Tree Surgeons Cambridge

Tree surgeons in Cambridge play an important role in the maintenance and general care of trees for a whole host of both commercial and residential customers. The list of services that a qualified tree surgeon in Cambridge will provide is extensive, but includes: the safe planting of trees, the pruning of weakened, dead or intruding branches, hazard assessments and inspections, felling and removal, as well as general tree care.

However, it's not merely trees that get a tree surgeon's pulse racing! Additional duties of a tree surgeon in Cambridge may include stump removal, hedge care, maintenance and trimming. If you've got any concerns about the structural integrity of a tree, the best person to hire is a tree surgeon, as they are easily able to appraise and prepare a full report on the hazards, and offer guidance on what to do next.

Since it is such a dangerous business, tree surgery is unquestionably something that must only be handled by a professionally trained person. It wouldn't be a wise decision to avoid and go for a DIY approach, although this might appear to be a tempting option. In order to undertake this sort of task, tree surgeons need to be qualified, physically fit and experienced.

More often then not, tree surgery and maintenance involves the use of dangerous power tools whilst harnessed to the tree and elevated in the air. Amateurs beware - this is definitely not a task for you! To complete a tree surgery project, a team of tree surgeons who are all experts at what they do, will commonly be involved, and this should consist of both climbers and a ground crew. An untrained individual would find it nigh on impossible to carry out the work with anything like this level of competence, risk assessment and experience.

The first step following deciding you need the assistance of a tree surgeon is obtaining a really good one in Cambridge. But, how? Well, you'll need to check out a couple of things, like cost, qualifications and experience. Below, we'll be looking at a few of the things you need to look for when hiring a tree surgeon in Cambridge.

To dispel any doubts that they are competent and correctly accredited, you first of all need to ensure that they've got the necessary certifications. The main governing body issuing certifications to tree surgeons is the National Proficiency Tests Council. Any Cambridge tree surgeon should hold the following qualifications at the very minimum:

• NPTC 308 (CS39) - Operate a chainsaw from rope and harness.
• NPTC 201/202 (CS30) - Chainsaw maintenance and cross-cutting.
• NPTC 203 (CS31) - Fell & process small trees.
• NPTC 206/306 (CS38) - Climb a tree and perform aerial rescue.

Holding such qualifications both shows you that they have a good level of training, and gives you reassurance that the task will be accomplished in a successful and safe manner, even though there is no legal requirement for tree surgeons to have these certifications. Because there is always a risk of falling from height, and the possibility of life threatening injuries, it is vital that forestry workers, arborists and tree surgeons carry a comprehensive First Aid kit, and undergo some training in First Aid techniques.

Next off, you can ask three or four tree surgeons in Cambridge to provide different price quotes for the tree surgery work, and check the breakdown of the costs. Disposal costs for the large amount of waste often created by tree surgery, will sometimes not be included in the quotation. The waste removal process can involve huge cost and inconvenience to the customer, consequently if you can get the tree surgeons to remove and dispose of this themselves, it would certainly be much better.

Also, you should be ready to ask potential Cambridge tree surgeons loads of important questions when you meet up with them. For instance, you need to ensure you know who's going to do the work. Is it going to be a gang of people or just one person working on their own? Is it possible to meet up with them in advance? How long is the work going to take? Will my home or my next door neighbours be impacted by the work? What methods of tree surgery or removal will be used on the tree?

The more questions you ask, the less likely it is that you'll get any nasty surprises down the line.

You must also listen closely to what your tree surgeon says. More specifically, you should listen to how they describe the work, since this can be useful for evaluating their level of professionalism and expertise prior to work commencing. Even if you know very little about tree surgery yourself, you can generally tell when someone knows what they are talking about, and the sort of terminology that should set the alarm bells ringing is 'topping and lopping', which is a somewhat outdated phrase, more frequently associated with cowboys and rogue traders. An experienced, skilled and professional tree surgeon in Cambridge should really be using the correct terminology such as 'pruning', 'crown reduction', 'crown lifting', 'crown thinning' and 'dead wooding'. While this can be a valuable clue as to the level of experience attained by your tree surgeon, it isn't automatically proof of ability.

In summary, when you have tree surgery or tree care needs in Cambridge, it is always worth the effort of consulting a number of different tree surgeons. If you find the best one, you can rely on having an expertly undertaken job, taking all possible hazards into account and making certain that all your requirements are fully catered to in a timely manner.

