Making an Exhibition of Ourselves

IOG Saltex in September proved to be the perfect venue to unveil the company’s new branding and to launch two new services: Consultancy and Tree Planting. The weather held, in fact it was boiling on the first day, and that allowed us to demonstrate the Mala Underground Radar System and the PICAS Decay Investigation equipment in the open air.

At the stand our good friend Nick Obern entertained the crowds by putting on several Lumberjack Sportsmen demos, cross cutting and sawing logs against the speed of a chainsaw. No prizes for guessing who won! Nick certainly drew the crowds to the stand although word had already spread that Gristwood & Toms were back at Saltex (the first appearance there for several years) and a good number of people came deliberately to see us. Directors Dave Gristwood and Andy Toms were there, as were Jim Mead and Mark Lovejoy, with various guest appearances from other staff members from HQ.

Quite how successful the exhibition was for us is too early to tell. Lots of people attended, we met with several who were interested in what we were promoting and we made a lot of appointments with potential customers in both the public and private sectors – we’ll keep you posted as to what comes of them.

The main aim of appearing at the show was to let people know that we are a very professional company, with strong environmental policies, and a workforce that is second to none.

  The Saltex Stand

Our New Look

It may not have escaped your notice that we’ve undergone a bit of a makeover. We’ve got a more modern logo - combining the G of Gristwood with the T of Toms in a stylish letter contained within a green leaf. This logo will gradually replace the old one on all the company’s vehicles, workwear, stationery and signage. Currently it appears directly above the company name but in time we’re hoping that people will recognise the logo on its own, in the same way that we all recognise the BP logo nowadays without the name appearing underneath it. The logo will grow to be known as a symbol of quality and professional workmanship.

We’ve also created a new slogan “Managing Great Britain’s Trees”. This has been created to let people know that we are a national service and a sizeable firm.

Phase One Habitat Survey

(David Attenborough - eat your heart out!)

We’ve just had a full habitat survey report carried out at our 18 acre Shenley site. Sadly they didn’t discover any cave dwellers or dinosaurs but we do have a wide variety of wildlife to look after including muntjac deer, bats, foxes, snakes and moles, bird species and a pond that attracts dragonflies. We were hoping that it might contain great crested newts but none were found. We want to encourage more wildlife to the area and to provide a suitable habitat for British plants, flowers and trees.

  Shenley Head Office

Gang of the Quarter

We are introducing an award each quarter to the gang considered to be the most impressive. Judging will take into consideration work rate, tidiness, personal appearance and any acts considered to be above and beyond the call of duty. We are determined as a company to constantly improve our image and, if possible, to increase productivity and we will reward the best gang for their efforts. The winning team will be judged by our Quality Auditor, Mick Coomber.

  Mick Coomber

Supplies of cut down trees for natural play areas

We are delighted to be working with the charity, London Play, to ensure that supplies of quality tree trunks are available to all Play Builder boroughs. The company has available a wide variety of playful tree trunks in interesting and fun shapes and will ensure they are delivered in a state to be useful to play designers, with stubs of branches left on to provide vertical climbers or with branches left on one side for laying flat. There are always many big chunks and slices available that can be used immediately as seats, to jump across like stepping-stones or to hide in-between.

Trees and cut sections of trees are delivered to Shenley and can be viewed by appointment. Contact our site manager, Rob Reynolds, to arrange your visit.

Delivery can be arranged and will be charged for. Delivery will be only to offload at the edge of accessible hard standing. For any further preparation, such as creating a seating bench from a trunk, trimming to ensure stability, or on-site installation work, prices will apply. London Play is ‘working for a capital where all children can play’. You can find out more about their work by visiting www.londonplay.org.uk

And The Good News

Article written by Mark Kinver Copyright: BBC 2009

One of the UK's biggest landowners is embarking on a comprehensive survey to identify previously unrecorded ancient trees on its properties.

The National Trust hopes to find 40,000 of them during the three-year project.

Ancients trees provide unique habitats that support a wide range of rare species, which will be at risk if the trees are allowed to die, say experts.

The data will be fed into a national record, managed by the Woodland Trust, which is available online.

"Ancient trees can be thought of as the cathedrals of the natural world," said Ray Hawes, the National Trust's head of forestry.

"This new survey will provide us with the opportunity to understand more about these special trees in our care and map their exact location."

Volunteers will be used to survey the Trust's 25,000 hectares of woodlands, 200,000 hectares of woodland, and 135 parks.

Famous finds

A number of famous trees will be listed in the findings, including the apple tree that was said to have inspired Isaac Newton to develop the "notion of gravitation" in 1655, and a yew tree that featured in one of William Wordsworth's poems.

Apart from the stars of the aboricultural collection, the Trust's newly appointed ancient tree adviser Brian Muelaner said that it was an area that had been overlooked.

"Lots of individuals, particularly property staff, will know where their biggest trees are, and which ones are considered to be locally important," he told BBC News.

"But there has never been a co-ordinated assessment of all of them within the National Trust."

The UK has one of the highest proportion of ancient trees in Europe, and Mr Muelaner said that it was vital to effectively manage the unique habitats provided by the multi-centurions.

"These trees are remnants of our primeval forests," he explained.

"They are a direct link back to that time, so the biodiversity that is associated with those cannot be found anywhere else.

"If they are lost, then the dependent ecology - lichen, fungi, deadwood invertebrates - will suffer."

It can take about 250 years for a tree to become a suitable host for some lichens.

  Wordsworth's 'Yew Tree', The Lorton Yew,
  Cumbria

Farming fears

Once an ancient specimen has been identified, a management plan will be put in place to ensure it lives for as long as possible. Mr Muelaner said the main threat facing these trees was often from farming.

"Too often, arable fields are ploughed right up to the base of the trunk," he observed.

"Ploughing greatly damages the roots, while fertilisers will damage the mycorrhizal fungi, which are essential for a tree's uptake of nutrients and water.

"Even pesticides and the use of pharmaceuticals in cattle can have an impact".

As well as protecting ancient specimens, the Trust will also look at ways to ensure the dependent ecology is not lost.

"We need to get succession planting going very quickly if none is underway," Mr Muelaner stated.

"It takes hundreds of years to get the trees in the right conditions to support the rare and endangered species."

'Notable trees'

He said that the survey would also be recording "veterans" that show characteristics of an ancient tree - such as deadwood, holes and cavities that support a diverse range of species - and have a higher conservation value.

Trees that are considered to be culturally important will also be listed - for example, ones that were carved by US soldiers shortly before the D-Day landings in June 1944.

"Or it could be the Tolpuddle martyrs' tree, where they first met," Mr Muelaner explained.

"On its own, the sycamore tree is not that significant but because of its historical context, it is very important."

One of the challenges facing the team of volunteers will be identifying what trees are deemed ancient, as there is no fixed criteria.

The main working definition is an individual specimen that is very old in comparison to others of the same species.

For example, oaks in excess of 600 years are considered to be ancient, yet beech trees older than 300 years would also qualify.

However, calculating age based on appearance is not as simple as it sounds because factors such as location, soil, access to daylight, management techniques, affect the characteristics.

  The Tolpuddle Martyrs' Tree