KASK announces the introduction of the Primero series of safety helmets. The new Primero series is the result of 20 years of KASK helmet design and manufacturing innovations. This history enabled KASK to develop a new helmet that optimized key components, making manufacturing more efficient, while maintaining the comfort and safety that has become the brand’s calling card. Primero was developed to provide advanced head protection that was easy to use for a wide variety of wearers in a wide variety of applications.
The breathable padding – ideal for hot summer days!
Available in 3 sixes: Small | Medium | Large
The Mega Vault is an essential harness accessory and the latest addition to the best selling DMM Vault range.
The larger and deeper basket allows for a greater range of safe and convenient storage across tree care, building trades and rigging.
The Mega Vault can be retrofitted to most harnesses and many tool belts. A large storage ledge for selective removal of gear and a replaceable gate keeper holds the gate open for easy installation and removal of tools. The Mega Vault can also be fitted to vehicles and work bags
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We believe that there is no one better than our 23 Ambassadors around the world to support, advise, develop and test clever products that are beneficial for climbers' lives. ... The fresh swell long shirt is a light, long-sleeved functional shirt for demanding climbers.
]]>#Teufelberger is happy to celebrate a new partnership with CSK Landscape Services who become the exclusive retailer of #Teufelberger #Treecare products in Singapore , Malaysia , Indonesia , Thailand and Brunei.
Amazing events and workshops are planed next year in these territories , stay tuned and if you need more information contact Goh MC and his team !!
#Arborist #Climber #TogetherInMotion
https://www.facebook.com/CSK-Landscape-Services-295425720482160/photos/2196180897073290
]]>Every time you took out a 5 dollar note, did you take a closer look at it? Well, to be honest I don't...
What are the fun facts that SIngaporeans didn't know?
https://www.csklandscape.com/5-facts-you-didnt-know-about-our-5-dollar-tree/
#csklandscape #cskblog #funfacts #5dollarnote #singaporeheritagetree #ouriconicmasot #whatyoudidnotknowabout #trees
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Have you ever pass by a neighbourhood tree that was heavily pruned to an extent that it was totally bare without any leaves?
Hmm... What are the reasons behind it?
Click on the link below to find out more:
https://www.csklandscape.com/why-do-the-trees-in-my-neighbourhood-have-no-leaves/
#csklandscape #cskblog #treewithoutleaves #badpruning #arboristwoes #trees #arboristpov
]]>More in this blog link
https://www.csklandscape.com/counting-rings-how-old-is-that-tree/
#cskblog #howoldisthetree #whoknows #countrings #amazingknowledge #treesforlife #trees #arborist
]]>If case you are not aware, one of the great features of the treeMOTION is that it is possible to replace a multitude of wear parts safely and by yourself.
So do not throw away your harness until you have checked if a replacement part is available.
In the video Josephine Hedger, Teufelberger Ambassador, explain how to replace the Hip Leg connection of your treeMOTION harness. You can purchase the Hip Leg connection kit from any specialist retailer.
Watch the video tutorial here:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ApLAmjTYDz
This video does not in any way replace the official Instruction For Use. We recommend you to read it before replacing any parts on your harness.
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If you tried searching that question on the internet, the most common answer would be, “Well it depends on the definition of a tree…”
Oh that’s easy. I’ll just search, “definition of a tree” and…Oh dear, what are these long strings of gibberish?
Why is a tree so hard to define? Show a 3-year-old a picture of a tree, and they can tell you what it is. So why is there no single definition for a tree? And if there isn’t, then is a palm a tree?
Continue reading: https://www.csklandscape.com/are-palms-trees/
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Overly pruning of trees may not be beneficial to trees or us. It may defeat its purpose as a tree when over or bad pruning happens
More from the blog:
https://www.csklandscape.com/4-reasons-why-bad-pruning-hurts-trees-and-us/
#csklblog #saynotobadpruning #badfortrees #why #treesforlife
]]>widely for flavouring in the cuisines of Southeast Asia and South Asia.
So how is pandan a tree and not plant?
Link to read:
https://www.csklandscape.com/did-you-know-pandan-is-a-tree/
#cskblog #pandanatreenotaplant #mindblow
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Below is a blog on lesson learned when tree fail @ Blk 41 Sims Drive Car Park.
https://www.csklandscape.com/tree-failure-lessons-sims-drive-block-41-car-park/
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The lightest carabiner in the Notch line-up, the Notch HMS carabiner has an extra large gate opening that makes clipping in easy, even with multiple ropes or devices. I-frame sections of the body lower the overall weight of the carabiner while maintaining strength.
⚠️WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including nickel and chromium which are known to the State of California to cause cancer. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.
]]>Could it be the location of where the tree is being planted? or maybe the weather condition? perhaps it could be the growing condition?
