About Trees Ltd – Kent Tree Surgeon

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The Importance of Tree Maintenance: An Investment in Safety and Value

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The Importance of Tree Maintenance: An Investment in Safety and Value

Hello, I’m Wayne, the director of About Trees Ltd, a leading tree surgeon based in Kent.

For the past 26 years, I have devoted my career to the preservation, maintenance, and nurturing of trees. Over time, it has become clear to me that tree care is not just about environmental stewardship, but also about safeguarding people’s lives, property, and financial wellbeing.

Research into UK insurance claims highlights the significant role tree-related damages play in the claim statistics each year. According to the Financial Ombudsman Service [1], the causes of tree-related claims are diverse, but common reasons include storm damage, root-induced structural damage, and falling branches. The risks of neglecting tree care can, therefore, result in substantial financial and legal repercussions. Most of these issues are avoidable if you look after your trees.

Safety is Paramount

The leading insurance claims in the UK are often associated with weather-related incidents, particularly storm damage [2]. Trees that lack professional care pose a significant risk during severe weather conditions. Weak branches can break off, potentially causing severe damage to property and posing a threat to life. By instructing professional tree care services like ours, potential risks can be identified and mitigated in a timely manner, which in turn can protect you from costly insurance claims and more importantly, ensure the safety of your family, business, and the public.

Investing in Property Value

Well-maintained trees can significantly enhance the aesthetics and value of your property. According to the Arboricultural Association [3], a property surrounded by mature, healthy trees can see an overall value increase by as much as 20%. Conversely, properties hosting ill-maintained or dead trees can experience a substantial drop in appeal, and by extension, value. Regular professional tree care helps maintain or increase your property’s value, making it a worthwhile investment.

Understanding Legal Responsibility

In the UK, the responsibility of maintaining a tree lies with the owner, and failure to do so could potentially lead to legal action [4]. If a tree causes harm or damage, the owner can be held legally accountable. By ensuring regular professional tree care, you can stay ahead of potential issues, prevent legal complications and maintain peace of mind.

Promoting Tree Health

Regular tree care and inspections are crucial in detecting signs of disease or infestation at an early stage, enabling timely treatment to prevent further spread. This practice not only contributes to the longevity and health of your trees but also to the health of the wider local ecosystem.

Understanding the importance of regular, professional tree care is the first step. The next, and equally important step, is to act on it. At About Trees Ltd, we offer comprehensive tree care services driven by passion and deep industry experience. From regular inspections, pruning, removal of dangerous trees, to emergency callouts, we’re here to cater to all your tree care needs.

We invite you to take the first step towards ensuring the safety of your property and enhancing its value. Schedule a consultation with us today via our easy online booking system at About Trees Ltd Online Booking. Together, we can work towards preserving the health, safety, and beauty of your trees.

References

[1] Financial Ombudsman Service. (2023). Annual Review of Consumer Complaints. www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk.

[2] Association of British Insurers. (2023). UK Insurance and Long-Term Savings Key Facts. www.abi.org.uk.

[3] Arboricultural Association. (2023). Trees and Property Values. www.trees.org.uk.

[4] UK Government. (2023). High Hedges, Trees and Overgrowth. www.gov.uk.

Ash Dieback Top Ten Tips

Posted on by About Trees

Just before Christmas, ProArb – a leading industry magazine asked me as a regular contributor to provide an article for their February issue. The premise was to provide a Ash Dieback Top Ten Tips for the practitioners of Arboriculture. I tried to take a slightly different approach and provide a more holistic approach and not fill my article with facts and figures.

What I came up with…. the article in full.

The published article is edited and I think better for it It can be viewed on the ProArb website.

Ash Dieback top ten tips

 

We are starting to see a substantial amount of Fraxinus excelsior – common ash with signs of Ash Dieback (ADB) and I think year on year for the foreseeable future it is likely to be more common place with us dealing with the trees, the owners and the risks both real and perceived. Some knowledge on the subject is vital in order for us as professionals to be able to offer advice that is correct, honest and suitable. It’s a serious situation and the appearance of Hymenoscyphus fraxineus fungus (used to be called Chalara fraxinea) in Britain has left the future of this widespread woodland, hedgerow and urban tree unknown let’s not forget Ash is said to be the 4th most common tree in Britain with an estimated population of between 90-120 million.

Currently there is NO cure for Hymenoscyphus fraxineus  (Chalara)

As professional Arborists we should be able to identify, and put in place management strategies to ensure our customers are well informed and have options that they can choose from. Yes of course we could all take the approach to fell ALL ash trees that show the signs of ADB – after all they’re going to die anyway aren’t they?

