Mersey Branch

15/05/2024

Yesterday the team were tasked with the sad job of removing this rather lovely Copper Beech on School Hill in Heswall.

The tree had historically undergone some poor pruning works which had left it with an unbalanced crown that was weighted heavily over the highway and a large wound at the top of the stem. This wound coupled with the stress of excess foliage removal had enabled fungal pathogens to colonise within the heartwood of the tree and cause decay that spanned the entirety of the stem to below ground level. 

This tree was subject to a Tree Preservation Order which was lifted and a 3 month removal notice was placed upon it by the council tree officers. It was a real shame to see this tree go, its huge stem and pendulous purple foliage greatly enhancing the amenity of the area.

To get the tree down safely I used rigging techniques to dismantle the crown in a controlled manner, then we used a Hiab crane to pluck the timber in large sections and place them straight onto the back of the wagon. Whilst I set about working this tree down, Andy got to work on its sister, another copper beech which had also previously been poorly pruned. He carried out a 25% crown reduction to re-balance the crown, minimising the chance of failure in strong winds whilst retaining a healthy well shaped tree of high amenity value.

All the work was completed in one day to reduce disruption in the area which becomes extremely busy during the school rush.

Big thanks to Rob for his Groundie work and Hiab abilities. Dee and Tod for their grafting on the deck all day and superstar Andy for effortlessly churning out another top reduction on an awkward shaped tree.

21/04/2024

14/03/2024

Here is a Cedar of Lebanon we worked on last week. The tree had previously been excessively thinned out, gutting it of all its internal growth and leaving only tufts of foliage on the tips of the branches from which the tree had pushed out a vast amount of reactive growth. When this kind of work is carried out it’s known as lions tailing. Thinning trees is often touted as a sympathetic approach to pruning however internal growth is vital in buffering the forces of strong winds through the crown. When these branches are removed it completely changes the structure of the tree intensifying the lever arm effect on the limbs and increasing the likelihood of a failure. Any thinning of a tree to the point of allowing more light through the canopy will be excessive and we always try to steer clear of this kind of work. To mitigate the problems caused by this previous pruning we reduced the tips by approximately 1m to good growth points as well as crown lifting over the road, removing an over extended limb encroaching onto the property and clearing the phone lines. Whilst I pruned the Cedar young Diego carried out his first ever dismantle removing the adjacent Walnut and then after lunch I pruned the Beech behind.






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16/02/2024

The team and I were out in West Kirby this morning carrying out a heavy reduction and reshape of this young Blue Atlas Cedar. Although very fond of the tree, the homeowner had become concerned that it had begun to outgrow its environment, casting a lot of shade onto the beds below and being in an exposed coastal position had lost several branches in strong winds.

We retrenched the crown back to appropriate pruning points, allowing a healthy tree to be retained at a size the homeowner felt more comfortable with.

If you've got a tree you feel has outgrown its surroundings and would like a chat about pruning options, get in touch and we will do our best to help.

11/02/2024

Sunday Funday!

Today the team have been out in Barnston tackling this large removal job to take out 3 mature Monterey Cypress and 3 Ash overhanging Storeton Lane. Monterey Cypress are a fast growing coniferous tree native to California but a common sight across the UK. With large heavily end weighted branches and hard brittle timber, branch failure is a somewhat common part of their life cycle and these trees had previously lost several large limbs in strong winds. Due to their location the homeowner had become increasingly concerned with the risk they posed outweighing their benefits. Additionally one of these trees had a weak basal inclusion union that had begun to split open and another had a pronounced lean over the highway.

In order to safely remove these trees it was necessary to have the road closed. Due to the prohibitive costs involved in an operation like this, the homeowner elected to have the 3 Ash also overhanging the highway removed at the same time. Although in a reasonable condition the unavoidable onslaught of Ash dieback disease meant it was prudent to take them down now before they became a hazard. These trees were all within the Barnston Conservation area and their removal had to be agreed by the Council prior to the work being undertaken.

We approached this job in 2 phases, first we spent time on the garden side clearing all of the limbs that were not overhanging the road. We used rigging techniques to lower them off in a controlled manner allowing us to get this work complete without shutting the highway or disturbing the constant flow of traffic. For the second phase the road needed to be closed. We liaised with the traffic management company and Wirral Borough Council to arrange this on our customer’s behalf. This gave us a window from 8am until 5pm to get the works complete. In order for this to go off without a hitch we brought in the help of 2 top tier contract climbers, The H Bomb, The Incredible Hall, Andy Hall- and the crane specialist, Dave Wolff-Geall. Dave joined me on the A team stripping out the Cypress into the road with a crack team of groundies below chipping and clearing the branches as they went. Andy for maybe the first time ever was on the B team, headed by Rob M they carefully worked down the Ash. Then once the crowns were cleared, out came the big guns, x2 Hiab wagons to lift the timber out in large sections, avoiding any damage to the fence, wall and road below. The cypress timber was sent off to a local sawmill so it can be put to good use and given a new life. After starting at 8am we were done and off site by 4pm with an hour to spare.

