Removals

For some trees, it is just the end of the line! This could be as a result of disease, old age or any other number of factors.  I have removed hundreds of trees from roadsides, parks, or a tight garden. I always look for the best and safest option to remove a tree from its surroundings.

Working for the Council I get sent to all kinds of situations, from simple roadside removals to fragile forests and all the way to complex storm damaged trees. I have a variety of different machinery at my disposal. I work with the mobile vehicle mounted crane and an all- terrain telescopic crane.  A few of these removals can be seen on the video gallery page.

Although I work in a team of arborists, I am the more experienced of the team and have the role of being the first on a job site and deciding how we are going to carry out the removal. After I have decided on a plan, I relay this back to the office to ascertain if the plan is within the budget.    

I always look for the right plan of action and technique for every removal. The level of safety at any removal is paramount to me, before the work begins I always have a toolbox meeting with all people on site to make sure we are all sure of our responsibilities on the job.

The vast majority of removals I carry out are with the cherry picker.  Working in the city we can generally easily obtain access from the roadside. This opens up the opportunity to work with the all-terrain crane. In the last four years, I have gained considerable experience with the crane operator in lifting trees out - section by section.

In some situations, the only way a tree can be removed is to climb.  In some cases, all branches and the trunk are removed part by part using rigging techniques. I have all my own rigging materials and can instruct a ground team to carry out the operations safely whilst rigging sections down. 

Every year I have a number of removals which take place at night due to the fact that the tree is located near a busy intersection or is growing above high power train lines. At night, the power lines can be shut off or diverted.

In the video section, there is short video of a polar take down I carried out at night above high voltage power lines

Storm Damage

I regularly take part in emergency work for the Fire Service and the City Council. This requires me to be on call for anything relating to trees when it is too complex for the Fire Service. This entails being able to act in situations where there are uprooted trees or trees impacted by car damage.

I have completed a number of courses on storm damanged trees. This entails learning how to saw in wood that is now has extreme tensions and can be potentially deadly.  Every year on average five to ten storms come through The Netherlands and then I prepare for a lot of work – although branches can also fall off on a sunny wind still day. There is no anticipating when the call comes in.