Alisdair Kay
Co-Founder, Climber, Ground Operator
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![Climber standing on top of a tree stump looking buff.]()
This beech tree in Crieff would have been originally maintained as a hedge, however when allowed to lapse they can get to be quite substantial! The right tree in the wrong place unfortuately, it had to be section felled by climbing.
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![Tree climber clearing hazel from the sides of a gorge in central Scotland.]()
This is where the mountaineering skills come in! Extreme coppicing in a Stirlingshire estate., using trees as our anchors to clear the gorge walls. Part of a three to five year woodland managements project.
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![Forester with large chainsaw on top of a tree stump.]()
This large hemlock was a real beauty, and had been standing proud in this Comrie garden for over 100 years. It was struck by lightning in early 2024, which caused catastrophic damage to its stem. Safely felled from the ground using assisted felling techniques. In this case a winch and high lift wedges.
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![Groundsman using a leaf blower to expose the stump, so he can using a large stump grinder.]()
It turns out 100 year old hemlock is not all that soft... this stump in Comrie, Perthshire, took a few hours, it was rock hard! Even for this beast of a tracked grinder!
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![A nice sunrise as seen from a tree climber's perspective.]()
The best views from the canopy are always first thing in the morning!
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![Climber's eye view of a church from up a tree.]()
Church yard trees are often some of the nicest to work on!
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![Forester inside a tree stump he has just cut down using a chainsaw.]()
Big trees are such fun!
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![Tree surgeon cutting hazel in a gorge.]()
Hazel coppicing in tan estate not far from Strathyre, on a stunning winter's morning. We help many clients across central and northern Scotland manage their woodland area's, encouraging biodiversity.
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![Climber up an oak tree in glorious weather.]()
This oak tree in Comrie was unfortunately showing some signs of movement in the root plate. Since it was right next to a family home, we reduced its height to create a "habitat pole", making sure it could never strike the house if it came down. Very valuable habitat in the correct place!
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![Climber cutting above a road with pedestrian management signage.]()
Dead-wood removal and crown clean for this row of Hemlock in Perth. We also cleared the debris and excess soil from their root plates to encourage more vitality.
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![Climber in a large sycamore tree.]()
These large sycamore is a park in rural Aberdeenshire were given a canopy reduction, as a part of a long term woodland management plan. An important balance was found here between recreation and nature!
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![Aerial photo taken by a DJI quadcopter showing a climber dismantling a lime tree using ropes and other rigging equipment to protect nearby property.]()
Alisdair during a lime tree dismantle in Dalginross, Comrie. To protect the new driveway (!) we rigged everything down using ropes, and hired in some ground mats.
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![A climber dismantling a lime tree. The picture was taken from a DJI Mini 4 Pro drone hovering nearby.]()
Lime tree dismantle, Comrie, Strethearn.
