Tree Surgeon Westhoughton

People in Westhoughton who try to do tree work on their own, or by using an unqualified operative could cause a risk of damage to property, the trees or to life. But even hiring a skilled tree surgeon who is aware of all the hazards doesn't mean that tree work is entirely safe. Tree surgery is definitely not a task for amateurs, and on average there are 3 deaths and 140 severe injuries a year within the profession, making it among the most dangerous jobs in the UK.

With falling branches and trees causing around five deaths annually in Britain, a threat to life can even be posed by a poorly maintained or damaged tree. If you employ someone to perform tree work and an injury occurs, or property is damaged, you could be liable to third-party compensation claims. These are just a few of the reasons why it is important to use an accredited tree surgeon to carry out the work on your trees in Westhoughton. (Figures sourced from HSE).

An experienced tree surgeon in Westhoughton should be a signed up member of one or both of the two professional industry bodies found in the United Kingdom. The membership and professional standing of any tree surgeon in Westhoughton can be checked out on the websites of both the ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) and the AA (Arboricultural Association). Membership of either of these two organisations will give the tree surgeon ARB Approved Contractor status which can be checked on this website.

If a problem springs up during the work, or after it's been accomplished you will be able to get hold of these trade organisations for assistance in arbitration and for guidance and help.

If someone offers you a quotation for any tree work and you can't find them on this directory list, you should graciously decline their offer of work and carry on with your search for an approved contractor. Once you have reassured yourself of their professional qualifications and associations you should try and get at least 3 quotations from different companies in and around Westhoughton. While acquiring the quotes you must ask the following questions, making it abundantly clear that you need the answers due to the risks involved with tree work:

• Would I be able to to contact a person you have recently done work for, so that I can assess your tree work? Independently examining any recent work is always advisable.
• What level of insurance coverage do you have? As suggested by the ISA and AA, your tree surgeon should be able to produce a certificate covering at least five million pounds public liability insurance.
• Can you provide me with a quotation in writing? Always get a quote in writing, and NEVER accept a quote that is only given verbally.
• Can you show documents to indicate that you have the proper qualifications, membership of the ISA or AA, and also a certificate for chainsaw use and maintenance from the NPTC/LANTRA? It's required by law that any operative/tree surgeon using a chainsaw must have gained NPTC/LANTRA certification. Qualifications can include City and Guilds Diplomas and Certificates in Arboriculture.

On the written quote that you receive, you will need there to be easily followed details of all the work that is being undertaken. It should mention who is responsible for the removal of waste, tree branches and stumps, and should also include specifics of any trees which might be protected in law, and the steps required to obtain permission to work on them. Verify that they have also included VAT on the quotation. You have a responsibility for hiring only capable tradespeople to work on your trees and property, and it is extremely important to understand that fact. This is laid out by the "Common law duty of care responsibilities and sometimes liabilities under the Occupier's Liability Acts of 1957 and 1984."

PRIOR TO WORK BEGINNING - Finding out whether any of your trees are protected, your preferred Westhoughton tree surgeon should make sure that any work gets the green light from the appropriate local authority department. To ensure the safety of the public, even protected trees need maintenance so as to cut back old or dead wood, therefore finding that a tree is protected doesn't suggest that you are unable to carry out essential work.

If your property in Westhoughton happens to be within a conservation area, the Local Planning Authority will require no less than 6 weeks written notice of any intended tree work. This written notice isn't required if the stem of the tree is less than 75 millimetres in diameter when measured at 1.5m from the ground. It is also not necessary to give written notice if a protected tree's branches need thinning or pruning simply to sustain and promote growth.

On site they'll complete a thorough assessment of your trees and decide on the required remedial treatment and how best and safely to achieve the required outcome. Where there is any chance of falling branches, a risk assessment will need to be done on public spaces, your property, and parts of neighbouring properties that could be affected. At this point, the number of operatives required and the level of protection needed will also be ascertained. To keep property and the general public safe from damage or harm, this will include both personal protection equipment and other safety precautions.

