Tree Surgeons Harpenden

People in Harpenden who attempt to do tree work themselves, or by using an unqualified individual may well cause a risk of damage to property, the trees and to life. But even hiring an experienced tree surgeon who is acquainted with all the dangers does not mean that tree work is entirely safe. There are an average of one hundred and forty serious injuries and three deaths a year within the profession, making it among the most dangerous jobs in the UK and certainly not for amateurs to attempt.

There's also a risk to life from neglected or damaged trees in Harpenden, as around 5 people per year are tragically killed in the UK by falling branches and trees. If you employ somebody to do tree work and subsequently property is damaged, or an injury occurs, you may be liable for any compensation to a third-party as a consequence of your actions. These are the reasons why it's essential to retain the services of a certified tree surgeon to undertake the work on your trees. (The above figures were sourced from HSE).

A skilled Harpenden tree surgeon will likely be a registered member of at least one of the 2 principal trade bodies. You can check up on 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 recognised ARB Approved Contractor status which can be checked on this page.

For mediation assistance and for help and guidance at any point during or after the tree work has been accomplished, you will be able to communicate with either of these professional associations.

If anyone who isn't on this directory offers to provide you with a quote, you should tactfully decline their offer of work and carry on with your search for an accredited contractor. You should try and get a minimum of three quotations from different companies in the Harpenden area as soon as you are reassured of their professional qualifications and memberships. Due to the risks involved in tree surgery work, you should ask the following questions, making it crystal clear that you need them to provide the answers:

• Can I contact a recent person who you've worked for so I can check the standard of your tree work? Independently checking any recent work is always sensible.
• Do you give quotations in writing? Verbal quotes alone aren't acceptable. Always get a written quote.
• Do you have a NPTC/LANTRA certificate for chainsaw use, and documentary verification of your qualifications and professional memberships? It is required by law that any tree worker using a chainsaw must hold a NPTC/LANTRA certificate. Certificates and National Diplomas in Arboriculture are qualifications that could be held by a decent tree surgeon in Harpenden.
• What is your level of insurance cover? Your tree surgeon should be able to show you an insurance certificate covering no less than five million pounds public liability, as outlined by the ISA and AA.

Easy to understand information on all the tree work that is being undertaken should be included on the written quotation. It should state whose responsibility it is to remove tree branches, stumps and debris, and should also include specifics of any trees which could be protected, and the steps necessary to obtain permission to work on them. You should also make certain that VAT is included on the quote. It's extremely important to understand that you've got a responsibility to employ only trained tradespeople to work on your trees and property.

PRIOR TO WORK COMMENCING - Checking whether any of your trees are covered by a a TPO (tree protection order), your chosen Harpenden tree surgeon should make certain that any work can get the go-ahead from the appropriate local authority. Discovering that a tree has got protected status doesn't signify that work can't be carried out, because even protected trees need to be maintained in order to cut back dead or dying wood and ensure the safety of the public.

If your property in Harpenden is inside a designated conservation area then no less than 6 weeks written notice is required to the Local Planning Authority (LPA) before any tree work can be performed. This notice is not required if the tree trunk is under 75mm in diameter when measured at 1.5 metres above the ground. It is also not necessary to give notice if the branches of a protected tree need pruning or thinning simply to encourage and sustain growth.

After doing a complete assessment of your trees health, your chosen Harpenden tree surgeon will decide on the required remedial treatment and how the required outcome can be achieved with safety in mind. Public areas, your property and any parts of a neighbour's property that could be affected by falling branches and debris will all be given a risk assessment. The level of protection required and the amount of workforce needed, will also be ascertained at this stage. This is both PPE (personal protective equipment) as well as other safety measures to keep property and the general public safe from damage or harm.

ON THE DAY OF WORK - Before any climbing, cutting of branches or tree felling is started, safety measures, cones and barriers should be put in place to keep unauthorised persons away from the area where work is going on. It may at some stage be necessary to halt the traffic momentarily, if there's a risk of debris falling onto the highway.

