Tree Surgeons Eltham

Hiring unqualified individuals for tree work or trying to do the work by yourself, could harm your trees, cause damage to property, or even be life threatening. But even using a professional tree surgeon who knows all the risks doesn't necessarily mean that tree work is entirely safe. There are an average of three deaths and 140 severe injuries per year within the profession, making it among the most hazardous jobs in the United Kingdom and definitely not for amateurs to attempt.

With falling branches or trees causing around 5 fatalities per year in Britain, a threat to life can even be caused by a poorly maintained or damaged tree. If property is damaged, or an injury occurs due to you employing somebody to carry out tree work, you may be liable for any compensation to any third-party. This is why it is imperative to retain the services of an established tree surgeon to do the work on your trees. (The source of the above figures was HSE).

There are 2 trade bodies that a certified Eltham tree surgeon should really be an approved member of. You can check out the membership and professional standing of any tree surgeon on the websites of either the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) or the Arboricultural Association (AA). Membership of either of these bodies gives the tree surgeon Approved ARB Contractor status which can be checked out on this website.

You will be able to speak to these professional associations for mediation and for advice and help at any stage, if a problem springs up during or after any work has been accomplished.

If anybody offers to provide you with a quote for any tree work and they are not on this directory list, you should respectfully decline their offer of work and find an approved contractor. It is best to get at least three different price quotes from various companies in the Eltham area, when you have meticulously checked their professional qualifications and memberships. There are various crucial questions that you need to ask whilst you're in the process of getting these quotations, and due to the risks involved in the work, you must make it clear that you need to know the answers. You should for example ask:

• Do you have documentary evidence of your professional membership, qualifications and a NPTC/LANTRA certificate for chainsaw use and maintenance? It's required by law that any tree surgeon/operative who uses a chainsaw must have NPTC/LANTRA certification. A seasoned tree surgeon in Eltham may hold City & Guilds Certificates and Diplomas in Arboriculture.
• Can you offer me a written quotation? Only ever accept a quote in writing. NEVER settle for a verbal quote only.
• Could I contact some former clients to assess the standard of your workmanship? Independently examining any recent work is always recommended.
• Exactly what level of insurance cover do you have? Do not entertain a tree surgeon in Eltham with any less than five million pounds public liability insurance as stipulated by the AA and ISA.

On the written quotation that you receive, you'll need there to be easy to understand details of all the work that is to be undertaken. Who is responsible for removing tree branches, stumps and debris should be stated, as should details of any trees which could be protected in law, and the steps necessary to obtain permission to carry out work on them. Unless you're a commercial entity, you should also make certain that VAT has been included on the quotation. It's extremely important to realise that you have a responsibility to hire only capable tradespeople to work on your property and trees.

PRIOR TO WORK BEGINNING - Making enquiries into the possibility of any of your trees being protected, your selected Eltham tree surgeon should make sure that any work can get the green light from the appropriate local authority department. Even protected trees need to be maintained so as to cut back old or dying wood and ensure the safety of the public, so discovering that a tree has protected status doesn't mean that work cannot still be carried out.

At least six weeks written notice must be given to the Local Planning Authority prior to any work being undertaken, if your property in Eltham is situated in a conservation area. This written notice isn't required if the tree trunk is under 7.5 centimetres in diameter when measured at 1.5m above ground level. If the branches of a protected tree need pruning or thinning to sustain and encourage growth, it's also not necessary to supply written notice.

On site they will complete a complete assessment of your tree's health and decide on the necessary remedial treatment and how best and safely to achieve the required outcome. This will involve a full risk assessment of areas that could be impacted by falling debris and branches, such as on your property, in public spaces, and on neighbouring properties. The level of protection needed and the amount of workforce required, will also be established at this stage. This is both personal protection equipment along with other safety measures to keep property and the general public safe from damage or harm.

ON THE DAY OF WORK - Barriers, cones and safety measures will be put in place before any climbing, cutting of branches or tree felling begins, to keep unauthorised persons and passers-by away from the area of work. If there is a risk of debris falling onto a public highway, traffic might have to be halted temporarily.

Different degrees of protection will be necessary for the tree surgeon depending on what work needs to be done. When doing chainsaw work, they will as a bare minimum be wearing protective clothing to avoid serious cutting injuries to the torso, hands and legs. Without exception, every worker involved in the operation should wear head and eye protection, and high visibility clothing.

If working at height is involved, associated climbing equipment and ladders will have to be used, and additional workers will be on hand to help in the removal of high branches and heavy sections of tree trunk. For removing waste, easy access to the site will be needed. So, it's recommended that you inform your neighbours, because a skip or truck will need to be stationed as close to the work area as possible whilst work progresses.

