Naturaculture – Vegetation Management Land Care Services – announced three new advanced Arborist Workshops.
Following on from our latest publication – Feature article – Tree Care & the Ecovillage Movement Part 1 – Feb/March edition 2022. I am pleased to announce three advanced arborist workshops. This is for contractual and consulting arborists alike. These are based on the recommendations made in the original professional arborists report that the article is founded on.
The 2019 report covered an avenue of 5 trees (the article was an edited version), Albizia & Tipuana species. Following the complete failure of T1 (to be covered in a future Part 2 article) just before the February flood, the Board responsible for the Ecovillage have given me the opportunity to be in service to the avenue. Commencing with T4, a veteran Albizia tree.
To help cover costs for the restoration we will be running workshops on the following operations –
- Advanced Pruning
- Maypole Rigging (fall arrest installation)
- Tree Health Care workshop
Venue – Crystal Waters Ecovillage 65 Kilcoy Lane Conondale 4552, Qld
- Advanced Pruning – Friday 17/6/2022 – 1 day workshop – BOOK NOW
A 5-7% Volume reduction on T4 – stage 1 of a retrenchment pruning operation, aimed at managing limb failure whilst storm proofing*. This workshop will involve a power point presentation on veteran trees, veteran tree risk management and volume reductions, to serve as an introduction to conservation arboriculture. As a prelude to the workshop I will personally carry out the reduction on T4 with 3 other arborists. The operation to be recorded, to feature as part of the presentation. The Attendees will receive a manual on advanced pruning as well as the reason to build this strategy into their professional repertoire.
This event will be catered for, to run between 9.30am and 3pm.
*Sensitive volume reductions (which minimally alter crown mechanics) are known to significantly reduce storm failures whilst sustaining photosynthetic capacity without the need for a tree to trigger excess epicormic shoots. Volume reductions keep pruning cuts in the sapwood enabling optimal compartmentalisation without wasting energy resources. Use of the term storm proofing (a term not for non-arborists) is to be used with a good measure of common sense – as Shigo empathically states – In Nature there are no absolutes. When attending to the tree, pruning works (targeting the top end of the pump) are to be accompanied by tree health care (targeting the bottom end of the pump), see workshop 3.
2. Maypole Rigging – September 2022, day/date to be confirmed – 1 day workshop
This workshop involves the installation of the fall arrest system for T4, the operation to be recorded/documented and covered in the presentation. A simple yet dynamic system that engineers can sign off on. A system designed to support mechanically constrained crown structure as well as to catch limbs subject to failure. Many of us in the Australian profession are ham stringed by a collective resistance to fall arrest in our trees (unlike America and Europe). This effective system unites practicality with environmental and economic sustainability. This workshop will involve a power point presentation on Australian Tree Biomechanics, advanced VTA (Visual Tree Assessment), how to ascertain which trees are in actual need of support, as well as look at the hardware involved. This workshop will also look at project costings as a means to demonstrate a viable risk management alternative for veteran trees that still have environmental benefits (benefits over costs). Likewise to accompany this workshop a study guide to the body language of trees will accompany the presentation. This event will be catered for, to run between 9.30am and 3pm.
3. Tree Health Care – Thursday to Friday 1-2nd /12/2022 – 2 Day workshop
To be run in association with Chris Ellery of the Soil Food Web Institute Australia, this workshop is on soil restoration, accompanied with a power point presentation on the science of the soil food web, optimal soil health and what constitutes best product – with humus or forest grade compost. This workshop also covers compost tea generation, how to analyse microbiological input, soil decompaction, vertical compost delivery, compatible vegetative understory plantings, optimal mulches, associated machinery, hand tools, associated resources, how to process them and where to obtain them. Attendees will receive a manual relating to Tree Health Care, as well as the reason to build this strategy into their professional repertoire. This event will be catered for, to run over two days – 9.30am to 3.30pm day 1, 8.00am to 2.00pm Day 2.
FOR ENQUIRIES AND EXPRESSION OF INTEREST CALL NATURACULTURE – VEGETATION MANAGEMENT – Cassian Humphreys on 0410 169 974 or email: consultingarboriculturist@gmail.com