The tree surgeon will need varying levels of protection according to the type of tree work being done. When carrying out basic tree work with a chainsaw, to avoid cutting injuries to the legs, torso and hands, they will at a bare minimum be wearing protective clothing. At all times, every operative involved in the work should wear hi-vis clothing, and eye and head protection.

Additional workers will normally be needed to help with the removal of high branches and large pieces of tree trunk, particularly if working at height is involved, and where ladders and associated climbing equipment is being deployed. For taking waste away from the area, a skip or truck will be stationed as close as possible to the work area. This need for unhindered access is a good reason to inform your neighbours of the intended work.

UPON COMPLETION OF WORK - As soon as the tree work has been finished all the waste and branches will be taken away and the site cleared of any debris. Your tree surgeon should then sign off and provide you with a certificate of work, particularly when the trees are protected. Highways and paths can then be re-opened, with any safety measures in public areas being taken away.

If you have any problems or issues with the completed work, you should first take them up with the tree surgeon so that they can be fixed immediately. If your tree surgeon is a registered member of a trade association, and there is any further dispute, you can receive guidance and help from the Arboricultural Association or the International Society of Arboriculture so as to come to a satisfactory solution.

Vegetation Management

Tree care specialists don't simply help with the care and removal of trees exclusively, they'll also help you with all kinds of vegetation that is choking your backyard and spoiling the whole area. Quality tree surgeons will usually be happy to get rid off bushes, overgrown vegetation, weeds and shrubs which may be thriving close to sheds, paths, patios, buildings or drives, and generally creating a problem. If you're to maintain your garden effectively then all this unwanted growth needs to be cut back regularly, and if you find you've got the inclination and time then this is something that you may do by yourself if you are fit and able enough, or you could book in a tree surgeon to pay a visit now and again to keep it in check. Vegetation control is important if you are going to maintain easy and safe entry to every area of the garden and if this is overlooked the vegetation can pretty quickly become a menace and lessen the enjoyment of your garden. Aside from everything else the garden will also look a picture when properly maintained. (Tags: De-Vegetation Services Harpenden, Vegetation Control Hertfordshire, Vegetation Management Harpenden)

Invasive Tree Roots Harpenden

You might encounter problems when some larger trees which have really aggressive roots are growing too near to your Harpenden property. These issues could include blocked drains, damaged foundations and lifting patios, to name but a few. Some species of trees that have extremely intrusive root systems include sycamores, maples, elms and willows.

Keeping any new trees you plant on your property, as far away as possible from your sewerage system, your home, paths and patio areas, is advisable to avoid future complications. You should speak to a tree surgeon in Harpenden, to see what can be done, if existing trees are growing too close to your dwelling and are causing some of these issues.

This is not really the kind of job that you should attempt to do yourself, and just chopping off the problematic tree roots could kill the tree or seriously threaten it's overall health. So that any damage to property is reduced, and the tree is still able to get sufficient food and water to survive and thrive, a professional tree care specialist in Harpenden will know precisely which roots should be left in place, and which roots can be safely cut back.

Cracks in underground drainage systems are often caused by shrub and tree roots, because a constant source of nutrients and water is present in such an environment. Blockages and joint failure can occur, when tiny roots grow into a drainage system's joints, establish themselves and grow into substantial root balls. By using mechanical equipment, manual rodding or high pressure water jetting, some Harpenden tree surgeons will be able to provide specialist root removal services.

Crown Thinning Harpenden

The removing of a lot of the smaller branches located on the outer crown of a tree to produce a leaf density that's consistent throughout without changing the shape or size of the tree, is termed crown thinning. This technique is typically only performed on broad leafed trees and is done to minimize the stress upon larger branches as a result of wind, ice, snow, or gravity, to reduce the weight of the crown of the tree, to prevent the tree uprooting when it's windy, to allow more light inside or to minimize the wind resistance of the tree. The all round size and structure of the tree ought not to be transformed by crown thinning, and should only bring about a uniform foliage thickness surrounding consistently distributed branches. You'll be able to find crown thinning services in Childwickbury, Batford, East Hyde, Marshalls Heath, Kimpton, Kinsbourne Green, Mackerye End, Gustard Wood, Flamstead, Peters Green, Hatching Green, and Harpenden. (Tags: Tree Crown Thinning Harpenden, Crown Thinning Harpenden, Crown Thin Harpenden)

Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) Harpenden

Before you do any significant work on your trees in Harpenden, you need to make certain that there is not a TPO (Tree Preservation Order) on any of them. You local authority is the place to head to determine whether there are any TPOs on your trees. Local authority permission is essential if wilful damage, wilful destruction, lopping, felling, removal, topping or uprooting is intended on any tree that's covered by a Tree Preservation Order. Your tree surgeon will be able to give you advice on this and help you out with any checks.

If you are living within a conservation area in Harpenden, and plan to carry out any work on a tree with a diameter of seventy five millimetres or more (1.5 metres from ground level), you have to give a minimum of 6 weeks written notice to your local council.

The International Society of Arboriculture

The ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) is a non-profit, international organisation that is based in Atlanta, GA, USA, it fosters the benefits and awareness of trees. Upholding the professional practice of arboriculture, the ISA is a membership association serving the tree care industry all over the world.

The ISA has its focus on best tree care practices, helping individuals in the tree care industry develop their arboricultural expertise, knowledge and skills, by promoting educational publications, services and events.

Since an agreement was signed in 2016 the AA (Arboricultural Association) has been an associate organisation of the International Society of Arboriculture. Offering additional opportunities for ISA members in Great Britain and Ireland, this also significantly strengthened the relationship between the two associations. Any UK tree care professionals having either AA or ISA membership can now enjoy the wide and varied benefits of being an integral part of a unique worldwide network. The International Society of Arboriculture now boasts over 22000 members worldwide with professional affiliates and associate organisations in Europe, Asia, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Leylandii Hedge Removal Harpenden

Leylandii hedges are a popular choice for householders in Harpenden due to their fast growth rate and ability to provide privacy. Nonetheless, they have the tendency to grow out of control and become hard to keep in check. If you intend to remove a Leylandii hedge, it's important to keep in mind a few key considerations. The first thing to do is to verify that the hedge is not protected by any legal regulations, such as a Tree Preservation Order. When the hedge is under legal protection, you must seek the local council's approval before you can remove it. 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. Finally, it's crucial to dispose of the hedge waste in a responsible and eco-friendly way after its removal. To conclude, the removal of a Leylandii hedge can be a hazardous and laborious task, requiring the observance of necessary safety measures and the potential solicitation of professional intervention.

Air-Spading Harpenden

When the health of your trees is a concern, this may be due to any number of problems, but it is quite often because of issues with the tree's root system. In order to check for soil compaction, root rot, or other problems, a certified tree surgeon in Harpenden might need to access the root system of your tree.

This was sometimes a tricky thing to achieve until recently, because during the digging down process, the roots could be easily damaged. The system that numerous contemporary tree surgeons use is known as "air spading", which is where compressed air is used to break down and clear away compacted soil without causing damage to tree roots or utilities.

When the soil around a tree gets compacted by foot traffic, passing vehicles or building work, the general health of the tree can be badly affected. When a tree lacks water and nutrients it can become "stressed", and this makes it more prone to attacks by disease, insects and pests. Root flare problems can also be tackled with air-spading, and this is when the flare at the base of the tree becomes covered with too much soil, heightening the possibility of root decay by causing it's tissues to break down.

The air spading process involves the use of an air-spade and an air compressor which blows air into the soil at a speed of twelve hundred miles per hour, the air enters the spaces in the soil and instantly breaks it down, whilst leaving tree roots and utilities untouched. Immediate inspection is possible, as the powerful flow of air blows away the soil from the roots. The soil can then be replaced with wood chips and fertiliser to encourage the tree to revive, and solve any problems. (Tags: Air-Spading Harpenden, Air-Spade Harpenden, Air-Spade Investigations Harpenden).