AFTER COMPLETION OF WORK - All of the waste will be taken away and the site cleared of all debris, when all work has been accomplished. Particularly where the trees are under a protection order, a certificate of work should then be prepared by your tree surgeon, which will be signed off and a copy presented to you. If there were any public spaces that required safety measures, this will be taken away and highways and footpaths will be re-opened.

Problems or issues should be rectified straight away by approaching your tree surgeon directly. If your tree surgeon is a registered member of a professional body, you can receive guidance and help from the International Society of Arboriculture or the Arboricultural Association so as to arrive at an acceptable conclusion, if any further arbitration is needed.

Tree Transplanting Eltham

Digging up a mature tree and transplanting it in a new location might sound tricky, however with powerful, modern lifting equipment and truck mounted tree spades, it's become a relatively straightforward endeavour. A competent tree moving service in Eltham will be able to move any trees that you have on your land, or transplant mature trees for an instant aesthetic appeal.

Moving a tree in Eltham is less stressful on the roots and health of the tree in the winter and autumn, but it can still be done during the warmer summer season by thoroughly soaking the ground before removal. To lift a tree from the earth a tractor based tree spade is pushed down into the dirt to encircle the root ball, before hauling the whole thing free. The uplifted tree can then be temporarily stored before its transplanting in a new location.

Even protected trees can be transplanted by a professional tree moving firm in Eltham, so long as all appropriate preservation orders and authorisations are granted by the woodland organisations and authorities. You'll be able to obtain transplanting specialists in Horn Park, Avery Hill, Lee, Coldharbour Estate, New Eltham, Kidbrooke, Middle Park, Blackfen, Falconwood, Grove Park, Shooters Hill, Elmstead, and Eltham itself. (Tags: Tree Transplanting Eltham, Tree Moving Eltham, Tree Replanting Eltham).

Removing Tree Stumps Eltham

When you've had a tree felled and removed from your property in Eltham, unless arranged with the tree surgeon, you'll be left with a tree stump to deal with. You may consider leaving it to decay and rot away naturally, and be perfectly happy to leave it to its own devices. However, tree stumps can be an eyesore, be a trip hazard, and can attract unwanted pests.

There are various methods for getting rid of a stump once and for all, but stump grinding and stump removal are the 2 main alternatives. In the following few lines, we'll be focusing on the option of removal.

In relation to removing a tree stump, the 3 primary methods are chemical treatments, burning or digging out by hand. If you wish to tackle a tree stump yourself, you can employ any of these methods. If you're using a tree surgeon in Eltham, they will typically plump for the aforementioned stump grinding option.

Tree Stump Burning: Take great care if you choose this approach to stump removal, because it can be quite dangerous and may contravene local laws. The burning procedure involves drilling out a few 1" holes into the stump, filling keeping them topped up with vegetable oil for several days until saturated. Logs or charcoal heaped around the stump and set alight. This should never then be left to its own devices, but be continually monitored. Make sure that the fire is extinguished as soon as it's totally burned out. You will then be able to dig out the roots and stump ashes after it has fully cooled down.

You will find there are various other burning strategies, such as digging out underneath the stump and lighting a fire in the hollowed-out root bowl. If the tree stump is close to a building, fences or other trees, you must not use any of these burning techniques.

Hand Stump Digging: Digging up a stump by hand will require an assortment of tools such as a chainsaw, loppers, a pointed spade and a handsaw. It involves digging down to expose the roots, cutting the roots with loppers or saws, and ultimately freeing up the stump, to make it easier to get out. A cable ratchet winch may be required in order to complete this procedure. This sort of work isn't suited to the unfit or faint-hearted, because it's tiring and laborious.

Chemical Treatments: Chemical treatment calls for the use of a strong chemical mixture for instance Resolva Xtra Tough Tree Stump Killer, Vitax SBK Stump Killer or Roundup Tree Stump Remover. When applying any of these products you should always follow the directions to the letter, as these chemicals can be incredibly hazardous. This is not a short term fix, and it could take quite a few weeks for the tree stump to rot down totally, after which time a spade and an axe can be used to remove it.

Emergency Tree Surgery Eltham

If you have trees growing in your garden in Eltham, there may be some occasions when you have to call an emergency tree surgeon. Eltham tree surgeons expect to receive a spike in emergency calls when there are high winds and gales, which is why many offer a 24 hour service for this eventuality. In windy weather there is more chance of branches snapping off and falling onto property or passers-by, and even the risk of an entire tree crashing down. Frequent issues that happen as a result of tree emergencies are cracked greenhouses, busted garden furniture, damaged fences and squashed sheds.

Of course, the local council in Eltham will also frequently need to call on emergency tree surgeons, when large tree branches fall onto public pathways, roads and railway lines.