ON THE DAY OF WORK - To keep unauthorised persons away from the area of work, safety measures, barriers and cones should be put in place before any cutting of branches, tree felling or climbing begins. It may at some point be necessary to stop the traffic temporarily, if there's a threat of debris falling onto the road.

Varying degrees of protection will be needed by the tree surgeon depending on what work needs to be executed. When doing chainsaw work, they will as a bare minimum be wearing protective clothing to avoid injuring the torso, hands and legs. All operatives involved in the work should be wearing hi-vis clothing, and eye and head protection, at all times.

Additional staff will usually be required to help with the removal of high branches and pieces of tree trunk, particularly if any working at height is involved, and where safety climbing equipment and ladders are being used. For taking waste materials away from the area, a truck or skip will be stationed as close as possible to the area. This requirement for unhindered access is a good reason to inform your nearby neighbours of the work you're intending to do.

AFTER COMPLETION OF WORK - On completion of all the work, the whole site can be cleared of all debris, and all of the waste materials can be hauled away. Particularly where the trees are under a protection order, a certificate of work should then be created by your tree surgeon, which can be signed off and a copy handed to you. If any safety measures were put in public areas they can now be taken away, with roads and paths being re-opened.

If you have any problems or issues with the completed work, you should first address them with the tree surgeon so that they can be rectified straight away. If your tree surgeon is a signed up member of a professional trade body, and any further arbitration is required, you can receive advice and guidance from the ISA or AA so as to reach an acceptable solution.

Local Westhoughton tree surgery services are likely to have the telephone dialling code 01942 and the postcode BL5. They will work in Westhoughton itself, as well as nearby areas like Wingates, Daisy Hill, Dobb Brow, Chequerbent, Aspull, Bolton, Lostock, Dob Brow, Over Hulton, Hart Common, Hindley, Pennington Green, Cooper Turning, Chew Moor, Hindley Green, and these postcodes: BL5 2NW, BL5 2LT, BL5 2NF, BL5 2AT, BL5 2EG, BL5 2JZ, BL5 2NL, BL5 2JR, BL5 2HY, BL5 2DF.

For this kind of service it's certainly a good idea to hire a certified local tree surgeon. Westhoughton home and property owners can greatly benefit from the know-how and skills that are the trademark of a fully trained professional.

The Use of Chainsaws

In terms of the equipment that is used by Westhoughton tree surgeons, the chainsaw is the most commonly seen. Thanks to their ease of use and greater portability, petrol driven chainsaws are the most popular with professionals, although battery and mains models can be purchased. Petrol chainsaws are the only real choice for the heaviest tree work, being extremely powerful, robust and able to slice effortlessly through limbs and branches of any proportions.

A chainsaw comprises an engine and a rotating chain with a series of sharp teeth that slice through the bark and wood of a tree. Chainsaws are also available in different styles, each one having its own distinct use - pole saws for hard to reach branches and long distance pruning, rear-handled for working on the ground (two handed) and top-handled for working at height (and which can be operated with one hand if necessary).

You will very rarely find an experienced Westhoughton tree surgeon who does not use a chainsaw, although clambouring up a tree with a rapidly spinning blade in your hand isn't the safest activity. So as to become a member of the Arboricultural Association (AA), being fully trained in the maintenance and safe use of chainsaws is one of the primary prerequisites.

For any person interested in purchasing a chainsaw in the United Kingdom, there are numerous makes on the market, but the most preferred by Westhoughton professionals are Makita, Hyundai, Stihl and Husqvarna.

Tree Transplanting Westhoughton

Moving mature trees is a delicate, but relatively simple process nowadays, due mainly to cutting-edge tractor mounted tree spades, tree lifting devices and other specialist machinery. Adult trees can be moved and replanted onto new properties to accomplish an instant landscaping appearance, or out-of-control woody areas can be thinned out without needing to resort to tree felling.

