Snake Oil is an old-school term for a cure-all potion, that in reality does nothing. If you are lucky the potion won’t make things worse but the chances of it making things better are slim – ‘that which doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger’, or in the case of Snake Oil, ‘that which doesn’t kill ...
Of the over 20 or so definitions of risk that exist by far the simplest is; the possibility of losing something of value. In terms of managing risk for health and safety, risk is defined as the likely consequence of a hazard, combined with the likelihood or probability of that hazard occurring. In other words, ...
I have just spent the past two and a half days in the High Court; not as a cleaner or a criminal, but as an expert witness. I have provided evidence in Court before, but not the High Court; this was just a job that just happened to be in the High Court – not ...
I’m not sure why, but work is all about roots at the moment – roots, roots and more roots; or fewer roots as the case may be, mainly because developer X has had them surgically removed with an excavator. The main problem with roots is that we don’t know always know where they are, and ...
If you find yourself in Hawaii with some time to kill [April 30], pop along to the Sheraton, Waikiki and take in the Western Chapter Conference – there is a great line-up of local and international speakers, and I’ll be there as well… I get to give another take on my ‘Trees in a Changing ...
When a tree falls in a forest it makes a sound, we can be very sure about this – fibres snap and branches break, air is moved and energy released. All of this happens if we are there to hear it or not. Sound is just vibrations in air. But if a tree falls in ...
For the past few months I have been writing pruning specifications, or more correctly I have been removing pruning specifications. I’d love to say it’s a less-is-more situation, but I’ve actually been writing more to inform the reader of less – why less is good. Arboricultural pruning specifications; cleaning, thinning, lifting, seem to date back ...
The tallest tree in New Zealand grows quietly in the Orokonui Ecosanctuary, just north of Dunedin. It (she), doesn’t have the grandeur or the mana of Tane Mahuta and his whanau, even though she would tower 30m (100ft) or more above them. She is a slender wee thing (relatively speaking), yet she is not graceful ...
Little by little until its gone – each bit seems like nothing, yet all the bits were something, and before you know it, it’s gone, finished, over; whatever it was – it is no longer there. Is this is the story of Auckland’s urban forest? The [Auckland] Tree Council estimate that 40 per cent of ...
I bet builders hate home-renovation shows. They must cringe as DIY celebrities Buff and Fluff [skills not included] randomly wave power tools around with seeming disregard to the rules and regulations that professionals must comply with. I also cringe at home-renovation shows. My issue comes not from Buff and Fluff [taste optional] creating indoor-outdoor toilet ...