Even after the emergency tree surgery has been carried out, a tree that's lost limbs might have to be "re-balanced", and this might be done for solely aesthetic reasons or because the tree now appears lopsided, with the weight unevenly distributed, quite possibly resulting in additional problems. If you are experiencing any of these tree related issues, you should not attempt to tackle any of them on your own, and you should immediately phone a local Eltham tree surgeon who offers emergency services, so they can suggest the best strategy. You can also get emergency tree surgery services in Horn Park, Avery Hill, Lee, Coldharbour Estate, New Eltham, Kidbrooke, Middle Park, Blackfen, Falconwood, Grove Park, Shooters Hill, Elmstead, and Eltham, Greater London.

Dutch Elm Disease

No longer the concern that it was at one time, Dutch Elm Disease (Ophiostoma novo-ulmi) has killed tens of millons of precious elm trees throughout Britain over the past five decades or so. Spread by the elm bark beetle (particularly the Scolytus genus) and caused by a fungus called Ophiostoma novo-ulmi, Dutch Elm Disease was accidentally brought into Britain from Canada in the 1960s.

Its rapid spread was primarily down to to elm products such as mulching bark, elm crates, saplings, and firewood logs with the bark on, being transported throughout the British Isles. Thought to have originally come from Asia (probably Japan), DED didn't only affect trees in Britain, but also ravaged the stocks of elm trees in mainland Europe and North America.

The signs of Dutch Elm disease normally first show up in early summer, and manifest themselves as:

• Clusters of yellow leaves that wilt and then fall.
• Affected shoots dying back from the tips.
• Twigs with dark streaks under the bark.
• Twigs that turn into a "shepherd's crook" shape.

The spread of this disease has been dramatically slowed by the chopping down of dying, dead and infected trees, which has effectively removed the favourite habitat of the beetle. A project for the propagation of young trees that up to now have proven resistant to DED is currently being undertaken.

If you happen to have elms in your garden in Eltham, and are suspicious they may be affected by Dutch Elm Disease, get in touch with your neighbourhood tree surgeon for guidance, or request a diagnosis from the Tree Health Diagnostic & Advisory Service.

Control of Vegetation

Tree care specialists do not simply take care of the removal and care of trees alone, they'll also help with all sorts of overgrown vegetation that may be choking your garden and taking over the whole area. Professional tree surgeons will normally be happy to cut down shrubs, weeds, overgrown vegetation and bushes that might be taking hold near to drives, sheds, paths, buildings or patios, and creating a pain. If you're going to maintain your garden effectively then all this excessive growth needs to be cut down on a regular basis, and if you find you've got the inclination and time then this is certainly something you can achieve by yourself if you are fit and healthy, or you can get a tree surgeon to call annually to make certain it is in shape. Vegetation control is a must if you are to maintain safe and easy access to every section of your garden and if this is ignored the plants and vegetation can very quickly get out of control and take a lot of the enjoyment out of your garden. Aside from anything else the garden will also look better when properly maintained.

Pollarding Eltham

Pollarding is most importantly undertaken on grounds of basic safety, and is a method that is used for greatly cutting down a tree's proportions when it's got too big for its setting. It can at times be employed for visual or functional motives to mould a tree into a particular form. It can regularly be noticed on trees that serve as boundaries or hedgerows, as well as trees which grow alongside highways in Eltham. For individuals who adore trees this isn't an especially popular process, seeing that the result tends to be somewhat harsh and bare, with the appearance of being virtually lifeless. Tree species like planes, limes, oaks, sycamores, beeches, horse chestnuts and maples are typical candidates for pollarding, and the advantageous side of this process is that trees which might normally have to be chopped down can be conserved for future generations. (Tags: Pollarding Eltham, Tree Pollarding Eltham, Tree Pruning Eltham)

Woodland Clearance Eltham

Woodland clearance in the Eltham area should only be commenced after the appropriate restrictions and regulatory measures have been observed and put in place. A specialist tree surgeon contractor in Eltham will offer you a full end to end service that will observe all laws and covenants on the land, and will also complete the project an eco-friendly and ethical manner.

An extensive habitat survey will be carried out by a tree surgeon who will also liaise with woodland organisations and authorities to make certain your woodland clearance is undertaken safely and legally. It could be that the land has protected plant species or wildlife upon it, that will require relocation to another site that is protected, or other mitigation strategies might need to be used.

The specialist chipping, felling and mulching equipment used in woodland clearances means that it is usually far more cost effective and efficient to hire an accredited tree surgeon to carry out the project. (Tags: Woodland Management Eltham, Woodland Preservation Eltham, Woodland Clearances Eltham, Woodland Clearance Eltham).