I’m pretty sure this ISN’T the way forward, there’s a degree of management of these trees that we can adopt. I think we can manage the risk and take a more holistic approach

Let’s have a look at my Top Ten Tips on how to manage Ash Dieback. It’s by no means exhaustive and for the main part is my interpretation on how we as a company work and maybe it reflects the industry as a whole. There’s a few fact included which may help get a handle on the significance of the disease also:

  • Positive identification. This has to be where we start off after all if we cannot ID it what recommendations can we offer. Springtime is an ideal time to spot the signs of ADB – wilting growth and possibly even bark lesions. You may see scars on the main stems; they are darker in colour to the surrounding wood and are often centered around a small shoot that has also died. With the exception of canker, lesions are general quite rare in ash and so this is the tell-tale sign. These scars may also be present on the smaller branches. Is the top of the tree dead? If so, this is characteristic of ADB – This happens because the fungus enters through the leaves in the crown of the tree. If the leaves have fallen there will be a distinctive dis-coloration on them, take a look at surrounding ash trees and the difference will be apparent – browning on the leaf stalk and discoloration on the underside of the leaf (yellow to brown).
  • Ok, so we are confident that we have positively ID’d ADB, what next? Well, we need to make a judgment call on the extent of the infection and assess risk this posses. I think the best current advice is from the Forestry Commission, they state: “Public safety is likely to be one the biggest management issues for owners of ash trees in woodlands, parks, roadsides etc. as the disease kills or weakens trees over the coming years. Trees in areas with high levels of public access need to be monitored carefully for risks to public safety, and some felling or pruning of dead or dying trees is advisable if risk assessments show they are a hazard.”
  • Not all of us are involved in the forestry side of operations, but we can learn something from the investigations that have been carried out by Defra and FC. We know that younger trees are most susceptible to ADB and are killed rapidly. This is useful knowledge for us when assessing an entire site and maybe can dictate to us timescales for when sites i.e. gardens, roadside boundaries etc. should be re-monitored.
  • Can we cure ADB? In short it seems the answer is no, but we can put in to place measures to help reduce the risk of further spread. This focuses efforts on reducing the level of spores present. As we know fungi for the most part like damp conditions, therefore if we can help increase light levels and airflow into densely planted areas at risk this could be beneficial. Maybe consider the selective and responsible thinning out of densely planted stands of trees. But by far and away the most effective option in reducing the spread of the spores and therefore disease is to encourage the owners, (or if they’re willing to pay you) to remove all ash leaf litter from around the trees in the autumn and winter to reduce the local source of spores the following summer.
  • Arisings – what do we do with them? We’ve just felled an ash tree that we diagnosed as having an ADB infection, what measures should we have in place so we don’t spread the spores and infect other trees nearby? Current advice seems to contradict itself a little, but my interpretation is; with regards to the removal of arisings, unless a Statutory Plant Health notice has been served the wood/timber can be removed. The leaf matter should not be removed from site. Several options are available, they are; composting, burial and incineration. Composting is the least preferred option because we are still not 100% sure in the effectiveness of this, burial works well but please be aware, that if we as contractors bury our arisings we are effectively land-filling and as such should have a permit to do so (a private person needs no such permit). I’d go with a cheap incinerator (dustbin type) and burn them.
  • Infected urban and veteran trees. OK, so I’ve lifted this directly from the Forestry Commission’s website, but I think this is most pertinent to us as responsible and professional Arbs.“ There should not be a presumption to fell these trees. Veteran trees in particular can provide many important environmental and social benefits, even when dead. Any work on a tree should be undertaken after a risk assessment, which should consider age, condition, the number of other trees in the locality and their species, the potential risk of further infection, and the danger to the public. The cost of taking or not taking action is also likely to be a factor in any final decision.” This advice is very similar to that given for hedgerow trees and those in rural situations. I guess what I’m trying to say that a dead tree is still a tree, it’s still valuable, it still provides a wealth of habitat and is still a wondrous thing to look at. I think a lot of us Arbs are guilty of regarding a dead tree as useless and something that has to be dealt with, usually by their removal – felling. My view is the driving force behind our decisions must be SAFETY and we should view trees as equally as valuable in terms of habitat etc. when dead.
  • Large mature trees in open surroundings such as street and parks etc. can survive and sometimes escape infection for many years. Urban situations help these trees out because the dark damp woodland environment is clearly not an issue, leaf matter is usually removed by the LA and secondary damage by bark beetles and basel infections which further stress trees are less likely in the urban environment.
  • A study based on the infections in Denmark show that there is a 1% resistance to ADB amongst ash trees; these trees show a less than 10% dieback in their Crowns. Using these figures for Britain this means there could be some 2 million disease resistant trees in the countryside – somewhere. That’s not many, so we really should refrain from becoming a little too chainsaw happy when around ash trees. A recent research paper dated from end of 2016 (Journal of Nature) states that after genome sequencing the British ash trees may be significantly more resistant than Danish trees, this is positive news, but lets all air on the side of caution for the time being.
  • How do we approach ADB? As a company we do not see this as a cash cow situation, I feel we need to move our industry on and strive to make the general population aware that we as Arborists are educated and trustworthy professional trades people. We will use our knowledge (which is by no means exhaustive) to obtain a suitable and safe outcome. This is our chance to build a relationship with clients, offer decent honest advice and realise they want someone they can trust. I’m not afraid to put my hands up to a client and say we need more qualified advice on this – to suggest a visit from a consultant would be a wise move.
  • Ultimately we are dealing with dead or dangerous trees – this is what we do, right? Climbing or working from a MEWP on a dead Ash tree from ADB carries the same risks as any other dead tree job. So as always take care and work safe.