Crown Thinning Cambridge

When you want to reduce the chance of the tree being uprooted in windy conditions, to reduce the overall weight of the crown, to ease the stress upon particular branches caused by ice, wind, gravity, or snow, to decrease the tree's wind resistance or to allow more light throughout, a number of of the small incidental branches that are growing on the outer crown of a broad leafed tree are cut in a process that is often known as crown thinning. The overall shape and dimensions of your tree are not changed by this process, and it's likely that it'll need to be done on a regular schedule, as shoots constantly develop. A uniform thickness of foliage surrounding uniformly spaced branches should be the arborist's objective when carrying out crown thinning, it should not alter the general shape and size of the tree.

Chainsaws

Probably the most commonplace piece of equipment used by Cambridge tree surgeons, the chainsaw, in unskilled hands, is also the most dangerous. Due to their ease of use and portability, petrol powered chainsaws are the most preferred by professionals, although mains electric and battery models can be purchased. Where thick limbs and large trunks are involved, such substantial tree work calls for the use of the most robust and powerful petrol driven chainsaws.

A chainsaw basically comprises a revolving motor-driven chain which is lined with a row of razor-sharp teeth that effortlessly cut through the bark of a tree and the wood beneath. Chainsaws are also available in different styles, each having a specific use - top-handled for working at height (and which can be operated single handedly if required), rear-handled for working on the ground (two handed) and pole saws for hard to reach branches and long distance pruning.

Whilst working at height a tree with a spinning blade in your hand is a pretty dangerous form of activity, you'll rarely see a tree surgeon in Cambridge who does not make use of a chainsaw. Being trained in the safe use and maintenance of chainsaws is a primary requirement for any tree surgeon, and is essential before they can be approved by the Arboricultural Association or the ISA.

For anyone interested in purchasing a chainsaw in the UK, there are numerous makes and models to choose from, however the most preferred by professional tree surgeons are Makita, Stihl, Husqvarna and Hyundai.

Tree Care Accidents

As I have already mentioned, the work that tree care professionals in Cambridge do, involves a considerable level of danger. All reasonable safety measures should be taken when working on trees, because most tree work involves a high risk of injuries to both operatives and passers-by.

It would seem (as stated by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE)), that falls from trees, the use of chainsaws, and being hit by a falling tree or branch are responsible for the vast majority of fatal and major injuries that are related to tree work. The startling fact is that the risk of sustaining a serious injury is greater in tree surgery work than it is in construction.

The most commonplace tree work accidents in relation to insurance claims, involve lifting injuries, being struck by objects (ropes, branches, trees, cranes, grapple hooks etc) and slipping from ladders.

This all underlines the need for employing a knowledgeable Cambridge tree surgeon when work needs doing on your trees. In the tree care sector, the majority of accidents are down to inexperienced workers attempting tasks that they're not trained to do, or capable of. Therefore, to avoid this sort of issue, always use an experienced and trustworthy Cambridge company that has been trading in the area for a good few years.

Safety

Tree surgery can soon become a dangerous process if conducted in the wrong way, so one of the primary concerns is the health and safety aspect. If the so called tradesmen carrying out the tree surgery are unqualified or inexperienced, there are a number of things that can lead to injury or damage such as failing to use cut resistant clothing (specifically boots and trousers), neglecting to cordon-off the work area to protect vehicles and pedestrians, not putting on hearing or eyesight protection, inadequate head protection, falling branches and timber and little if any fall protection, in the shape of platforms, harnesses and ropes. What may be in danger owing to these inadequacies are the actual tree itself, the tree surgeon himself (person working in the tree), garden sheds and fencing, parked and passing vehicles, the property or home, personnel at ground level, the street facilities, the property owners, passers by.

Wood Chipping Cambridge

To break down the vegetation, tree limbs and branches that tree surgery creates, the majority of competent Cambridge tree surgeons will make use of wood chipping machinery on a regular basis. Although of course it depends on the equipment that's being used, these awesome wood chipping systems can munch up as much as 40 tonnes of material each hour, and even the more commonly used devices can process around five tonnes each hour, or essentially as much as you can feed into them.

Having many uses like mulch, ecosystem restoration, weed prevention, landscaping, garden walkways, mushroom cultivation, biomass solid fuel and wood pulp, the chipped down branches are also a lot easier to transport.