Link to blog:
https://www.csklandscape.com/5-things-to-consider-when-buying-a-tree/
#cskblog #arboristblog #trees #buytrees #5thingstoconsider #arborist #pov #treesforlife #loveyourtree
]]>https://www.csklandscape.com/did-you-know-that-a-large-tree-is-mostly-dead/
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The Notch Gecko Steel Climbers will get you into a pole (or tree) with the comfort of an expensive high-tech spur. Gecko Steel Climbers provide a well priced steel climber option that is ergonomically designed for comfort and support.
https://treestore.io/products/notch-gecko-steel-climbers-w-tree-gaffs
]]>As with tree failures that we have not visited, here is a disclaimer.
Disclaimer: The arborists writing this article have not physically visited the site. All observations are based on publicly available photos on Google Maps, Google Street View, and news reports. All comments should be taken with a heaping pile of salt.
A tree fell over near Toa Payoh Lorong 5 Block 68, on 13th Dec 2020, at around 7am. The owners of several vehicles struck by the falling tree were majorly inconvenienced, but luckily nobody was injured.
The Straits Times reported that a motorcycle owner, who had his vehicle damaged in this incident, previously had his car damaged from a falling tree branch in June 2020, but was unable to obtain compensation from the town council’s insurers. The reason given then was that the tree maintenance teams, which consists of mostly foreign workers, were unable to complete tree maintenance on time due to Covid-19 control measures within foreign worker dormitories.
This is cold comfort for someone whose livelihood depends on their means of transport. While we as arborists may be less familiar with the intricacies of specific insurance policies, we can analyze some aspects of this tree failure from publicly available materials. Hopefully some of what we say may help those impacted by tree failures to obtain compensation, and perhaps prevent future incidents.
Taking a look at the photograph from The Straits Times,
Source: The Straits Times
The fallen tree being removed
We can see the tree failed at its base. The roots are still in the ground, i.e. it has not uprooted. A bit of searching led us to Mothership’s website. They have taken a photo of the tree’s base.
Source: mothership
Fallen tree’s base
Unfortunately, the view was only from one angle, and we cannot make out important details, such as possible fungal fruiting bodies that indicate decay, or any structural defects that may have existed before failure.
However, even though we are unable to discern any defects that may have weakened the tree’s structural strength, we do have a few comments on the nature of the tree’s load.
After all, failure happens when load exceeds strength. For that, we turn to Google Street View, and take a look at the tree before failure.
Source: Google Street View
Overall view of the fallen tree on September 2020
Here, three things are apparent.
1) The tree species was inappropriate for its location.
The tree that failed was a rain tree, or Samanea saman. Compare the fallen tree’s crown shape with one growing in an open area.
Source: Wikipedia
The Hitachi Tree found on Hawaii
We can see that our fallen tree was shaded out on two sides by the nearby building. This caused it to develop an asymmetric form as it grew towards sunlight, which necessitated regular pruning to balance it.
The good news here is that roots on the side facing away from its lean, its tension side, are well developed and were able to support the tree. These tension roots remained in the ground, even as the tree’s base gave way. Without visiting the site, we are assuming the surface roots observed here are healthy, it would be a different story if they were found to be dead or decayed.
Source: The Straits Times
Tension roots circled
This problem could have been avoided entirely if a smaller tree, or several smaller trees, were selected in the first place. However, the original tree planters may not have known better, as a tree of this size would be several decades old, and the tree planting policies back then may not have accounted for such details.
The main issue here was with the type of pruning used on this tree.
2) The tree had its crown raised.
Let us consider the tree as a lever.
Source: Google Street View
The fallen tree as a lever
Assuming they have the same weight, would Load A or Load B require greater effort at the tree’s base to hold it up?
If you answered A, congratulations you are correct. If you answered B, may we direct you to the nearest primary school science lesson? (Please do not gatecrash your nearest primary school. Instead, refer to a Class 3 lever here.)
A tree’s leaves and branches are its load. Tree maintenance work has focused on removing ALL lower foliage (Load B) and some upper foliage (Load A). Google Street View shows the locations of some of its old pruning wounds.
Source: Google Street View
ALL of “Load B” removed circled red, some of “Load A” removed circled blue
This type of pruning is known as crown raising or lifting, where the lowest extent of the tree’s crown is raised. While it reduced the tree’s load in the short-term, it has caused the tree’s “lever” to grow longer over the years, requiring more and more effort to support its weight.
There are situations where crown raising is warranted, such as when clearance for lights or vehicles are required, but our fallen tree had grown taller than the tallest lamppost long ago, and should not have had its crown raised any further than that.
Just to drive home the point, here is a similar case on a Facebook page where arborists on an international stage rate the quality of a pruning job. The tree species is identical, as is the crown raising.
Source: Tree Stuff
Crown raising on a Samanea saman
And here is the comment from Guy Meilleur, a veteran arborist who has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles.
Source: Tree Stuff
Veteran arborist rates the job 2 out of 10
What should have been done for our fallen tree, was crown reduction, where lower foliage was kept, and upper foliage removed.
This would have been more laborious. Climbing to prune the tree’s upper foliage and bringing down cut branches without damaging its lower foliage, would have been more difficult than simply removing its lower foliage from a lorry crane parked in the nearby carpark.
