Bats & Tree Surgery: What Happens?

Bats & Tree Surgery: What Happens?

Did you know that before starting any job both our contracts manager and our team on the day will assess your trees and the surrounding area for wildlife? As well as keeping an eye out for nesting birds, we also look for habitat that might be used by hedgehogs, dormice and bats, amongst other creatures, and this is factored into our work plans. Recently, our lead climber Ben discovered an active bat roost in a tree whilst performing this assessment; it’s been a long time since we’ve come across any bats, and it prompted us to put together a little information on bats in Devon and the ways tree surgeons respond to them.

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Devon's Ancient Rainforests: Mist, Mystery, History...and a Precious National Resource

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Devon's Ancient Rainforests: Mist, Mystery, History...and a Precious National Resource

You may have come across mention of Devon’s ancient rainforests in the news (LINK), or perhaps you know them personally and have visited one of the three miniature forests located on Dartmoor: Wistman’s Wood, Blackator Copse and Piles Copse. Known for their distinctive, gnarled oak trees, festooned with moss and lichens, and popular in local folklore, these woodlands are actually fragments of an increasingly rare part of our landscape.

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Biosecurity Update: Phytophthora pluvialis

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Native to the north western United States, the first UK case of Phytophthora pluvialis was found in Cornwall in October 2021. P. pluvialis is a fungus-like pathogen which affects a variety of trees but most commonly conifers such as pine, fir and spruce. Since October P. pluvialis has been found in other parts of Cornwall and in Devon, as well as a few isolated cases in the north of the country and Scotland, resulting in a demarcated area being drawn around areas known to be experiencing infections. The wood of trees infected with P. pluvialis cannot be removed from site or taken beyond the boundary of the demarcated area, and must instead be destroyed in situ. The current boundary of the demarcated area is shown below and can also be found HERE; if you are within this area or close to its borders it is worth regularly checking for any updates, as the boundaries are subject to change depending on the spread of the disease.

Map of the P. pluvialis demarcated zone provided by the Forestry Commission

Infected trees may show symptoms including the following:

  • Brown needles

  • Dieback in some or all limbs

  • Sticky, white, resinous cankers on shoots and twigs

  • Lesions in the bark at the base of the tree and on the tree trunk

If you notice that trees on your land are displaying symptoms of P. pluvialis, you must report the case using the TreeAlert tool created by Forest Research, which can be found HERE.

Further advice and guidance can be found at the following sources:

Symptom Guide provided by Forest Research, including photographs

Government guidance on P. pluvialis, including symptoms and updates on the demarcated area

Royal Forestry Society guide to P. pluvialis

Dartmoor Tree Surgeons and our sister consultancy company, Advanced Arboriculture, are on hand to answer any queries you may have regarding P. pluvialis, both with respect to specific infected trees and regarding the effects and implications of the disease in general. If you have any concerns about trees you are responsible please don’t hesitate to get in touch for some no obligation expert advice.

Monterey Pines: Mountain Kings of the South West

Monterey Pines: Mountain Kings of the South West

The first few months of this year has seen Dartmoor Tree Surgeons working with an unusually high number of Monterey Pines. These distinctive trees have become a real feature of the Devon landscape , often become very popular within their communities. Read on to learn more about the history of these “mountain kings”, as well as the best way to keep an eye on any you might be responsible for.

Mistletoe in Devon - and a Merry Christmas!

Mistletoe in Devon - and a Merry Christmas!

As it’s that time of the year I wanted to write a festively themed piece to close the blog out for the year. This one’s a bit of a cheat as my chosen species isn’t a tree, but it is a woody plant and it’s one that almost everyone will see at Christmas. Mistletoe is one of our most mysterious plants, with an enduring role in our folklore and festive traditions. As well as a few musings on this subject you can also find out how to introduce mistletoe into your own garden.

Mobray Court, Exeter

Dartmoor Tree Surgeons have worked at Mobray Court in Heavitree for some years, undertaking regular safety inspections for the management company. The largest works undertaken to date at Mobray Court involved the removal of a very large Turkey Oak which had succumbed to honey fungus. We captured the dismantling of this tree using a timelapse camera which ran for the three days of the main take-down.