photos today of 2 tree out of serveral on the same street. all the trees where where yard trees none city, and where topped, the only thing i can figure is the Osama Bin Loggen was in the area trimmen for a couple weeks back a couple years ago!

this tree is alive!



this poor feller didnt make it!

I guess the sheaple whom where talked into the have the right to have it done if they wanted to but its to bad they wernt better informed. It sure isnt a practice i follow nor will do if asked,and i have been.

Eric Frei

Osama Bin Loggen

That first tree that lived if you look at the trunk notice it may have a cavity or something? Bit of snow in the hole.

That's shocking, the second tree died, wonder what sort of tree it was? Pretty severe attacks. You know, I cannot believe in this day age people still do that ... forget the customer asking for it coz that's just ignorance but industry people doing it! That is whacko.

Looking at the form of those trees there were other options and they certainly didn't look like candidates that would fail and fall over. If you are worried about branch failure/ice etc well there's other options but hey ... lets just whack it where the crow flies ... wham bam thankyou mam ... we're outta here and paid. Now they have the ongoing BS.

If you want a 30' tree buy one but dont buy a species that'll grow to a hundred then try to keep it a 30', or worse still, get a 100' one and whack it at 30'. In the first few years you'll think you're ahead (if it lives) but then the haunting will come.

Meanwhile, we got a local govt whacking them for public display on tree care excellence. I saw another today, right beside the bitumin drive way of a park on Wynnum road Murarrie, looks like it was a forest red gum, whacked real good sticking out like a sore thumb.

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Eric Frei

By the way, on the illustration above in post #1 I would like to know who the crew was who did the job ... what company? If it's a council tree then we have the right to know.

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yooper

The second tree was probably a pretty damm nice tree at one time .....I think it was a hard maple.

Mrsmorningwood

We have a collection of topping and lion's tailing pictures. Here are the worst. I thought these trees were coming down and the crew had just gone on lunch break or something. But, no...this is how we make em smaller in SW Florida, I guess (pics ~ 8 mos. after topped)



BTW they're Live Oaks!

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I used to be Snow White, but I drifted. ~Mae West

Eric Frei

Boy o boy

That's a shocker and close to the house. Looks like a nice house. Maybe drop in and have a chat, find out if they knew the consequences.

I find most people have no idea but dig in and defend the practice so they don't look dumb. But I bet when you walk away they feel like a real goose.

But here's a motivational angle, once the client is informed then insurance has a right to deny a claim on the negligence factor for not taking action to remedy the fault. Problem is you don't know who their insurance company is however you can let them know it's on public record and give them the link to this thread. Then invite the dominant insurance companies to the forum with a link to the thread ... I have done this already many times.

An insurance guy told me there has to be evidence of notification for them to deny a claim ... well, here's a pretty good place to do that ... you could even enter the address just not names ... nothing illegal in that. So if some-one was to search the address they'd get the history.

It's time to get the insurance companies to realise many of the claims pertaining to trees could have been avoided. Did you see the thread I started called "Ignore it then claim insurance"?

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OTG BOSTON

Any reply from the council yet??

Mick Dundee

Yeah, $50 parking fine for leaving me horse tied up at bait shop. No laws against parking the horse just that the darned thing had to fertilize the foot path was the problem...

... right when the sticker licker was going by.

Eric Frei

Not a peep, I'll give it a few more days then fire another one into them. It's just not good enough.

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TREE-SURFER

I think I need to go out with my camera and show you guys some of the cr@p that gets allowed over here.

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The Aerial Arborist

Isle of Man Tree Surgeon| All Aspects of Tree Work

What experts say about TOPPING

TREE-SURFER

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The Aerial Arborist

Isle of Man Tree Surgeon| All Aspects of Tree Work

What experts say about TOPPING

Eric Frei

What sort of trees are they?

That looks friggin terrible and it's a huge billboard for saying to the public "hey look, do this to your trees."

Please tell me what council it is, what city road etc?

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TREE-SURFER

The trees here are Sycamore, Ash and Elm.
1 Sycamore was for a private customer, but we all know over here who done it. (20 year old MG)
The bunch of Sycamore in a parking lot (car park) was done by a 74 year old. The father of the one above, for a shopping centre.
And the others, we don't know who done em but have been told, but no accusations, hay.

