TREE NEWS AND INFORMATION
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Still Standing
Here we have two conifer trees – damaged by the recent Storm Arwen. Still standing but as their root plates were moved in the storm they – like other trees damaged in the storm – need to be…
Ash(es) to Ashes
Here we have various Fraxinus excelsior (Ash) trees with Chalara fraxinaea, also known as Ash dieback disease. The Newcastle Tree Services team safely removed the trees, burned the branches and…
Fungi ID
The Newcastle Tree Services team come across a lot of different fungi during our tree work across Newcastle and Northumberland. Here’a a common fungi that’s also edible.
No Waste Here
At Newcastle Tree Services we strive to eliminate waste and try to recycle or upcycle whenever possible. Take this Fraxinus excelsior (Ash tree) in Gosforth for example.
Rare Find: Devils tooth
Whilst climbing a veteran Quercus robur (Oak) Steve, Checo & Jack discovered this rare fungi, Hydnellum peckii (Devils tooth), growing throughout the crown.
Be an Excellent Listener
We can go throughout our whole day entertaining small talk. While this can be comforting, it can be almost entirely empty and tiresome.
Meet our new team member… a MEWP!
We welcome to the team… wait for it… a brand new MEWP to make a dangerous job safer. For occasions when a risk assessment has determined that a MEWP, rather than climbing from ground level, is the appropriate access method for the work.
Edible Fungi – Dryads Saddle (Polyporus Squamosus)
Rumour spread my village yesterday that fungi was growing in our local woods and that it might be edible. Having never actually cooked or ingested with foraged mushrooms myself I went in to the woods with Rachel and Baxter the dog to…
Solid Oak Bench
Here we have a Solid Oak Bench made from an Oak tree we felled last year near Bassenthwaite in Cumbria. It can be used in an entrance hallway or wherever you like. This piece can be reproduced by the Origins team for £450.
Tree Planting
Just last week the Newcastle Tree Services team were last week busy planting trees for our planet. That is before lockdown. However please feel free to enquire if you have a specific project in mind. We have various species available.
Last Climb Before Lockdown
The Newcastle Tree Services team are feeling pretty grateful to have had a last climb on an emergency job before locking down earlier this week. To all our customers, friends and family…
Thoughts
A few weeks ago I was lying down having a facial and a massage. I could hear the sound of a gurgling stream and scents like lemon and bergamot wafted past my nostrils. And to my surprise I found myself thinking about all sorts of things. Where are these thoughts coming from?!
Crown Reducing in Northumberland
Last week we performed essential crown reducing on an Acer pseudoplatanus (Sycamore) in Northumberland. Steve and Checo climbed for 5 1/2 hours to rebalance and shape this Sycamore tree in Wylam…
Solid Wood Desktops and Shelving
We have available for sale a variety of locally felled species including Sycamore, Oak, Elm, Ash, Yew, Horse Chestnut & Sweet Chestnut. We can cut to size and fit anything you require. Photography by Luke Waddington. Prices range from £90 to £500…
Ash Coffee Table with Hair Pin Legs
Here we have a beautiful piece of sustainable furniture… an ash coffee table with hair pin legs. For sale at £450. Please see inside for height, length and width details. All photography of our Origins products is by Luke Waddington…
Origins Chopping Boards & Serving Platters
Origins solid wood serving platters and chopping boards. For home use or businesses such as restaurants, cafes and other hospitality businesses. Available for sale soon. See details inside to get in touch with any enquiries…
Origins Furniture – Norwegian Style Outdoor Bench
This solid wood Norwegian Style Outdoor Bench is made from Douglas fir, standing on Oak feet. It was photographed by the very talented Luke Waddington. This stand out piece of outdoor furniture is for sale at £1,400…
Origins Furniture – Large Solid Oak Bench
Letting the Oak tree speak its own language in this design. This solid wood table was created from an Oak tree felled on Mitford Estate, Northumberland in 2014. This piece of craftsmanship can be yours for £390…
Origins Furniture – Entertainment / Display Stand
Hand crafted bespoke entertainment table / display stand. The beech tabletop is made from a tree felled in Alston in 2016 and it has a 19mm tempered glass standing legs. This one-off piece can be yours for £750…
Origins Furniture – Hallway Table / Keys Drawer
Hand crafted solid wood table. The top is made from a Sycamore tree felled in 2016 in Alston. The Maple drawer was felled in Gosforth in 2015 and the rounded Oak legs are from Bassenthwaite, Cumbria, felled in 2018.