Preventing Storm Damage

Of all the things that grow in our garden, trees seem to be the strongest, sturdiest and the most able to withstand the vagaries of Mother Nature. Actually some species of trees can survive for many hundreds of years.

Despite all of this, trees can be vulnerable to unfavourable weather conditions, and aside from the possibility of falling limbs and branches, when faced with a certain set of conditions they can even fall over completely, causing lots of damage. The primary weather related enemy of trees is wind, and as the frequency of severe storms and weather events in Harpenden increases due to climate change, this form of damage has become more commonplace. Other issues can be heavy winter snowfall, and waterlogged soil during floods or prolonged periods of rainfall.

To reduce the likelihood of problems with your trees in times of severe weather, it is a good idea to get a certified Harpenden tree surgeon to check them out every so often, and prune any dead or excessively long branches.

To stop taller trees being struck by lightning, and to safeguard nearby buildings and property which might be susceptible to side-flashes ("jumps"), it's also a good idea to install lightning rods, copper conductors, or other protection systems. Trees can be damaged, drastically weakened, or even killed by a lightning strike, they can be burned to the ground, split in two, or left vulnerable to pests, disease or decay - not the happiest of situations! Lightning is more common than you might imagine, and there are something like 300,000 strikes annually in the UK.

To protect your trees from being damaged by storms and lessen the chances of major consequences should an unstable tree fall down as a result of bad weather, ask your local Harpenden tree surgery firm what can be done.

Tree Transplanting Harpenden

Moving a mature tree and transplanting it in a new location may sound difficult, however with powerful, modern lifting equipment and tractor mounted spades, it's become a relatively straightforward endeavour. Fully-grown trees can be moved and replanted onto new ground to create an instant landscaping appearance, or out-of-control woody areas can be thinned without having to turn to tree felling.

Transplanting trees in Harpenden can be done in any season of the year, but in warmer summer months the soaking of the ground becomes especially crucial so as to cause as little stress as possible on the root system. To raise a tree from the earth a truck mounted tree spade is forced down into the ground to surround the tree's root ball, before hauling the entire tree free. If the uplifted tree isn't going to be straight away transplanted, it can be stored temporarily providing that its root ball and the surrounding earth is kept moist.

Even protected trees can be moved and transplanted by a professional tree moving service in Harpenden, so long as all appropriate legislation and preservation orders are approved by the woodland organisations and authorities. You should be able to find tree transplanting services in Childwickbury, Batford, East Hyde, Marshalls Heath, Kimpton, Kinsbourne Green, Mackerye End, Gustard Wood, Flamstead, Peters Green, Hatching Green, and in Harpenden.

Stump Grinding

If you have a requirement for specialist services such as stump grinding in Harpenden, making certain that you use a tree surgery company with the appropriate knowhow and gear is important. Competent tree surgeons will aim to extract every remnant of any size stump to a good 12 inches below ground level. Grinding down roots and stumps to right up against walls and buildings without without damaging them, can only be carried out if your chosen tree surgeon has the use of the appropriate machinery. Even any awkward tree stumps which are found in alleys and passageways, can be removed using the right machinery. It can take a herculean effort to remove the stumps of massive trees, where the stump and thicker roots grow down to a considerable depth, making the task even more problematic if you do not have the correct gear.

Hedge Cutting Harpenden

Despite the fact that Harpenden tree surgeons are mainly associated with the care and maintenance of trees they are regularly called in to trim hedges. Where there are conifer hedges like Leylandii, this is especially helpful, seeing as they can quickly get so high that a regular gardener or homeowner will find them virtually impossible to tackle using bog standard tools.

When a hedge is poorly maintained or uncared for, it can become overgrown and out of control pretty quickly. It's a good idea to trim your hedges on a regular basis, and this is not simply to stop them from take over large sections of your garden, but also to make them more aesthetically appealing and stronger.

Neat hedges help to make your garden and property tidier and more attractive, which can be a huge advantage if you are planning to sell your home in the immediate future.