If you haven't any choice but to transplant a tree in Westhoughton during the warmer seasons of spring and summer, you should minimise the stress of the move on the tree's roots by thoroughly soaking the soil before any work commences. Moving an adult tree will involve a mechanical tree spade burrowing down and encompassing the main root-ball, before lifting the entire tree, uninjured, from the ground. If the tree isn't going to be immediately replanted, it can be temporarily stored as long as its root ball and the surrounding soil is kept moist.

A specialist tree transplanting company in Westhoughton will collaborate with local authorities to ensure local regulations and preservation orders are observed and followed throughout the tree moving and transplantation procedure. You will be able to get transplanting specialists in Wingates, Daisy Hill, Dobb Brow, Chequerbent, Aspull, Bolton, Lostock, Dob Brow, Over Hulton, Hart Common, Hindley, Pennington Green, Cooper Turning, Chew Moor, Hindley Green, and Westhoughton itself.

Ash Dieback (Hymenoscyphus Fraxineus)

A destructive fungal disease which is likely to wipe out about eighty percent of the current UK ash tree stock, over the next few years, ash dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) was first recorded in the British Isles in 2012, when a nursery brought in thousands of trees from the Netherlands. Already having a similarly damaging impact on the British countryside as Dutch Elm Disease, ash dieback is just another blow to the UK's tree stocks.

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

Rapidly spread by tiny spores produced by the fruiting bodies of the fungus, and are able to travel on the wind for tens of miles, ash dieback (or chalara ash dieback) has become established in most regions of Britain with up to 85% mortality rates.

Ash dieback is recognisable by the following symptoms:

• New epicormic growth appearing from previously dormant buds (common in trees under stress).
• Dark brown lesions (often diamond shaped) form where limbs connect to trunk.
• Leaves and shoots that are dying during the growing season.
• Leaves that wilt, turn black in colour and fall early.
• Dark patches on leaves during mid to late summer.

Even ash trees which are able to fight off the disease, suffer continual attacks year after year and eventually succumb and die. As it's an airborne disease there is no apparent technique for stopping its spread, and no cure for ash dieback.

If you have suspicions that a tree in your local community is suffering from ash dieback, or you are nervous about a tree on your property in Westhoughton, you should bring in a local tree surgeon to verify the diagnosis, and you can then send in a report to the Forestry Commission's "Tree Alert Service", although they are now only interested in hearing about cases in areas that were previously unaffected.

Dutch Elm Disease

No longer the issue that it was previously, Dutch Elm Disease (Ophiostoma novo-ulmi) has killed off many millions of precious elm trees throughout Britain during the last five decades or more. Caused by the fungus Ophiostoma novo-ulmi which is spread by the elm bark beetle, Dutch Elm Disease was imported into Britain inadvertently in the late 1960's from Canada.

Through the nationwide transportation of elm products such as mulching bark, elm crates, saplings, and logs with the bark on, it rapidly spread through the UK after its initial arrival. DED did not just affect the UK, but also devastated elm stocks in mainland Europe, North America and New Zealand, it is believed to have originally come from Asia.

Normally first showing up in early summer, the recognisable signs of DED disease are:

• Affected shoots dying back from the tips.
• Foliage that turns yellow, wilts, shrivels and dies.
• Twigs that turn into a "shepherd's crook" shape.
• Twigs with rings or spots in cross-section.

Since there are now very few sizeable elms in the British countryside, the beetle's habitat has been largely eradicated, which has resulted in a slowing of DED. The propagation of young trees that are resistant to Dutch Elm Disease is an ongoing project.

If you are suspicious you might have infected elm trees on your property in Westhoughton, you could request a diagnosis from the Tree Health Diagnostic and Advisory Service (THDAS), or get in touch with your local tree surgeon for advice and guidance.

Trees of the genus Ulmcae and Zelkova are affected.

Spread by - small beetles of the Scolytus genera.