All of the above are supposed to be Isle of Man Government Approved contractors, on a list for people to view and ring for their tree services.
Cheap under-cutters.....(PIKIES)

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The Aerial Arborist

Isle of Man Tree Surgeon| All Aspects of Tree Work

What experts say about TOPPING

Eric Frei

Here you go

http://www.treeworld.info/showthread...=1594#post1594

seems those trees are protected and without approval for pruning a fine can be made. I couldn't find anything specific pertaining to types of pruning but there was a general comment that was a bit vague and went like this ...

So no specific mention of appropriate pruning practices but maybe by the wording it means British Standards anyway.

From here http://www.gov.im/daff/trees_and_pla...Trees_faqs.xml

Issue is are all trees greater than 8cm dia considered registered trees or not? Worth an email or phone call this one ... maybe those people can get busted?

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TREE-SURFER

Here are 4 Sycamores, probably about the same ages, as they are within 50yards from one another and stand 90foot Approx. Picture 094 had had surgery before, whereby large wounds had become decayed and had to be felled (thats me ascending the brute to start the dismantling procedure). The remaining tree is under a Tree Preservation Order.
And yet, the two 'Sisters' in Picture009, are not subject to a TPO. These two beauties belong to a mate of mine and I manage these for him now. It is beyond me how trees of this stature, are not subject to TPO's and are a sole concern when Cowboys are let lose on them. It's about time they were stopped!!!!!!

Always check with your Forestry Board that a tree that you have been asked to work on, is not subject to a TPO. It is not only the owner who gets done, but the guy with the saw. SO CHECK before you have to write 1 for your fine.....

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The Aerial Arborist

Isle of Man Tree Surgeon| All Aspects of Tree Work

What experts say about TOPPING

Eric Frei

BCC response I received today.

My reply I returned

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TrevMcRev

Hey ekka, that last post kinda beat me to it. When i saw the 1st pics i were SHOCKED. To butcher trees like that in situations where they are made a public example is ridiculous. The public see this being done by the very council that governs them so of course they think they should do the same. Its an ongoing battle to change the ideas in many laymans head on how to treat trees when it has been done this way for generations prior. Now that science has taught us how to treat trees with respect to their natural systems, we arborists are doing our best to turn things around and are set back 20 years by things like this.

I know of some "habitat" trees down here. A few in a golf course that has some very rare fauna for the suburbs. And also of some on council land in a heritage protected street ( National Trust & local council). This pocket is tightly protected, NO tree can be TOUCHED at all without a full Arborist Report done and approved prior. And they will rarely allow more than deadwooding. (This is where we did a Sequoia last week) Anyway the "habitat" trees are usually cut back way harder than the one youve showed, leaving large diameter wood and short stubs only. This lessons the chance of falling parts as it breaks down and its structure disintergrates.

And the main thing is, it is really only suitable to 'habitat' a tree where significant fauna exist, and a low target rating is likely. This looks like a busy suburban intersection. Not really appropriate place to keep a tree like this.

I believe this tree should now be removed.

If there really is significant fauna in the area, and it is desired to retain it, then this council should send a crew back to further reduce it so safer, rope the area off to the public and put up signage explaining why this has been done and why you should not do it to your own tree.

Sean Freeman

You both make very good points,and it will be interesting to see if BCC reply with more than a short curtious email.

The provision of habitat for native fauna in urban areas is very important, but as many of us have noted this tree does not seem to fit the criteria. It maybe that BCC did have someone qualified report on the tree, and possible that someone with a level 4 or above CALM did decide to turn this tree into habitat...possible...but not likely.

It should be the case that BCC have undertaken a documented risk assessment of the tree before and after the "work" was completed. If not their procedures are well and truely lacking, and worse they leave themselves open to liability should anything happen as a result of the work.

If I put on my cutting crew hat, I think it is possible the job was not done according to the specs originally thought through by whomever decided to make it a habitat tree, either because they didn't convey any specs at all or the specs were vague and beyond the crew.

Whatever the real course of events its most unlikely that anyone outside BCC will ever know them. What we're left with is a tree that looks unlike any habitat tree I've ever seen, looks like a lop job, and is a lop job. The smaller diameter branches will fail over time causing at the very least maintenance issues if not worse. The larger branches are likely to stay up there for a long while yet.....unless of course the tree is colonised by agressive funal pathogens (if its not already...what killed it)

Bottom line for me is given the time I spend writing reports, management plans and tree work specifications for all sorts of clients including many LGA's this example of "work" is not good enough, it falls well short of any acceptable benchmarks for arboricultural practices in any area, let alone a public one.

SF

Eric Frei

And from our thread on habitat trees post 2

Habitat Trees

Very well said guys.

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Eric Frei

I just sent a reminder email....

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