Hope you waded through my Ash Dieback Top Ten Tips  OK. If you need help please take a look at https://www.abouttrees.co.uk/ash-dieback/

Ash Dieback disease in Kent

Posted on by About Trees

Chalara dieback of ash (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) Ash Dieback

Chalara dieback of ash, also known as Chalara or Ash Dieback, is a disease of ash trees caused by a fungus called Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. The fungus was previously called Chalara fraxinea, hence the name of the disease Ash Dieback.

Ash Dieback was first identified in Poland in 1992. Since then it has spread across Europe with Norway, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark particularly affected. In Denmark it is reported that some 90% of their Ash trees may have been killed or been infected by the fungus which causes Ash Dieback. It has now been identified in areas of Kent. In my travels around Kent I notice Ash Dieback symptoms from Maidstone to Ashford and Dover.

Top ten tips for dealing with Ash dieback https://www.abouttrees.co.uk/ash-dieback-top-ten-tips/

In the UK evidence of Ash Dieback was found early in 2012 in tree nurseries and sites recently planted with young Ash trees. However it was not until October that the disease was found in established trees, in East Anglia. A recent survey has now revealed affected trees in Kent. It is widely accepted as being un-treatable and could potentially see the demise of 90million Ash trees.

Chalara causes leaf loss, crown dieback and bark lesions in affected trees. Once a tree is infected the disease is usually fatal, either directly, or indirectly by weakening the tree to the point where it succumbs more readily to attacks by other pests or pathogens, especially Armillaria fungi, or honey fungus.

The presence of Ash Dieback does not make an infected tree any more hazardous or likely to fail. It can take a number of years to kill a mature tree and there is small evidence of a natural resistance amongst the Ash population. We don’t yet know what the full impact of Chalara will be in Britain. Evidence from continental Europe suggests that older, mature ash trees can survive infection and continue to provide their landscape and wildlife benefits for some time.
It will be difficult over the winter months to assess whether trees have been infected as the most obvious visible symptoms affect the leaves. However, if you are concerned about your trees please email your name, address and a contact telephone number to ashdieback@abouttrees.co.uk our arborist will be able to visit the site and offer advice on current best practice for managing affected trees.

Additional information, including guidance on how to identify Ash dieback and how to formally report suspected outbreaks is available on the Forestry Commission website: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara

Morgan – Climbing Arborist

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An introduction to…
Morgan has been with us quite some time and is really doing well in his career progression. He has been a qualified as an Arborist for over 1 year now and is constantly hungry to climb trees and increase his already good skills further.He has really supposed us all with his abilities already and no doubt will make a pretty special Arborist.
Junior Arborist..
As our Junior Arborist Morgan has to carry out many low level tasks, but as often as possible the team members will give him more exciting tasks to undertake. He is responsible for checking the correct gear in on the truck and that the team leaves site clean and tidy. He is also with us to learn his new trade. Hopefully these skills will last a lifetime.
Personal bio…
Morgan is mad keen on cars, he visits lots of car shows loves driving his recently purchased BMW. He is also a qualified RYA coach, regularly teaching people to sail at the weekends.