Source: CSK Landscape Services and BSG Landscape & Construction
One is more laborious than the other
In the end, tree maintenance did remove some of its furthest branches. There is only one problem.
3) The tree was topped.
We have complained about tree topping on this blog before. It is for good reason. They waste a tree’s energy regrowing foliage or disposing of useless branches, when that energy can be better spent growing more wood to support itself or fighting off decay-causing organisms, not to mention the increased maintenance needed for a topped tree.
Where are these topping cuts you ask? Well, here they are.
Source: Google Street View
Topping cuts circled
Put simply, the branches are cut to random stubs, when they should have been reduced to the nearest union. What is a union? It is where a larger branch divides into two or more smaller ones. But wait, this is a union isn’t it?
Source: Google Street View
Close-up of topped branch
The problem here is that the remaining branch is too small. As a general rule of thumb, the remaining branch’s diameter has to be at least one third of the diameter of its parent.
Based on the points above, we think that planting and maintenance for this tree were focused on short-term solutions, rather than a coherent long-term plan.
The tree was first planted because many others of the same species were being planted in Singapore at that time. It was crown raised because that was the fastest and easiest way of immediately reducing load. It was topped because drawing an arbitrary line along its crown and cutting along it is easier than carefully selecting appropriate unions.
Each step made sense in its own narrow context of being the cheapest and most efficient solution, but failed to address the bigger picture.
This led to an unsustainable increase in its “lever arm” and load over many years, requiring more and more effort at its base to support it. Eventually, the load grew too heavy for its base’s structural strength and it failed.
Had long-term tree health be considered, we would have a shorter and more stable tree, or several smaller trees of different species.
]]>This carabiner can be used in any running rope system to increase efficiency. The Revolver Rig comes into its own when flexibility and efficiency
]]>Singapore is mostly boring, and that is a good thing.
Trains and buses arrive on time, elevators work, and drinking water straight out of a tap is generally safe.
However, when it comes to town council tree management, there is space for improvement.
On 27th Aug 2020, our principal arborist saw fungal fruiting bodies and a crack on a tree. These are clear signs of imminent failure. So he did the right thing and contacted the town council using OneService.
To their credit the town council replied in a timely manner.
Red circle around the fungal fruiting bodies, red arrow pointing at the crack
Case closed. Problem solved right?
Not quite. When our principal arborist passed by the area on 14th Sep 2020, he discovered the tree was heavily pruned.
Not the right type of tree work needed
The horticulture team dispatched by the Town Council had done something, but the actions taken were entirely inappropriate for the issue.
The tree’s defects meant that the tree should have been removed, not pruned.
Sure enough, around midnight on 15th Sep 2020, the tree failed.
An avoidable error
Nobody was injured, and nothing was damaged, but this incident does show that there are gaps in our town council’s tree management regime that need to be filled.
]]>An arborist blog on why tall trees are not necessary always a good street tree.
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We have two kinds of weather in Singapore, hot and wet, or hot and wetter. In our concrete jungle, most street trees serve the important purpose of providing shade and lowering temperatures.
Ah. Shade. The bigger the tree the better right?
Not quite.
Sure, a large tree looks beautiful if properly maintained, but an poorly maintained large tree, grown in the middle of a city is both a hazard and an eyesore.
Poorly maintained street tree
Provides zero shade
It goes without saying that large trees are not as easy to maintain as smaller ones. Sure, parks need their large, majestic trees to look good, but what about the streets? What is the right sort of street tree for Singapore?
Quite simply, we want stable trees that provide shade. Consider the following trees, they both provide shade, which one is more stable?
Short and tall tree comparison
Okay, they aren’t actually trees, just poorly drawn pictures of trees
“A” is less top heavy and more stable. We want a street tree that is just tall enough to serve its purpose, and no taller than required.
Now consider the following shapes for a tree’s crown, which one is more stable?
high and low lcr comparison
Ah the wonders of Microsoft Paint
Just like in the previous example, “A” is less top heavy and thus more stable. Arborists call this the Live Crown Ratio, or LCR. It is the proportion of a tree’s height taken up by a tree’s crown. “A” has a 60% LCR, while “B” has a 20% LCR.
LCR explanation
This is my best attempt at explaining LCR okay?
Generally, any tree with an LCR of 50 to 60% is good, but there are exceptions to the rule. After all, not all tree species have the same shape.
There is one last thing to consider for our ideal street tree. Singapore’s streets are full of things that are great for people but not so great for trees. Lampposts, traffic lights, road signs, and double-decker buses, just to name a few.
It would be silly to plant trees that block these things and cause road accidents.
With the above factors in mind, the first photo in this post is actually a good example of a street tree for Singapore. Here it is again, with all the reasons why.
Good street tree
A heritage tree along Tanglin Road
Any future pruning work should focus on reducing or maintaining its height.
In our next post, we shall look at some less ideal examples and talk about what can be done better.