A major telehandler investment by a tree management and weed control specialist has led to a ‘substantial’ contract win from North Lanarkshire Council to remove nearly 300 hazardous trees.
The deal follows the £240,000 purchase last year by Complete Weed Control of a Merlo Roto compact tree removal machine.
The versatile telehandler is said to be capable of dismantling even the largest trees and makes the removal of diseased and dying trees safer, more controlled, and faster.
The works, which have now commenced, will take place largely in the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth areas and should be completed by March. Complete Weed Control covers the greater part of Scotland from its newly-acquired base in Larkhall.
Councils are required to manage and undertake work to any tree which constitutes a statutory nuisance and all councils have a programme of inspection and tree maintenance works to protect local residents and preserve and maintain a healthy tree population.
Keith Gallacher, director of Complete Weed Control operations in Scotland, said, “North Lanarkshire Council has a very comprehensive strategy in place to deal with the threat of hazardous trees, which has been exacerbated by the spread of Ash Dieback disease. Its teams have surveyed its tree estate and have supplied us with detailed information about all the trees which need to be dealt with within Wards 1 and 4.
“The Merlo Roto can reach up from ground level to remove large parts of the affected tree, and bring them to operators who can further dismantle them for removal and disposal.”
The firm’s investment in the machine means work that was previously done laboriously and often dangerously by hand can now be carried out more safely and in a fraction of the time.
The telehandler can lift nearly 5,000 kilos in one grab and is suited to working in confined or awkward spaces, or difficult-to-reach areas such as back gardens.
Complete Weed Control posted a record £2.75 million in sales last year, up from £2 million the previous year. Growth has been boosted by new client acquisition as well as its tree services division, which now contributes equally with the longer-established weed suppressant and grass cutting services it supplies to mostly public sector organisations.