Charlie – Groundsman and rescue climber

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An introduction to…
Charlie studied Arboriculture at Capel Manor in North London, he is a very accomplished Groundsman who is equally at home lowering massive sections of wood on lowering devices or dragging piles of brushwood (OK, no -one is happy doing that!), the point is, he gets stuck in and works until the task in hand is complete, finished and done. `He’s instrumental in reading the job sheets and loading up the trucks with the correct gear so the day can run smoothly.
Groundsman and rescue climber…
Charlie is qualified to use many pieces of equipment on the ground, but he also is a qualified rescue climber, making him a vital treat member.  The groundsman is crucial in the smooth running of a job, their knowledge on the ground is so important as they sometime need to be able to second guess the climber up the tree.
Personal bio…
Charlie is a keen motorbike racer and regularly spends his weekends racing dirt bikes on tracks throughout the South. By all accounts he’s not too bad at it either…. well that’s what he says.

Wayne Elwell -25+ years in and still loving it

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An introduction to…
Wayne Elwell -After spending some time traveling the world in my younger days, I decided it was time to set a career path in motion. I realised that I had always been most happy out side. The prospect of not experiencing the elements didn’t excite me. I’m a hands on person and shortly realised that Tree Surgery was the job for me. My wife and I moved from London to Hampshire and studied Arboriculture at Sparsholt college. This was very nearly 26 years ago.

I have been lucky to work with very talented Arborists over the years and picked up many amazing techniques. Ten years ago I decided to set up about…trees. Whilst it’s not been 100% plain sailing I’ve never looked back, always being supported by my wife. This has seen my job role change from being a Climbing Arborist to more of a Manager. My role is to win work and make sure things go according to plan. We have a small team of 4 talented members, the team work very well together and a really good ethos has developed company wide. The loyalty between myself and the lads I think is second to none. We are now a Limited Company and have large and still growing client base. I’m always proud of our achievements.

Personal bio…
On a personal level, I’m a keen music fan, actually an obsessive music fan. I’m always buying new albums and boring friends making them listen to them. I’ve DJ’d a few times at local events, clearly I’d say they were raging successes, but I’m sure others may disagree. I have a keen hobbie in photography but most of out time is taken up socialising and spending time as a family.

Max – Team Leader – Climbing Arborist

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An introduction to…
Max has been in the industry for over 15years. He is a very talented arborist that has dealt with most eventualities. He spent many years climbing the biggest and best trees in and around London as a contract climber. We are immensely happy to have him as part of the crew, the team appreciates his knowledge and willingness to pass it on.
Climbing Arborist…
Max will be able to carry out the trickiest of tasks. Technical tree work is where he shines, he can carry out work to the highest standard at speed, meaning incvonvencance is kept at a minimum. Max studied Arboriculture at Merritt Wood in Guildford. Please take a look at the Portfolio page to see the quality of work the team provides.
Personal bio…
A huge music, Max finds time to Dj in and around Kent, putting on club nights at many different venues.

Best course of intervention – No intervention

Posted on by About Trees

As the title says, sometimes the best course of intervention is no intervention. What does this mean to us as Arborists? Well, quite simply sometimes we have to look beyond the financial rewards that this job brings. We should re-focus on why we all decided a life of tree climbing and caring for trees is what we chose to do, because lets face it, it’s hard, messy and dangerous work. Whilst it un arguably a fantastic profession, swinging around trees with chainsaws, there’s something bigger at stake.

If we don’t do the right things for our trees who will?

No intervention – why?

Without sounding too poetic – for the love of trees. Quite simply these are the most incredible living organisms on the planet (well at least this is my belief). They can be seem as our guardians, providing precious Oxygen for us to breath, forming micro- ecosystems themselves and generally being pretty damn impressive at growing enormous and standing up. This is why when we as Arborist come across old, veteran trees we should treat them with the respect they so rightfully deserve. Think – they have been standing sentinel for many years, through wars, floods, droughts, climate change and so on. In a fast moving world, trees offer us a sense of stillness and relaxation. They give us another perspective.

Dead wood is bad wood right?

NO! Dead wood is highly beneficial wood, it supports a whole host of insects and fungi that may not survive on live wood, it’s retention should be encouraged as much as possible. Clearly this is somewhat over shadowed sometimes by health and safety risks. Of course, a measured, professional decision should be made with regards to the retention of deadwood in the crown of a tree. My view is, if the tree is in an area of high public footfall then of course this somewhat out-trumps the retention of the wood in the crown. If, as the case here the tree is in a private estate and the owners are aware of the status of the tree (in this case the Fraxinus excelsior var Pendula – weeping ash is a Veteran tree) as the benefits then lets try to push for the course of less or even better no intervention.

Let’s leave the wood be, let’s leave it in the tree.

What is a Veteran tree?