Cause - fungi Ophiostoma Ulmi & Ophiostoma Novo-Ulmi.

Pollarding Trees Westhoughton

When a tree has significantly grown too large for its present setting, it must be greatly reduced in size through a method labeled as pollarding. The development of cultivated characteristics and the altering of trees into specific shapes can also be achieved by pollarding. It is regularly witnessed on trees that function as borders or hedgerows, and also trees which grow beside streets in Westhoughton. Given that pollarded trees have such a naked and harsh appearance, and will probably never get back to their previous shape, the technique is not usually popular with those who adore trees. Tree species like planes, sycamores, limes, horse chestnuts, beeches, oaks and maples are typical candidates for pollarding, and the positive aspect of this process is that trees that may otherwise have to be felled can be retained for the enjoyment of all.

Logs/Firewood Westhoughton

If you are looking for logs and firewood in Westhoughton, tree surgeons are normally a good source for this useful commodity. This is hardly surprising, as tree surgeons spend most of their days cutting down branches and trees.

If you are lucky, you might find a tree surgeon in the Westhoughton area who gives branches and logs away free to collectors, these will often be "green" and in need of drying out. Others will sell their logs by the tonne or in bags, and these will normally be fully seasoned and dried logs, that are ready to burn right away.

Logs which have been left to dry out for at least twelve months are best for burning on your log burning stove or open fire, and they should have a moisture level of under 20 percent. The advantage of getting logs from tree surgeons, is that these are most likely to be assorted hardwood logs, which will generate heat for three or four hours, giving a long, sustained burn. The drawback of hardwood logs is that they can be quite challenging to get lit, therefore if you can acquire some softwood logs, these are wonderful for initially getting the fire started.

Tree Surgery - Safety Aspects

Tree surgery can soon become a risky and dangerous undertaking if carried out badly, therefore one of the key worries is the health and safety aspect. There are a great many factors that may go wrong if the folks doing the tree surgery are untrained or inexperienced. The most typical concerns are not wearing eyesight or hearing protection, falling branches and timber, not roping off the area to protect the general public and vehicles, failure to put on cut resistant clothing (especially safety boots and trousers), no protection from falling, in the form of harnesses, platforms and ropes and an absence of head protection. At an increased risk because of such incompetencies are the actual tree, the tree surgeon himself (up the tree), the groundsperson, vehicles, the street facilities, nearby structures, garden sheds and fences, the property owners, passing pedestrians.

Preventing Storm Damage

Of all the living things in our gardens, trees seem to be the strongest, sturdiest and the most able to stand up to the vicissitudes of Mother Nature. The life expectancy of most trees far eclipses that of us humans, and in fact some types such as oaks, yews and sweet chestnuts can live and continue to grow for hundreds (even thousands) of years.

Despite all of this, trees can be vulnerable to unfavourable weather conditions, and apart from the risk of falling branches and tree limbs, when faced with certain conditions they may also fall over completely, causing a lot of damage. High winds and gales pose serious problems for trees, and this type of damage has become more and more common in Westhoughton, as the number of severe storms and weather events escalates with climate change. Extended periods of rainfall or flooding will cause the soil around roots to become waterlogged, which can cause further problems for trees, as can heavy snow during wintertime.

To prune and remove any dead, dying or overhanging branches that might cause an issue in times of severe weather, it is recommended that you get a local Westhoughton tree surgeon to check out your trees regularly.

Larger trees can also have copper conductors, lightning rods, or other protection systems installed, to stop them being struck by lightning and to prevent nearby buildings and property being damaged by "arcs" or "jumps". A tree that is struck by lightning can be severely weakened or even killed, a weakened tree can be left susceptible to decay, pests or disease - not the happiest of situations! You may not imagine that lightning strikes are all that common, yet in the UK there are about 300 thousand lightning strikes each year.

Your local Westhoughton tree care specialist will be able to give you guidance and advice on what protection your trees can be given from storm damage, and lessen the risk of mishaps occurring because of this.

