Another media release

MEDIA RELEASE

 INTERNATIONAL ARBORIST RESPONDS TO CRITICISMS BY COUNCIL

 Mike Ellison, the well-known UK arborist who recently assessed the Laman Street figs for Save Our Figs Inc, has responded angrily to a memo from Newcastle City Council’s Director of Liveable Cities about his report.

A spring day 21.9.2010

There was to be a briefing to councillors on ‘road and asset maintenance services’ at tonight’s council meeting. I was sorry I couldn’t make – the family will continue to need a mother sometimes and work will make demands on one: gets in the way of treehugging, I can tell you – it as I would have been interested to see if tree root pruning got a look-in. (See ‘Root pruning in Swan Street.’)

A busy week 4.9.2010

Spring came for two days then left again. It’s rainy and cold again.The air has been smelling beautiful in the last week or so and my rhondoletia is in flower, the pittosporum outside my office is blooming and there’s enough jasmine around to get poor hayfever sufferers down.

A quick vent

Thinking about councils and risk management reminded me of this sign that I saw when we went for a walk through the rainforest at Wingham Brush.

How do figs cope in a pond?

There are rows of lovely Hill’s figs in what I think of as Wickham Park. This park, according to a street sign, is actually in Islington, not Wickham, but whatever, as they say.

An Arborist chatroom

I’ve read treeworker sites for months now. The first one I looked at shocked me. I hadn’t realised how into chainsaws arborists are. On treeworld which ‘provides an international arborist’s forum for discussion and information about trees with industry experts’ a large proportion of the avatars members use are either people men chopping down huge trees or holding  chainsaws. 

Bee in my bonnet about Wahroonga figs vs Laman Street figs

I seriously need to get out more.

Did you know bitumen can hold up a tree?

If I start this post with a picture of a pelican I may feel calm.

Pictures of tree failures – not

I’m grateful to Mr Doug Lithgow from the Parks and Playgrounds Movement for photos of the Laman Street figs after the Pasha Bulker storm which happened on 8th June 2007.

The root of the problem

Call me naive but I was a touch surprised to see an image gallery on Newcastle City Council’s website called ‘Fig tree root failures’.