Ash Dieback (Hymenoscyphus Fraxineus)

First reported in Great Britain in 2021, ash dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) is a highly infectious fungal disease which is expected to wipe out close to eighty percent of the current ash tree population, over the coming years. Following on from the devastation of Dutch Elm Disease, which killed off the United Kingdom's elm trees, ash dieback is going to have huge repercussions for our countryside.

A disease which affects the Fraxinus genus of trees, it has an especially devastating effect on Fraxinus excelsior, the common ash that is native to the UK. The fungus which causes the disease is called Hymenoscyphus fraxineus (H. fraxineus), and it originated in Asia.

Ash dieback has already spread to most regions of Great Britain, and is dispersed by wind blown spores which can travel for many miles, quickening the whole process.

Ash dieback is recognisable by symptoms like:

• Wilting leaves that turn black and are shed prematurely.
• New epicormic growth appearing from buds that were dormant previously.
• Dying shoots and leaves which are visible during the summertime.
• The formation of lesions where limbs meet the trunk.
• Leaves developing dark patches during mid to late summer.

To a certain extent, ash trees have the ability to fight the disease, but they eventually die after continual attacks year-on-year. Currently there's no clear-cut approach for stopping the spread of aash dieback, and there's no effective treatment.

Whilst you can report instances of ash dieback to the Forestry Commission's "Tree Alert Service", it's so prevalent all over the UK that they are really only interested to know about cases which are discovered in locations not affected previously. If you think you have a tree suffering from ash dieback in your garden in Harpenden, you can still speak to a local tree surgeon, who will offer guidance and advice about how to proceed - ultimately the trees or tree will have to be felled and removed.

Eco-Plugging Stump Removal Harpenden

If you've got a large stump in your garden which needs to be removed, the customary strategy that's used by most Harpenden tree surgeons is stump grinding. However, nowadays "eco-plugging" is touted as a less costly solution to this issue. It isn't just the point that eco-plugging is less expensive that makes it an appealing alternative for stump removal, but also that it can be used in awkward and inaccessible locations which may be hard to get to with bulky stump grinders.

Eco-plugging is an extremely effective treatment for killing off tree stumps and does not affect the surrounding vegetation and trees. Eco-plugs can be employed at any time of the year and in any weather, and they destroy the entire root system of a stump. Containing a form of crystalline glyphosate herbicide, eco-plugs are 95-100% effective, and is suitable for a wide array of trees. (Tags: Eco-Plugs Harpenden, Eco-Plugging Tree Stumps Harpenden, Eco-Plugging Harpenden, Eco-Plug Stump Treatment Harpenden).

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Stump grinding machines - article 678.

Tree Surgery Tasks Harpenden

Harpenden tree surgeons can normally help you with damage restoration, tree dismantling, tree transplanting, residential tree surgery, crown removal Harpenden, tree watering in Harpenden, landscape clearance, crown reduction, emergency tree surgery, shielding trees from grazing animals, air spading, retrenchment pruning Harpenden, tree management in Harpenden, hedge lowering, safety inspections Harpenden, tree fertilising Harpenden, stump grinding, tree surveys, landscaping, decompaction, tree removal, tree felling, hedge trimming, tree planning Harpenden, pest control, vegetation management, waste removal, monitoring of tree health Harpenden, pollarding Harpenden, arboriculture, tree pruning, woodland clearance, stump treatment, tree work in Harpenden, shrub maintenance and other tree surgeon services in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. These are just some of the tasks that are accomplished by local tree surgeons. Harpenden professionals will be happy to inform you of their whole range of services.

Tree Surgeons Near Harpenden: Also find: Kinsbourne Green tree surgeons, Batford tree surgeons, Marshalls Heath tree surgeons, Gustard Wood tree surgeons, Hatching Green tree surgeons, Peters Green tree surgeons, Childwickbury tree surgeons, Mackerye End tree surgeons, Flamstead tree surgeons, Kimpton tree surgeons, East Hyde tree surgery and more. All of these places are serviced by tree surgeons. Harpenden homeowners can get tree surgery quotes by going here.

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