Forestry Journal Buyer's Guide: Tree care and protection

TREE DIAGNOSTICS

TREE Diagnostics provides a range of equipment to help you answer the question: “Is that tree safe?”

The company offers a range of equipment and systems, including:
•    Stress wave timer – microsecond timer 
•    Sonic tomography – arborsonic 3D tomograph
•    Electronic impedance tomography – ArborElectro
•    Sonic Wood Quality Systems – TreeSonic timers and Ultrasound timers
•    Static tree stability assessment – tree pulling 
•    Dynamic tree stability assessment – DynaTree and DynaRoot
•    Wind recording systems – cup and ultrasonic anemometer
•    Sonic root detectors

Occasionally, trees – just like any living organism – can have issues that need an investigation to enable better-informed decisions concerning their management or safety.

Some problems cannot be commented on accurately by simply looking, kicking, or hitting with a mallet. Just as a doctor would refer us for further testing before a diagnosis, as tree managers, often more detailed information is needed to make balanced decisions.

Tree Diagnostics offers the industry an alternative. Its tools and equipment can prove or disprove the safety of a tree based on the site conditions, trees characteristics and test data, rather than a gut feeling. 

Tree Diagnostics’ go-to tool, the Arborsonic 3D, allows tree decay in stems and large limbs to be scanned and provide a tree safety factor calculated using the specialist software with just a few clicks of the mouse.

Its tree stability assessments include traditional tree pulling tests alongside, natural wind-powered dynamic testing using an anemometer and sensors to detect the slightest movements, with no applied force required. These systems provide a tree safety factor and can be framed within either the expected local wind loading using published data or it can assume worst case scenarios such as a force 12 Gale, 33 m/s or 74 mph to suit your protocols. 

When there is no wind, stability testing can be completed on trees using static ‘tree pull’, using a known load applied to the tree via a winch, with sensors making stability testing possible all year round.

Tree Diagnostics Academy is a new resource of help and information for potential, new and existing users. Each course is focused on a single piece of equipment and aimed at the operator's level using step-by-step videos to aid the successful operation.

To discuss any questions you might have, whether you are looking to buy or are looking for independent tree testing, call 01423 322371 or visit www.treediagnostics.co.uk.

CEUK
PRUNING, LOGGING, SPLITTING – BLADE TOOLS FOR THE SEASONS AHEAD

MORE professionals are renewing their interest in hand tools. Rather than getting the job done as quickly as possible, many are becoming more creative knowing hand tools provide a quality finish and a more craft-oriented approach to work. Those in the industry have a strong connection with nature, literally shaping the world we see in our gardens, orchards and open spaces. Many hand tools will allow you to deliver while enjoying the process along the way. 

With an ambition to champion the supply of bladed products, CEuk has been sourcing cutting-edge tools for outdoor professionals since 2009. So, what makes up the range? Trojan handsaws, Stallion telescopic polesaws, Leyat secateurs and loppers, Bison axes, Root Assassin shovels and Sawpod all feature in the hands of hardworking professionals.

Stallion telescopic polesaws have become a flagship pruning saw for the industry, winning various awards. Built for secure, high-reach tree pruning, Stallion polesaws can be easily extended to various heights in the canopy while safely operating from the ground. Stallion polesaws feature robust 400 mm high carbon tool steel blades designed to bite hard and cut smoothly to leave a clean branch finish. Available in four pole lengths (reaching up to 3.1 m, 4.1 m, 4.6 m and 6.3 m), Stallion polesaws come complete with curved Stallion blade and scabbard. Designed to cut only on the pull stroke, the weighted curved blade profile helps with cutting control and reduces the amount of effort exerted by the user to produce the desired cut.

New for autumn 2021, CEuk has unveiled the ultra-compact Stallion 4.1 m telescopic polesaw. Developed from industry feedback, the Stallion 4.1 m polesaw is appealing to those looking for a quality polesaw that not only reaches high but is extremely transportable. Easily adjustable telescopic points allow you to safely extend high, whilst the Stallion 4.1 m polesaw revolutionises transportation with the ability to condense to 1.3 m making it convenient to fit in a small vehicle boot space.
Stallion blades are also designed to fit AUS fibreglass pruning rods as well as other pole manufacturers.

CEuk focuses on being the best at what it does and not necessarily the biggest, developing performing products that offer genuine value for money with a service that goes the extra mile. Every product supplied has a professional guarantee and a back-up to readily available spare parts giving you product longevity.

Check out the range and find your nearest stockist online at www.CEuk-intl.com.

NEXGEN TREE SHELTERS

NEXGEN has been working closely with foresters, tree nurseries and landowners across the UK during the development of its biodegradable tree shelter. After four years of development, NexGen tree shelters will be launched at the APF Show in 2022.

Nearly 4,000 pre-production samples are on trial across the UK and the feedback has been very encouraging. NexGen has invested heavily in independent testing for biodegradability, light transparency, light spectrum quality, ecotoxicities and pH values as the material breaks down. NexGen is delighted to confirm that its material has passed each test and has been referred to by the independent testers in their report as ‘bug food’ when breaking down as a result of UV and microbial degradation.

READ MORE: essential ARB Buyer's Guide: Mobile elevating work platforms

NexGen has also received certification stating that the shelters will last for five years, depending on location.

Gary Hurlstone, MD, said: "British wool is the key trigger for the final degradation process due to its fabulous biodegrading qualities."

NexGen is working with over 1,200 sheep farmers across the UK and is using wool often discarded by farmers due to the lack of a viable market. 50,000 tonnes of wool is produced in the UK each year, of which 5,000 tonnes are buried, burnt or dumped. Gary added: "NexGen has had a lot of interest from North America and Europe, it will be great to see British wool being used to help fight global climate change."

The resin that holds the wool together is made predominantly from a plant-based liquid, together with some innovative chemistry to bring everything together so that the material will last for five years in the countryside before starting to break down.

The NexGen tree shelter range is herbicide resistant, and feature a double-thickness strip of material that sits against the stake for added strength, a flared top rim and ventilation holes to support healthier tree growth. A range of sizes, with varied heights and diameters, will be available.

www.nexgen-ts.com.

TREESPLEASE

AS the search for the truly biodegradable tree shelter continues, Trees Please is a member of a working group which is developing a polymer-derived guard that will biodegrade completely and in situ, leaving no trace, residues or toxins at all at the end of their useful lifespan. The aim is to launch this product in Autumn 2022.

TreesPlease is also pleased to be able to offer a range of greener guards to suit a range of situations:
•    Bio-Spiral Guard – available in a range of sizes from a vole guard at 200 mm x 38 mm to a spiral guard at 600 mm x 38 mm and 600 mm x 50 mm. Made from plant polymers, the Bio-Spiral is easy to install with no ties and straps, low maintenance as it expands as the plant grows, and is fully biodegradable when composted. It will provide up to 4 years’ protection.
•    Tubex Nature Guard – available as a 0.6 m x 73-105 mm and 1.2 m x 73–105 mm tube from October 2021. Designed to be biodegradable in nature and non-toxic, they are made from polymers partly derived from biomass products. This product is undergoing rigorous testing for earthworm and soil ecotoxicity, and all components have been certified as industrially compostable. This guard would ideally be mulched or buried at the end of its life. However, it can also be left in situ. The tube has also been designed for maximum light transmission.

For more information, please call 01434 633 049 or visit www.treesplease.co.uk.