As for most people working outdoors, the weather forecast becomes a topic of regular conversation, having as it does a significant impact on what we can achieve and how we work.

In the Winter, the cold and dark starts require the up-early personality of the lark…it’s not really a job for the natural owl! The days of rain mean that climbing at any height from a rope and harness sometimes has to be postponed for safety reasons, and at that point, and with great understanding from customers, the schedule of planned jobs is juggled to focus on ground based work which is possible to do all year round…and we shake out our wet-weather gear!

The Summer challenges revolve around how to stay safe in the heat. On the hottest days (25 degrees +), our essential personal protective equipment (PPE) of Kevlar chainsaw trousers and boots, helmets with full face visors and ear defenders can easily add a further 10 degrees to the body temperature. Toasty on the cold winter days but potentially dangerous during the Summer months.

We wouldn’t swap the stunning blue days for anything else, so the trick to working in the heat is to take it slowly with lots of stops in the shade, plenty of hydration, taking the opportunity to remove helmets when it’s safe to do so.

For advice about your trees, call Andrew on 01256 817369, 07771 883061 or email him Andrew@Primarytreesurgeons.co.uk Find us on Twitter @PrimaryTreeSurg for more detail and stories about our range of every day tree work