Angophora now on Instagram

Today 28th May 2015 I signed up to Instagram fred.janes there will be no photos of cute cats, dogs, fish or people this will only be used to show the beauty of our world and more specific trees and special events such as this weekend’s national Conference in Adelaide Australia. These photos will also be available on Angophora Consulting Arborist web page. If like me you are interested in the wonders of our wold then follow me at fred.janes and share this experience.

Angophora ISO re certification

Today 27th May 2015, after two trying days, Angophora Consulting Arborist has again received re-certification ISO Occupational and health, Environment and Quality Management system. ISO9001:2008, ISO14001:2004 and AS/NZS 4801:2001 | Certification. This should give all my clients the satisfaction of working with a company that has high standards in quality, environment and safety; we have a management system that demonstrates this and is also able to prove that its management and the team are qualified. As clients you can not only receive treatment that many large companies can supply but as a small company, who you talk to is who will conduct and manage your projects.

Water damaged Flooded tree and Plants treatment of

Over the past several months areas around Sydney basin such as the Blue Mountains, Central coast, Newcastle South Coast and Southern Highlands and the Sydney basin have experienced above average rainfall in some areas floods, at Bullaburra In the Blue Mountains I recorded 329.5mm of rain. Normally this amount of rain would fall in summer from thunderstorms when the temperature is warmer and the water evaporates quicker, but know it is cooler the water is staying in the soil longer and could be damaging your trees and gardens. Some trees and plants have adapted to flood prone areas and can survive with their roots been wet for long periods many cannot. If this is the case then your trees and plants may become stressed Waterlogged and flooded soil have insufficient amounts of oxygen in it, for the plant roots to take up and release water or release excess carbon dioxide. Plants may paradoxically look like they are wilting, but it is not because of too little water, it is because they can no longer access the available water. This leads to root rot and death. While we may not be able to prevent flooding, we should at least be on the alert for signs our plants are struggling. Start by watching for these signals. Symptoms are generally first apparent on the leaves, although trees and shrubs may not exhibit symptoms for a year or more. Signs you plants have been damaged by waterlogged soil include: • Stunting • Yellowing leaves • Twisting leaves • Dropping leaves • Soft, spongy areas at the base of the leaf • Wilting despite plenty of water • Roots turning dark, often with a rotting odour. • Lack of flowers or fruits • Stunting • Yellowing leaves • Twisting leaves • Dropping leaves • Soft, spongy areas at the base of the leaf • Wilting despite plenty of water • Roots turning dark, often with a rotting odour. • Lack of flowers or fruits Unfortunately, once the soil is flooded, there is not much you can do but be patient. Just because a plant shows signs of distress doesn't mean it won't eventually recover. In the meantime: Don't walk on waterlogged soil. You will just compact it and cause more damage to distressed roots. If the plants were underwater, clean them off with a hose, to remove and sludge and other residue. Keep an eye out for diseases that will take advantage of stressed plants. Fungal disease in particular favour damp weather. You can purchase a relatively inexpensive soil moisture meter at most hardware stores. A meter will tell you the percentage of water remaining in your soil. If you still have mud, you won't need a meter to tell you the soil is waterlogged. But if you are wondering if it is dry enough for the roots to get the necessary oxygen, a meter will tell you when the soil has reached that level (usually between 40 - 70%). If the tree is a large specimen and you are worried about what may happen to the tree there are other more advantaged techniques that can be used from removing any mulch from around the tree leaving the soil bare to help with evaporation, inserting U-shape 62mm slotted agricultural drainage pipe to help add oxygen to the soil and dry it out. Arborist Fred Janes at Angophora Consulting Arborist is a level 5 arborist (AQF level 5) qualified in the latest techniques Fred can provide professional advice on how to mitigate the risk and allay fears that you may have of your tree/s.

Tree risk assessments in public areas

Today 7th May 2015 I carried out my annual tree inspections for NP&W service inspecting trees around some of their camping and picnic areas at Euroka and Murphy’s Glen and Wheeny Creek Assessing tree for their health and structure this was very good timing after all the heavy rain and strong winds of the past 2 weeks. Most of the tree though mature and having some minor structure defects only needed the deadwood greater than 20mm removed as per Australian Standard Pruning of amenity trees AS 4373-2007. At times it easy to become complacent on how beautiful our country is our trees how tall and majestic than can be around these camping areas I saw some very beautiful Eucalyptus Deanei, Mountains Blue Gum (see Photos) some Turpentine’s Angophora Floribunda, Rough Bark apple, Angophora Costata Smooth bark apple and Iron barks