Generally, tree surgeons in Cambridge will cart away all the wood chips that result from your tree surgery, except if you want them for one of the above uses, when they'll generally be delighted to let you keep some or all of them. As I am sure you will appreciate by reading this article, tree surgeons are an excellent source for wood chips which you can use for various purposes in your garden in Cambridge, whether you actually need tree surgery or not. Certain tree surgeons will be willing to let you have wood chips free, others will charge, particularly if you want them delivered.

Wood chipping machines are made by several companies, some of the most widely known brands include Timberwolf, Forest Master, Forst and T-Mech. (Tags: Wood Chippers Cambridge, Wood Chipping Cambridge, Wood Chips Cambridge, Wood Chipping Services Cambridge).

Skills and Knowledge Required by Tree Surgeons in Cambridge

• Have a methodical and systematic way of working.
• Good knowledge of public safety.
• Have good customer service skills.
• Be professional and able to complete work within the specified time frame.
• Have the ability to maintain, use and repair tools and machines.
• The ability to work happily with other people.
• Have essential computer skills and know how to perform basic tasks with handheld devices.
• Be patient and have the ability to stay calm and focused in stressful situations.
• Physical skills such as coordination and movement.
• Have the ability to work well with your hands.
• Be conscious of the complexities and dangers involved in all areas of tree work.

Hedge Cutting Cambridge

Although tree surgeons in Cambridge are mostly focused on the maintenance and care of trees they are also regularly called in to cut back and trim hedges. In particular this is useful if you have conifer hedges (Leylandii for instance) which will often get too tall for most gardeners to handle.

When a hedge is uncared for or poorly maintained, it can get out of control and overgrown pretty quickly. If a hedge is permitted to run riot in large parts of your garden, it can be tough to fix down the road, therefore routine cutting is advisable for both the health and aesthetic appeal of your hedge.

Neat hedges help make your garden and property tidier and more appealing, which will be an advantage if you are planning to sell your home in the near future. (Tags: Hedge Clipping Cambridge, Hedge Trimming Cambridge, Hedge Cutting Cambridge, Hedge Care Cambridge).

Emergency Tree Surgery Cambridge

If you have sizeable trees in your garden in Cambridge, there may be certain situations when you need to contact a tree surgeon in an emergency. When the conditions are stormy and windy in Cambridge, tree surgeons expect to see a huge increase in emergency calls, and thankfully most of them provide a 24 hour service for your peace of mind. The likelihood of damage or injury is higher during stormy weather, with branches snapping off and plummeting to the ground below, and sometimes even entire trees toppling over. Commonplace issues that happen due to tree emergencies are damaged fences, broken garden furniture, squashed sheds and cracked greenhouses.

When substantial limbs break of and crash onto roads, railway tracks and public pathways, the local council in Cambridge will also occasionally need emergency tree surgeons.

Even after the emergency work has been carried out, a tree that has lost branches may have to be "re-balanced", and this may be performed for aesthetic reasons or because the tree will now be uneven, with the weight unevenly distributed, quite possibly leading to further problems. To deal with all these various issues, you must phone a local Cambridge tree surgeon who provides emergency services.

Air-Spading Cambridge

There are various issues that could make the health of your trees a concern, but problems with a tree's root system are frequently the cause. Easy accessibility to the roots of your tree is essential for a local tree care specialist in Cambridge to check for root rot, soil compaction and other potential issues.

This was a tricky thing to achieve until recently, because in the process of digging down, the roots of the tree could get severely damaged. To effectively break up and clear away compacted soil without damaging tree roots or utility lines, a modern day system that's often used is "air spading".

The health of a tree can be affected in a negative way when the soil around the roots becomes compacted by passing vehicles, foot traffic or construction work. When a tree is "stressed" it can become more prone to attack by pests, insects and diseases, and this stress can be caused by a lack of water and nutrients. Also a good technique for correcting root flare problems, air-spading can be employed to effectively remove the soil from the base of a tree which has become covered in an excess of soil, heightening the chance of root rot.

By forcing air into voids in the soil at a speed of twelve hundred miles per hour by means of an air compressor and an air-spading tool, the air-spading process rapidly breaks down the soil without affecting the tree roots. All of the soil is forced away from the roots by the powerful air flow, permitting instant investigation. A resolution can then be implemented for any problems, and the soil replaced with wood mulch and fertiliser to help rejuvenate the tree.

