Welcome to our first newsletter of 2010!, We hope you have kept warm over the winter and are now enjoying the new buds of spring as they slowly emerge! The weather has certainly been interesting, and like many other industries has caused us a few work related problems. In November, it rained and it rained, causing some horrendous flooding in parts of the country and some localised flooding here in Surrey. The teams came back to the yard wet through and muddy for many days. Then as soon as it stopped raining, it froze! And we were hit by the first snowfall. Over the Christmas break we worked in a couple of schools as the children were on holiday. Then just as the new term started, we were up to our knees in the white stuff again and unfortunately nobody was going anywhere. We generally pride ourselves on working in all weathers but this winter beat us a bit, and it created a backlog of work. We apologise if this affected you. We are now very much enjoying the change in the weather and our “webbed” feet and frost bitten fingers are recovering.

Snow damage: Now that the snow has cleared we can assess any damage the snow has caused. It often breaks branches and limbs by the sheer weight of snow and ice. Interestingly this is particularly common in Pine and Cedar trees due to the evergreen foliage and long lateral branches. A relative of mine lost a wing mirror to a stuck out branch, unable to swerve due to on coming traffic. We would encourage everyone to be responsible for their trees particularly if they are on a roadside. Trees may have large hanging branches in them, which need removing, and or wounds caused by branch breakage necessitating assessment to rule out future structural problems. (You may think you have just lost a branch but you'll be amazed by how this can throw out the balance of a tree and cause a bigger loss by an unexpected puff of wind). Please call us for free advice and consultation.

Spring Offer This Spring time we are offering a 10% discount to customers who book work in April as a result of our Winter / Spring Newsletter. For the month of April, when you have your work quoted and booked in, quote “blossom” to receive your 10% discount on your bill.

Fresh Apple blossom, expect some soon on an apple tree near you...

Trees and Horses: If you have horses and trees in the same fields, keep an eye on your trees. If the trees are not fenced off sufficiently, the impact from horses feet on the ground around the trees can damage and destroy the roots and the result is dead, dying or a dangerous trees. If you would like us to give your trees a free inspection in a field then let us know.

Plant more hedges: We have planted several new hedges for clients this season so far. Hedges are great for screening, as windbreaks, to zone off areas within a garden, to identify boundaries and great for wildlife. We undertake all types of hedgerow management, Trimming, reducing, coppicing, supply and planting A good source of info on the UK's native hedges, hedgerow conservation and hedge management is www.hedgelink.org.uk.

Places to visit this spring:
Sheffield Park Gardens, East Sussex - Woodland and water make for an alluring combination in this fine landscape designed by Capability Brown and Humphrey Repton. A springtime visit is compulsory when the daffodils and bluebells are in bloom beneath a canopy of rhododendrons and azaleas. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sheffieldpark.

Wakehurst Place, East Sussex Explore 188 hectares (465 acres) of country estate in West Sussex with ornamental gardens, temperate woodlands and an Elizabethan Mansion.

That's all for now: As always we are very appreciative of all the feedback we receive about our newsletters, so thank you. We are also grateful for the feedback we receive about our teams on site. We always pass it on and it is always welcome. Happy Easter from all at Dave Ford Tree Care and please visit our website for more information about us and what we can do for you whether you are a private or commercial client we aim to provide a consistent, friendly local professional service to all our clients,

Kind regards,

Dave Ford ND Arb