Fully Insured for Peace of Mind
When working with a professional tree surgeon, it’s important to choose fully qualified arborists with adequate insurance. Newcastle Tree Services Ltd is fully insured with Public and Employers Liability insurance up to £10 million pounds…
High winds tree safety
The Newcastle Tree Services team have carried out lots of tree work in the North East this week following high winds on Tuesday evening. Here are some tips to identify potentially dangerous trees and how to minimise damage in bad weather…
Our 5 most popular news stories of 2019
It’s that time of year again. A time to look back on the previous 12 months. We shared our thoughts and insight a lot during 2019 in the news on our website. Here are the 5 most popular blog stories of 2019…
14 Christmas Tree facts you might not know
Many of us have Christmas trees in our homes over the festive period, but where does the tradition come from? We list some of the most interesting and fun facts about Christmas trees…
Another Day at the ‘Office’
Here’s Checo milling Fagus sylvatica (Beech). The milled wood is destined for our drying racks. After that it will be turned into responsibly sourced bespoke hand crafted furniture for customers. All our furniture is made…
Niall The Furniture Maker Q&A
We chatted recently to Niall, who is a furniture maker for Newcastle Tree Services and ‘Origins’, our new bespoke furniture business. Here Niall answers some Q&A’s for us on things like ‘What makes good quality craftsmanship’…
A Thank You For Toby of NEW Fabrications
Huge thanks to Toby of North East Wood Fabrications for the fabulous engravings which will be laid in certain pieces of our furniture prior to forthcoming furniture open day next Saturday 30th November…
Owning My Thoughts and Actions
Two weeks ago, I lost my wallet, for five minutes. With my heart in my throat I went into stress mode. In my mind I blamed and shifted responsibility away from me to other people…
Solid Wood Portable Picnic Bench
A commissioned piece, this solid wooden portable picnic bench is based on a Norwegian design that our clients came across on a camper van trip to Norway. It has no fixed joins…
Responsibly Sourced Bespoke Furniture Event
We are so excited to announce an open day on 30th November for our new hand made furniture business ORIGINS. Originally sourced, felled and milled by our own hands. 100% sustainable.
Custom Made Ash Table
Here’s a beautiful Ash table in raw linseed oil. With 19mm tempered blue glass standings. The Ash tree had reached end of life span, was felled in County Durham and the wood has been air drying in our workshop for 2 years.
The Journey
I have been very lucky to work with Checo who I met at arboricultural college 10 years ago. We’ve grown as climbers and arborists together. Together, our skills have diversified and we’ve ended up in a place where one or both of us are capable…
My Grandfather: Determination & Compassion
I took a trip to Warkworth beach at sundown yesterday evening. As a child, my Grandfather collected coal with his father on this beach for heating and to sell. By the age of 13 both…
Tree Surgeon Climber Required
We are looking for an experienced tree surgeon climber with a minimum of 2 years climbing experience to join us at Newcastle Tree Services to work 3 days per week for a 2 month period. More details inside…
Now Taking Commissions
We are now taking commissions for bespoke, handmade furniture. From dining tables to hallway tables, we can literally make any piece of hand crafted furniture to order. So if you have something in mind that…
Apprenticeships at Newcastle Tree Services
Newcastle Tree Services have now filled our Arboricultural apprenticeships for 2019-2020 working alongside Northumberland College with Patrick Smith; an absolutely brilliant course leader.
Newcastle Tree Services supports Forest School
Newcastle Tree Services are proud to support the Forest School at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Heaton. I have been interested & fully supportive of Forest Schools in our communities for 3 years.
Rites of Day – The day walk
On my route I passed 2 different species of Oak tree; Quercus robur (Common Oak) and Quercus petraea (Sessile Oak); picking a leaf from each which I carried the length of the journey and took home. I stopped at the…
Contractors Health & Safety Scheme (CHAS)
Safety is paramount during our tree operations. This is why it’s so important for Newcastle Tree Services Ltd to have renewed our Contractors Health & Safety Scheme Certificate for 2019-2020.
Trees of the week
Trees of the week. Verses for the days of the week. Based on the German originals by Johannes Hemleben. Tuesday: So speaks iron Mars through the gnarled Oak tree. “Take root in the depths and reach up to the heights. Be stalwart and strong…
A Thank You
Business doesn’t come without its difficult days. I breathed a sigh of relief when my eyes fell on this today. Here is the first piece in a range of furniture we are creating, made from trees we have felled locally. Designed & handmade in our workshop in Northumberland.
Sectional Dismantle of Sycamore
This week we removed an Acer pseudoplatanus (Sycamore) tree from a Church car park. We used a sectional dismantle method. Operations Manager Checo climbed the tree with rope and harness…
Slowing Down
Monday morning. We have 2 tree prunes and 1 tree removal today. I have 4 site visits this afternoon and I’ve just received a call from a children’s nursery in Newcastle to undertake a Safety Inspection and advise on any work…
Spalting
The accentuated black lines in the wood is called spalting. Spalting is caused by fungi primarily in dead wood. And this beautiful and unique coloration in spalting is actually sought by woodworkers…
Origins of Name – Douglas Fir
Steve Brown, Founder, standing next to a section of a Douglas Fir from Canada, displayed in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. This tree is named after the Scottish…
Root Pruning
The manager of an elderly care home contacted me with a complaint from a residential next door neighbour. The roots of a Silver Birch tree were exposed and growing across the neighbour’s lawn causing trip hazards for her children…
Reset. Unwind. Connect.