A veteran tree can be any age, but it is a tree which shows ancient characteristics such as those below. These may not just be due to age, but could result from natural damage, management, or the tree’s environment.  This doesn’t mean it is an Ancient tree- we will talk about this later.

  • > A low, fat and squat shape – because the crown has retrenched (reduced in size) through age
  • > A wide trunk compared with others of the same species
  • > Hollowing of the trunk (not always visible)
Cracks, hollow and cavities all point us in the direction of Veteran tree.

The above characteristics increase the tree’s value as habitat for wildlife (cavities, cracks hollows etc.)

Essentially if the tree looks like a battle scarred warrior it could well be a Veteran tree. This is not necessarily based on the age of the tree. A chronologically young tree could still be a veteran.

I think you’ll agree, the tree Joe is up is indeed a veteran.

How did we approach the job?

In short we did very little to the tree, there was one section that we had to remove some heavy wood as there was a fear that it’s weight would cause a much larger limb to be shed. This wood was cut and left at the base of the tree for local flora and fauna to make use of. Some photos were taken of the various cracks and wounds and our findings and recommendations will be passed on to our client. We were lucky in the fact that our client on this occasion is very much into their trees, and ecology as a whole. There was little explaining needed.

What next?

This tree will be monitored annually and risk managed by About Trees Ltd. Whilst not earning too much money on this job, what we have done is ensured this veteran tree sees more days and years and ultimately impressed upon our clients that we are a progressive, forward thinking company that is not interested in the quick buck. They will call us back when they need help or advice, we’ve started to build an honest professional relationship. That’s got to be worth it in the long run hasn’t it?

Tree Surgeon in Sevenoaks, Kent

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If you’re looking for a tree surgeon in Sevenoaks, Kent then About Trees Ltd can help!

We cover the entire county of Kent and in doing so over the years have built a client base in Sevenoaks for customers who want professional and qualified tree surgeons on their property.

We treat your garden as if it were our own.

The About Trees Ltd staff all wear uniform and are all fully insured to carry out all tree surgery tasks; be it from tree planting through to tree felling. If you have a large tree in a small garden we can deal with it.

Using over 30 years of collective knowledge we can overcome all situations.

Using up to date machinery and tools we can safely and efficiently take care of all of your tree care or tree surgery needs in the Sevenoaks area.

Be it from tree planting all the way through to tree felling and stump removal or stump grinding.

Much of the Sevenoaks area is covered by Conservation Area protection – there’s no need to worry about this either.

About Trees Ltd can apply for permission on your behalf, taking the worry away from you totally. This is also the case if your tree has a TPO on it.

We are a fully insured company covered up to £5million public liability, £10 million Employers and also we carry full Professional Indemnity.

All of these are available for you to look at upon request. Also check out what our happy clients have to say.

So, if you’re looking for a tree surgeon that covers the Sevenoaks in Kent area, and you’re looking for someone that you can trust to do the right thing, with your best interests at heart, using fully insured and qualified arborists then please contact us.

Tree Surgeon in Whitstable, Kent

Posted on by About Trees

If you’re looking for a tree surgeon in Whitstable, Kent then About Trees Ltd can help!

Whitstable is my hometown, it holds a special place in my heart, unfortunately its tree stock is not too high. That’s why About Trees Ltd approach to tree surgery is particularly suited to Whitstable. We try to solve a problematic tree by not grabbing the chainsaw immediately and recommending felling.

Quite often well-specified tree surgery works can mean that the “problem” tree can be thoughtfully pruned and retained. This approach is what we have termed as “Progressive Tree Care” and our clients seem to appreciate this approach.

Sometimes, however that tree can only be felled – maybe it’s diseased, dead, dangerous or just the wrong tree in the wrong place. We can help in this situation also.

Whitstable has some tiny gardens with huge unsuitable trees in them and we can apply to the council to fell them. Once permission has been obtained we can carry out these difficult tree surgery operations in complete control. We do this by making use of modern rigging equipment to lower branches and stems to the ground. We specialise in this form of “low impact” tree surgery.

Over the years we have completed many exciting and interesting tree surgery projects in the Conservation area of Whitstable and the surrounding areas through to Tankerton, Swalecliff, Borstal Hill, and our host of regular clients in Chestfield and Herne Bay. There’s a good chance you may know someone who we have worked for.

We can offer advice on the correct trees to plant in your garden, given that Whitstable is a coastal town and salt tolerant trees should be chosen. With over 15 years in the industry, you can rest assured you are getting the correct specification for your tree care needs. Please view our testimonials page.

So, if you like the sound of the service and you’re looking for a tree surgeon that covers the Whitstable in Kent area, please contact us to arrange a free quote.