The Necessary Skills to be Tree Surgeons in Westhoughton

• Physical skills such as coordination and movement.
• Be professional and capable of completing work within the specified period.
• Customer service skills.
• Be mindful of the complexities and dangers involved in all aspects of tree work.
• Be able to work with your hands.
• Good knowledge of public security and safety.
• Have necessary computer skills and know how to accomplish tasks with handheld devices.
• Have an organised and methodical working approach.
• Have the ability to maintain, repair and use equipment and tools.
• The cabability to work well with others.
• Have patience and the ability to remain focused in stressful situations.

Tree Surgery Tasks Westhoughton

Westhoughton tree surgeons will likely help you with health assessments in Westhoughton, tree lightening protection, arboriculture in Westhoughton, tree waste removal, terraventing, woodland management in Westhoughton, tree transplanting, staking, commercial tree surgery, eco-plugging, forestry management, crown lifting, tree surveys, root decompaction, damaged tree cutting and removal in Westhoughton, hazard assessments, repair of storm damaged trees, the protection of trees from grazing, tree watering, tree fertilising, drop crotching in Westhoughton, cut sealing, tree bracing, tree planting Westhoughton, hedge lowering, hedge cutting, tree work, root flare exposure Westhoughton, tree shaping, brush cutting Westhoughton and other tree surgeon services in Westhoughton, Greater Manchester. These are just a selection of the tasks that are conducted by a local tree surgeon. Westhoughton specialists will be happy to inform you of their entire range of services.

Tree Surgeons Nearby

Also find: Daisy Hill tree surgeon, Pennington Green tree surgeon, Wingates tree surgeon, Dobb Brow tree surgeon, Dob Brow tree surgeon, Chew Moor tree surgeon, Chequerbent tree surgeon, Over Hulton tree surgeon, Cooper Turning tree surgeon, Hart Common tree surgeon, Lostock tree surgeon and more. Practically all of these towns and areas are catered for by tree surgeons. Business and home owners in the area can acquire quotations for tree surgery by clicking here.

Tree Care Services Westhoughton

Find a Tree Surgeon in Westhoughton Here

• Westhoughton Soil Terraventing
• Westhoughton Hedge Trimming
• Westhoughton Woodland Clearance
• Westhoughton Cable Bracing
• Westhoughton Woodchipping
• Westhoughton Woodland Management
• Westhoughton Crown Thinning
• Westhoughton Eco-Plugging
• Westhoughton Tree Topping
• Westhoughton Tree Reduction
• Westhoughton Tree Replanting
• Westhoughton Site Clearance
• Westhoughton Crown Reduction
• Westhoughton Tree Pollarding

More Westhoughton Trades: Undoubtedly, whenever you are having tree surgery done in Westhoughton, Greater Manchester, you are likely to be in need of other garden related services, and as well as a tree surgeon in Westhoughton, Greater Manchester, you may additionally need waste removal in Westhoughton, artificial grass installers in Westhoughton, lawn mowing in Westhoughton, garden sheds in Westhoughton, SKIP HIRE in Westhoughton, hedge clipping in Westhoughton, driveway pavers in Westhoughton, landscape gardeners in Westhoughton, fence installers in Westhoughton, weeding services in Westhoughton, patio installers in Westhoughton, garden planning and design in Westhoughton, garden clearance in Westhoughton, soil drainage services in Westhoughton, garden decking in Westhoughton, garden pond builders in Westhoughton, and other different Westhoughton tradespeople.

To obtain local Westhoughton info check here

Tree Surgery BL5 area, phone code 01942.

Tree Surgeons Westhoughton - Forest Management Westhoughton - Tree Surgeon Westhoughton - Tree Pruning Westhoughton - Tree Care Westhoughton - Vegetation Control Greater Manchester - Tree Felling Westhoughton - Tree Surgery Westhoughton - 01942