Today in the Cowal community of Colintraive and Glendaruel a team from Sparsholt College in Hampshire have climbed the Douglas Fir at Dunans. They didn’t do this just for kicks but to begin the task of finding the tallest tree in the UK. On Friday and Saturday Mark Tansley and his adventurous team will be climbing two other candidates for the title – another Douglas Fir at the Hermitage in Dunkeld and a Grand Fir in Diana’s Grove at Blair Castle.

The Douglas Fir climbed by a measurement team today was planted by Archibald Fletcher of Dunans in 1849 and has long vied with trees all over Scotland as the tallest in the UK, including the other Douglas Fir at Ardkinglas in Cairndow. Last measured in 1999 at 213 ft, this fir stands with several other tall trees in a stand overlooking the ruins of Dunans Castle, and beside the extraordinary Telford designed Dunans bridge.

As tallest tree in the UK the fir could bring a much needed economic boost to a community in Cowal which the Highlands and Islands Enterprise has classified as being economically fragile. Certainly tree-fans from all over the UK will travel to Glendaruel to see what has been described by some as a ‘Big Beast of a tree’ and by others as ‘Truly magnificent … ‘. This of course will aid accommodation providers in the area, particularly the likes of the Colintraive Hotel and the Glendaruel Caravan Park, in running viable businesses in what is a very difficult economic period.

Here are some details of the project:

Participants

• Steve Woollard – Arboricultural lecturer from Sparsholt College Hampshire
• Mark Tansley – Arboricultural lecturer & NPTC assessor from Sparsholt College Hampshire
• Lukasz Warzecha – Lead climber for an arboricultural company in Edinburgh also of LW Images
• Justin Palmer – NPTC assessor / SRT instructor / retailer for Safety Technology in South Wales
• Chris Hunter – Lead climber for Urban Forestry in Bury St Edmonds

Method Statement

• A full Site Specific Risk Assessment and Emergency Action Plan is drawn up at each site for each individual tree
• Tree condition is inspected by a qualified person before any climbing / access work takes place and during any ascent
• There are a minimum of 3 qualified first aiders present
• All participants are qualified to a minimum of NPTC – CS 38 (tree climbing and aerial rescue) standard
• All participants have between 5 and 17 years practical experience (total of approximately 46 years)
• All work is appropriately planned and executed in accordance with the Work at Height Regulations 2005
• All work equipment is fully inspected prior to use in accordance with the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998
• Only climbing techniques and practices that bring minimal damage to the tree will be employed
• Cambium / friction savers are employed wherever possible to minimise impact on the tree
• Single Rope Technique is used for accessing the canopy of the trees
• Tree height is measured, in accordance with the Tree Register’s guidelines
• All work is covered by Sparsholt College, Safety Technology and LW Images insurance policies

Spot the arborealist and the photographer: Lukasz Warzecha is almost invisible in the smaller of the two Douglas Firs as he takes photos of Mark Tansley’s precarious ascent.

Links

• Sparsholt College
• Dunans Castle and Grounds is open to the public from April to October and offers superb views of this magnificent tree.

The images above – of the Douglas Fir measured today, seen in summer and winter, as well as the climbers on the trees are by forargyll via Flickr

Related Posts

• How long will Argyll’s Stronardron Douglas Fir hold on to the ‘UK’s Tallest Tree’ title? (2)
• It’s a YES. Argyll has the tallest tree in the UK – see it from Dunans Castle in Glendaruel (7)
• Video of Sparsholt College’s climb of the UK’s Tallest Tree – the Stronardron Fir in Glendaruel (0)
• Friday 13th scuppers Tavish Scott’s climb – it was the wrong tree (0)
• Argyll and British Columbia – HMS Discovery, Archibald Menzies and the Stronardron Fir (0)

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