Barnes Associates Ltd was originally formed in 1989 as a partnership between Ian Barnes and Sue Higgins. Initially set up as a tree surgery and landscaping company, Barnes Associates Ltd is now stated as a limited company based in Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire, but extends its services nationwide.
The company is a landscape institute registered practice and has a wide range of experience in green infrastructure, providing technical solutions to near tree developments. Ian Barnes is a registered consultant of The Arboricultural Association, and both are professional members of the Consulting Arborist Society, Barnes Associates Ltd has decades of experience in providing professional surveys.
As a leading consultancy, Barnes Associates Ltd provide a full range of tree surveying works from one tree in a domestic garden through to large country estates comprising of over 1,000 trees. By using hi-tech equipment and advanced investigation equipment, the company is able to carry out the following for the construction and environmental industries: Development BS5837, Tree Surveys Risk Assessments, Advanced Tree Assessments, Tree Health and Safety reports, Tree preservation orders TPO advise, Tree reports for mortgages / insurance, Legal advice, Landscape Design and management.
Providing a plethora of service benefits from advanced assessments to tree diagnostics, Barnes Associates Ltd provide an import service for specialist equipment which is then used to train UK tree surveyors. For its clients, the company provides a full suite of assessments from vitality tests, tree root radar scans, sonic and electronic tomography, and stability testing of trees.
‘Tree Radar’ is the latest service made available from Barnes Associates Ltd. Through the use of its Ground Penetrating Radar system, it can detect tree roots as small as 1cm through any surface without making a mess. The data is mapped and scaled to the surrounding area and delivered to the client as a full report with images, technical data and recommendations of best practice in moving forward.
Trees can have a lot to cope with such as excavations close by, harsh pruning, drought, even pests and diseases. All these factors and more can start the decline or mortality spiral eventually leading to the removal of the tree. Tree Vitality Testing is a service provided which is a useful tool used to monitor ‘how happy’ a tree is, giving opportunity to implement management early. The test takes 30 minutes, is non invasive and involves the measurement of excess levels of far-red light emitted as part of early photosynthesis and chlorophyll levels which is then compared against a global benchmark figure for its species.
Another service used to prevent the deterioration of a tree’s health is the use of Electronic and Sonic Tomography. Electronic tomography uses an electrical current to measure resistance levels which can even identify a range of subterranean pathogens that are otherwise usually hard to detect. It can also detect fungal activity in its earliest stage allowing suitable management of the tree and its growing area to be initiated to prolong and improve the trees lifespan. Sonic Tomography is an advanced decay detection in trees. It uses soundwaves to find decay and cavities and through a non-invasive approach there is no harm to the tree. The results can be instant and can produce a tree safety factor which can be used as evidence to support any specialist pruning works, further management of the tree or the removal of the tree on safety grounds.
A method commonly referred to as ‘Tree Pulling’ enables an assessment of a whole tree’s safety to be undertaken, which otherwise can be difficult. Alternatively, Barnes Associates Ltd can measure the response of a tree to natural wind loads recorded using an anemometer near the tree.
The company can offer a fully comprehensive tree stability check with its Dynaroot system. It provides an insight into the tree’s response to real site forces. Where access is restricted, or stability is in question from multiple directions, Barnes Associates Ltd can assess trees by measuring the response to a known wind load. This can be used to forecast a trees response to an unexpected storm event and provide a safety factor based upon engineering standards.
In recent changes, Barnes Associates Ltd has recently expanded its workforce by hiring a new surveyor. To increase its capacity, the company has also moved to a larger office to cater for more storage of its ever-growing technical equipment and training facilities.
Moving forward, Barnes Associates Ltd intend to increase the use of further assessments which will ultimately save trees from being felled. The company is also working on in-house training CPD’s, which will eventually allow Barnes Associates Ltd to provide training courses to other companies to help them improve their knowledge. Post COVID-19, Barnes Associates Ltd has changed its approach and is now working via a hybrid system to enable flexibility for its workers. Working partly in the office, out on site and from home, gives a varied week and keeps the working environment interesting for all employees.
For more information, please see below.
Contact
T 01423 322 371
info@barnesassociates.co.uk
www.barnesassociates.co.uk