A few weekends ago I was taken to Edinburgh Botanic Gardens. A new place to visit for me and a time to reset, unwind and connect with people I love and share with them the mesmerising…
Tree Hazard Assessment
Have you ever wanted to assess and diagnose your own trees? Just like a doctor in a hospital or surgery, we all have the ability to identify, examine the symptoms and diagnose the fungi, disease…
Tree Mysteries Explained
Recently a valued client got in touch with this photograph of a Prunus Amanogawa (Cherry) tree. Strangely, shoots had begun to grow out the side of the root stock and he queried what to do…
Branch Pruning / Target Pruning
Target pruning is how we prune trees in a way that enables them to heal. Pruning a branch causes wounding to any tree. Just like human skin, tree wounds will heal themselves if treated in…
Moss Wall
I’ve become slightly obsessed with bringing nature indoors! It’s this reconnecting and living in harmony with our earth that I feel is so important. Checo, Operations Manager at Newcastle Tree Services, is dedicating some…
Wood Wide Web
As an arborist I look to trees for guidance, lessons and better ways to live when attending to my human life. Research originally undertaken in Oregon in the last decade has discovered a Wood Wide Web directly beneath our feet!
Finding Myself
People ask me “why did you become a tree surgeon?” The reason is because in 2008 my best friend died in a fire. I was shocked, my heart torn apart and living was about to get much harder. I have found time and time again that difficult and often awful events like when my best friend…
Community Pruning
I believe in using community to connect with our earth as a way to heal and create peace within our lives so the other Sunday I attended my village fruit tree pruning in our village orchard; one of two prunes undertaken each year, guided by Tom, an archaeologist…
Time to inspect your trees!
I love the time of year when I start to notice weird and wonderful fungal brackets growing on trees. Each bracket is different from the last and there are literally hundreds of different fungi growing on all species of tree across the world.
Inonotus Hispidus
Some days are often mundane and boring. During these times its important for me to stay open to possibilities. I consider myself lucky because when I spy some tree fungi my neuron’s light up into overdrive. Recently I was walking through the grounds of St. Nicholas Hospital in Newcastle and…
Dead Man’s Fingers!
The earthern fingers of an unfortunate woodcutter, grasping for light and air? Fortunately not. This is a fungus called Xylaria polymorpha, also know as Dead Man’s Fingers. Checo, our lead climber, found these black, club shaped…
A Walk in the Woods
The weekend is time for me to leave the city and reconnect with nature. My phone is turned off for much of the weekend and I spend it with family and close friends. I’m looking for meaningful connections, with people and with myself. I find one of the best places to do this is through being outdoors…
Shaggy Scalycap
This Pholiota squarrosa AKA Shaggy scalycap is living happily in the stem wound of this Acer pseudoplatanus (Sycamore) photographed last weekend in Barrowburn, Northumberland, UK. This parasitic, straw coloured mushroom has a shaggy hair effect on its cap and stem. It has gills on the underside and can be found growing…
It tastes like Chicken!
This is Laetiporus sulphureus, also known as Chicken of the Woods. I found this fungus growing on an Ash tree (Fraxinus excelsior), Summer 2014 in the Lake District, by Bassenthwaite Lake. This fungus grows on a wide range of broad-leafed trees and conifers, from early Summer through to Autumn.
Seed clumps on ash trees not signs of disease, says Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is reassuring the public that unusually large quantities of clumps of seeds hanging on ash trees this autumn do not mean the trees have Chalara ash dieback disease.
Protected Trees
Newcastle’s trees and woodlands are an important feature of our landscape and townscape, making our city greener and healthier.To ensure that our trees remain for all to enjoy, the Local Planning Authority - in this case Newcastle City Council Planning - have...
Chalara ash dieback – identifying symptoms in the winter
Steve Scott, Area Director for the Forestry Commission, shows how to spot ash dieback (Chalara fraxinea), in winter. Shot on location at Golden Wood, Lawshall, Suffolk, courtesy of Greenlight Trust.
Government sets out strategy to tackle Ash dieback
A new strategy to tackle Ash dieback has been published today by Environment Secretary Owen Paterson alongside the Tree and Plant Health Task Force’s interim report. The Chalara Control Plan sets out the Government’s objectives for tackling the disease and outlines...
Gardeners will have to fell ‘dangerous’ ash trees or face being sued
Ash dieback is now on 257 sites around the country and forestry experts believe it will gradually spread to most of the UK’s 92 million ash trees. Mike Seville Forestry and Woodland Adviser at the Country Land and…
Ash Tree Disease | Chalara Dieback of Ash
This information is taken from the Forestry Commission1. What exactly is it / Background?Chalara dieback of ash is a disease of ash trees (Fraxinus species) caused by a fungus called Chalara fraxinea (C. fraxinea). The disease causes leaf loss and crown dieback in...