Removing trees of this stature is always a shame with an inevitable negative impact on the ecology and amenity of the area, despite doing a good job, all that remains is a gap where something beautiful once stood…

Big Thanks to all the lads today who put in an amazing shift! Especially Roberto who provided additional trucks, chipper and a HIAB to get the job done as speedily as possible. And Andy from HALJON whose monstrous HIAB’s lifting ability saves countless hours of cutting, climbing and timber shifting.
And an extra special thank you to Frances as ever who handled all the admin, without which a job like this couldn't be carried out ♥️

And not forgetting the countless entitled lycra clad lizards and one scally on a scooter who thought the big signs saying "road closed" did not apply to them... shouting at you all truly put the cherry on top of a quality days work 💃🏽

10/02/2024

The team were out in Parkgate this morning removing this failed Lime. The tree had fallen in the storms a few weeks ago but had been delayed in being sorted due to insurance complications.

The insurance company green lighted the work on Thursday afternoon and we slotted it in today. The crown was carefully stripped out to avoid any further damage to the building, leaving the 2 prongs resting on the roof that supported the weight of the stem. We then used the HIAB crane to lift the tree clear of the roof whilst we severed it further down. Once the stem was removed we set about digging out and chopping the remaining roots so the root ball could be extracted as per the insurance companies request.

26/01/2024

Emergency Removal 🚨

The team and I were out in Heswall earlier this week removing this mature Robinia. We were contacted on Monday evening by the concerned home owner as the main basal union had begun to split apart in the strong winds.

The homeowner had wisely taken it upon themselves to install x3 2.5 tonne ratchet straps to help brace the stems without which this tree certainly would have failed. We inspected the tree on Tuesday morning and provided a quotation which was accepted by the afternoon. We then returned to the tree to fit two additional ratchet straps one at the base and one higher up the stem to provide increased support. By this point the winds had strengthened again with movement from the crack showing all the way to the root plate I wasn’t confident the tree would make it until morning with the second storm rapidly rolling in.

It did however, with the ratchet straps providing a total of 12.5 tonnes of strength, it just about managed to survive the night.

We then set about the difficult task of getting this tree safely on the ground without causing damage to the house, fence and trees and shrubs below. When undertaking work on a tree in such a state any rigging to lower off the branches and timber will inevitably exert a great deal of force to the compromised base and drastically increase the risk to the climber(me!).

To mitigate this as much as possible I utilize the old fashioned and nuanced technique of "natural crotch rigging". In modern conventional rigging pulleys are installed in the tree, the rigging rope is passed through them and tied off to the branch that is to be removed, the other end of the rope is then wrapped around a bollard strapped to the base of the tree, the friction of these wraps acts as a brake allowing the groundsman to lower the branch in a controlled manner.

In natural crotch rigging the rope is simply passed through unions within the tree, as the rope rubs against forks, friction is created and braking occurs. Putting the friction in the crown of the tree is greatly beneficial when working on compromised trees as this minimises the forces involved dramatically, whereas pulleys, although smoother, increase the forces exerted on the tree.

When rigging like this it’s vital that the groundsman on the other end of the line is on the same page as the climber to ensure their safety and additional wraps on the bollard are taken for weightier pieces.

Ben and I have been working together for over a decade and have developed a shorthand that allows for seamless and speedy rigging.

This tree was dismantled in one day with no damage to the property, trees and shrubs below. All sub 6 inch branch wood was chipped and removed from site, all remaining branch wood was stacked in 4ft lengths, the larger timber cut into firewood sized rings and stacked on site at the customer’s request.

We returned yesterday to clear the last of the sawdust and have a final tidy.
Big thanks to the lads on the ground for putting in a monumental shift to get it done.

Ben with the deftest of touches on the rigging line! Diego, Branch manager with his ever increasing strength and determination. Jonathan, from Willow Garden & Landscapes who joined us this week and may have worn out his boots with the amount of trips to and fro the chipper. And young Todrick who grafted all day whilst keeping us entertained and managed to consume 6 shortbread in one go (a new company record)!

06/12/2023

Can you spot the fairy in the tree?!

The team were out on Baskervyle road in Heswall on Monday morning working on this soggy Corsican pine. The tree was leaning and heavily weighted over the highway. Having seen many mature pines lost in the local area during storm Arwen, the homeowners were becoming increasingly concerned this tree might suffer the same fate. As Pines don't produce internal regenerative growth and can be difficult to access the tips, their pruning is not common practice within the industry. However with a bit of care and determination they can be subtly reduced with good results. This kind of sympathetic tree care vastly reduces the sail of the tree in strong winds, limiting the strain placed on the root plate and minimising the chances of failure, all the while retaining a healthy well shaped tree of high amenity value. Although it may appear not a lot of the tree has been removed you can see from the pile of brash at the end that its had a decent haircut without spoiling its shape.
In the afternoon we walloped a beech.... its a funny old life!

09/10/2023

The team were out last week in Bebington carrying out a gentle reduction/lift and removing some broken branches from this small Oak.

The tree is subject to a preservation order so all works had to be approved by the council first. ✅