As a variety of birds and other animals gather to raise their young, the nesting season in the UK is an exciting time for wildlife enthusiasts. But like with any stage of life, it's crucial that we respect and safeguard these animals, particularly when they're constructing their nests in trees. Make sure to check before conducting any tree maintenance because, in the UK, it's unlawful to cut down or otherwise disturb trees if there is a nest inside of them. You'll not only abstain from violating wildlife laws, but you'll also be doing your part to preserve nesting season's splendour for future generations.
One of our first jobs of the new year was to remove some Santa hats from the statues on the Diana Fountain in Bushy Park. The mystery is, how did they get there? It took us a boat and climbing gear to reach them, on a freezing cold day!
The Tree Company are proud to announce we have been awarded the Arboricultural maintenance contract for Bushy Park on a four year contract.
We have been the termed contractor for The Royal Parks at Richmond Park for the last 18 years and have also been awarded a further four years there as well.
These awards have allowed us to further expand our fleet and plant to meet their demands .
With lockdown easing we are now resuming much of our domestic tree works where social distancing can be maintained.
Last winter The Tree Company pruned an old Acer capadocicum for one of our longest standing clients. Our client’s home is located right on the banks of the river Thames in southwest London and boasts a lovely collection of trees. We have enjoyed being their preferred tree surgeons for over 15 years, and it means we have got to know their trees very well.
The Acer is a great specimen and is fully-grown. Over the years we have thinned out the middle of the tree to allow light to the lawn. Sadly the tree is now getting on a bit and we need to manage its eventual decline.
The best way to do this is to carry out light reductions over a long period of time. So at the beginning of this year we did a 15% crown reduction using only hand tools, the trusty Silky saw and Felco secateurs.
In around 3-5 years time, depending on the response from this year’s reduction, we will carry out a further light reduction.
The aim is to reduce the size of the crown without shocking it too much, and to promote some growth lower down in the crown (which is lacking due to the historic thinning) thus creating a smaller more compact crown which should lead to a longer life for the tree and extended enjoyment for our client.
The Tree Company was asked by one of our clients in South West London to install a rope swing into their tree. This was a fun change from the reduction, felling and thinning work which makes up the vast majority of our business.
We were doing some other tree work in their garden and they had identified a fine Beech tree in which to hang the swing. Our client had sourced the swing from a lovely family company http://www.sittingspiritually.co.uk/two-seater-tree-swing. Our job was to assess the tree to make sure it was safe and tie in the swing.
The Tree Company used the good practice guide for installing rope swings into trees written by http://www.monkey-do.net/content/tree-swings . A climbing inspection was carried out, with particular attention paid to the anchor branch. Any deadwood was removed from the crown and finally the rope swing was tied into the tree, ensuring it was just the right height for parents and child.
We hope to be back next year to see how things are going, as the swing and tree should be inspected annually.