Leylandii Hedge Removal

Many residents in Eltham prefer Leylandii hedges for their rapid growth and privacy benefits. However, they can quickly become overgrown and difficult to maintain. There are a few important things to consider, when it comes to removing a Leylandii hedge. The first essential point is to verify that there are no legal protections in place for the hedge, such as a Tree Preservation Order. In such cases, you must seek approval from the local council before removing the hedge. Furthermore, Leylandii hedges can have complex root networks, underscoring the importance of employing a skilled tree surgeon to safely remove the hedge and its roots. Lastly, it's imperative to dispose of the hedge waste in an environmentally responsible manner once it's removed. In a nutshell, removing a Leylandii hedge can be a hazardous and time-consuming enterprise, necessitating the adoption of necessary safety measures and potentially engaging the services of a professional.

Deadwooding Eltham

All professional tree surgeons in Eltham will carry out the practice known as dead-wooding, which is an essential part of tree care and upkeep. When there's a risk of dead and rotting branches falling on passers-by, property or vehicles, dead-wooding will be conducted to remove the offending limbs. Some of a tree's branches can die off for a number of different reasons, the most typical being heavy shading, diseases, a damaged root system or pest attacks.

Although the purpose of safety is the most frequent reason for removing dead branches, the procedure can also be done for aesthetic reasons and for the overall benefit of the tree itself. It's possible to radically improve a tree's health by eliminating dead, damaged and dying branches, an excessive number of which will encourage disease and insect infestations. Trees with lots of dead wood also look unappealing, therefore to make it more attractive, this should all be cut off.

Only substantial dead branches will be removed in most cases, as very little risk is posed by the small ones. Nonetheless, where a public space, a road, a park, a house or a garden in Eltham is overhung by trees, any dead branches of over 50mm diameter might have to be removed.

Required Skills for a Tree Surgeon in Eltham

• Have necessary computer skills and know how to accomplish tasks on handheld devices.
• Customer service skills.
• Good knowledge of public safety measures.
• Have the ability to repair, maintain and use tools and equipment.
• Have patience and the ability to stay calm in times of stress.
• Be mindful of the dangers and complexities involved in all areas of tree work.
• The ability to work efficiently with others.
• Have an organised and methodical working approach.
• Be professional and capable of completing tasks within a given time frame.
• Physical skills like movement and co-ordination.
• Be able to work well with your hands.

Coming Soon:

Stump grinding machines - article 678.

Tree Surgery Tasks Eltham

Eltham tree surgeons will likely help you with pollarding, fruit tree pruning, tree waste removal in Eltham, tree reshaping, tree care services Eltham, felling of storm damaged trees, hazard assessment Eltham, commercial tree care, crown raising, woodchipping, tree reduction, coppicing in Eltham, monitoring of tree health, stump grinding in Eltham, damage restoration, tree maintenance, soil terravention Eltham, crown cleaning, the removal of dead wood, safety inspections, arboriculture in Eltham, cut sealing in Eltham, crown lifting, shrub maintenance, air spading, forestry management, tree removal, landscaping, pest control in Eltham, brush cutting, damaged tree cutting and removal, tree cutting Eltham, hedge lowering, decompaction, tree lopping Eltham and other tree surgeon services in Eltham, Greater London. Listed are just a selection of the tasks that are accomplished by local tree surgeons. Eltham specialists will be happy to inform you of their whole range of services.

More Eltham Trades: Naturally, when you are having tree surgery done in Eltham, Greater London, you are likely to need other garden related services, and apart from a tree surgeon in Eltham, Greater London, you may also need lawn mowing in Eltham, gate installation in Eltham, hedge trimming in Eltham, garden pond builders in Eltham, driveways in Eltham, garden shed installers in Eltham, patio installation in Eltham, garden wall construction in Eltham, garden clearances in Eltham, landscapers in Eltham, garden designers in Eltham, weeding in Eltham, local SKIP HIRE in Eltham, artificial grass installers in Eltham, garden rubbish removal in Eltham, decking installers in Eltham, and other different Eltham tradespeople.

Tree Surgeons Near Eltham: Also find: Shooters Hill tree surgeons, Elmstead tree surgeons, Falconwood tree surgeons, Avery Hill tree surgeons, Grove Park tree surgeons, New Eltham tree surgeons, Blackfen tree surgeons, Middle Park tree surgeons, Horn Park tree surgeons, Kidbrooke tree surgeons, Coldharbour Estate tree surgeons, Lee tree surgery and more. Most of these areas are catered for by local tree surgeons. Eltham home and business owners can obtain quotes by clicking here.

(Created with tree surgeons Eltham text version four.)

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