The Day to Day Duties of a Tree Surgeon

• Climb trees to remove or prune branches as required.
• Be adept with power tools and powered machinery.
• Prepare tree survey reports for commercial and domestic clients.
• Maintain and service equipment like wood chippers and chainsaws.
• Evaluate the health of trees and formulate treatment plans.
• Clean up site on completion and fulfil removal of waste product from customer's site.
• Establish hazards posed by trees.
• Plant trees and vegetation.
• Deal with customers and complete admin tasks.
• Cut and chip branches and logs.
• Create telephone or on-site quotes with the clients.
• Fell and remove trees and perform stump grinding.

Ash Dieback (Hymenoscyphus Fraxineus)

A lethal fungal disease affecting ash trees, that was first recorded in the British Isles in 2012, ash dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) is likely to wipe out around 80% of the current ash tree stock. Ash dieback is set to have an enormous impact on our beloved countryside, piled onto the damage caused by the Dutch Elm Disease epidemic.

A disease which affects trees of the Fraxinus genus, it has a particularly disastrous effect on Fraxinus excelsior, the native British common ash. Originally coming from Asia where the native Chinese ash (Fraxinus chinensis) and Manchurian ash (Fraxinus mandshurica) are more resistant to it, the fungus which causes the disease is known as Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, and it kills a tree by obstructing its vascular (water transport) systems.

Swiftly spread by spores released from the fruiting bodies of the fungus, and are able to be blown for miles on the wind, ash dieback (or chalara ash dieback as it is often known) can be found in most areas of the United Kingdom with mortality rates of up to 85%.

The conspicuous signs of ash dieback are:

• The formation of diamond shaped lesions where limbs connect to trunk.
• Leaves that wilt, turn black in colour and fall early.
• New epicormic growth appearing from buds that were dormant previously.
• Leaves that develop dark patches during mid to late summer.
• Dying leaves and shoots are visible in summer.

To a certain extent, ash trees are able to fight off the disease, but they eventually succumb as they are continually attacked every year. There is not yet any cure for chalara ash dieback, and as it's a disease that's airborne, no clear way to stop it spreading.

If you suspect that you have discovered a tree infected with ash dieback in your garden in Cambridge, or somewhere in the area, you can report it to the Forestry Commission's "Tree Alert Service", although the disease is so prevalent all over the United Kingdom that they're really only interested to know about cases discovered in areas not previously affected. You can still however contact a local tree surgeon, who can offer advice on how best to proceed.

Coming Soon:

Stump grinding machines - article 246.

Tree Surgery Tasks Cambridge

Cambridge tree surgeons will likely help with formative pruning, tree waste removal, root pruning, tree pest control, tree transplanting, crown cleaning, shrub maintenance, root removal, safety inspections in Cambridge, air spading Cambridge, dead wooding, forestry management, brush cutting, tree replanting Cambridge, shielding trees from grazing animals, tree planning, hedge planting, coppicing, soil terravention, cabling, tree felling Cambridge, tree reduction, felling of storm damaged trees, tree reshaping, monitoring of tree health Cambridge, tree removal, crown removal, tree pollarding, woodland clearances, tree work, tree surveys, stump removal in Cambridge, stump treatment in Cambridge, cut sealing, crown thinning in Cambridge and other tree surgeon services in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. Listed are just a few of the tasks that are accomplished by tree surgeons. Cambridge providers will be happy to inform you of their whole range of services.

Tree Surgeons Near Cambridge: Also find: Horningsea tree surgeons, Teversham tree surgeons, Grantchester Meadows tree surgeons, Cherry Hinton tree surgeons, Milton tree surgeons, Trumpington tree surgeons, Fen Ditton tree surgeons, Girton tree surgeons, Chesterton tree surgeons, Grantchester tree surgery and more. The majority of these locations are covered by local tree surgeons. Cambridge homeowners and others can get quotes by clicking here.

More Cambridge Trades: Naturally, when you are having tree surgery done in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, you'll probably be in need of other garden related services, and as well as a tree surgeon in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, you might also need garden shed builders in Cambridge, fence installers in Cambridge, garden wall construction in Cambridge, artificial grass installation in Cambridge, garden pond installation in Cambridge, garden decking in Cambridge, grass cutting in Cambridge, patio installers in Cambridge, landscape gardeners in Cambridge, hedge shaping in Cambridge, rubbish removal in Cambridge, planting services in Cambridge, driveway pavers in Cambridge, garden clearance in Cambridge, garden design in Cambridge, SKIP HIRE in Cambridge, and other different Cambridge tradespeople.

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