Brooke Estate Management - Our 'Blog

It's almost 'that' time of year when there is a lot to do around the place both inside and outdoors.
Beginning with the obvious outdoor tasks

1. Safety First: trim back any branches that hang low. In these dark evenings, it may be hard to see if they over hang a foot path. Nobody wants a black eye for Christmas.
2. Again with the dark evenings and mornings, clearing leaves from potentially slippery paths is always a good idea.
3. Gritting and preparation of public areas and car parks to prevent slips and spills.
4. Keeping outside lighting in good working order is a must, especially around livery yards and around paddocks, where animals are coming and going.

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Despite the up and down situation of the weather, this season is traditionally the one we choose to clear up our homes, our lifestyles, our offices and our lands.

Let's presume you have horses and let's presume your livery yard is looking a little on the tired side. Is it down to the riders not clearing up after themselves or does the place needs good looking at and a deep clean?

Brook Estate Management offer more than just a sprucing up. Our dedication to health and safety, tree trimming and path clearing is second to none. Our experience goes back quite a way so we understand exactly what is needed when you want us.

Just get in touch via a click on any of our links and see just how easy it is to get your livery yard spick and span in time for the genuine summer months - the time when most of your new clients will be interested in looking around.

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You cannot fail to have noticed the inclement weather we've all endured over the past few weeks.

But despite having it forecast, nobody really knew how much snow we were going to get. Some of us got a dusting and others got quite a beating. But now it is time to clear it up and move on.

The majority of it melted and has now gone while some remote places still has a mound or two remaining.

So, the message here is to ensure that your environment is free from the hazards of inclement weather - that could be snow or heavy rain and the flooding it can bring. Ensure your neighbours are safe and okay too. A little neighbourly assistance is always a good thing.

Get in touch with us if tree branches have been weighted down by heavy snow or if anything else needs to be dealt with and is causing issues with your daily lives.

We are here to help so get in touch soon.

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February is the month to celebrate pancakes and love. But why not put down those pancakes and fall in love with our range of services instead? They are much less fatty too!

At Brooke Estate Management, we focus on clearing pathways, cutting trees and bushes to ensure, especially this time of year, a safe environment for everyone. Our clients range from home owners, office owners, smallholders, horse livery establishments, farmers and estate managers, corporate clients and local authorities too.

Based in the South West, we are happy to offer quotes on services so do get in touch with us soon.

We will look forward to hearing from you.

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October is with us and soon it will be getting colder. Lets make the most of the warmth, long days and shorter nights before it starts going away. If you are looking for the best way to tidy the autumn leaves away to avoid the slippery pavements, now is the time to get in touch.

While clearing leafy lanes is one way to make our customers smile, you'll notice from our website that our experience and knowledge in estate management far exceeds that. From assisting customers with tree surgery to weed control, you can even hire our equipment (with an experienced operator) on a daily basis for those hard to reach places and heights.

So, while we are spiralling towards the colder seasons, you need not think that your grounds, garden or livery yard may fall into disrepair. Just a quick call for advice on your next step is all is takes. You'll receive a friendly, helpful and professional response.

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Even though the weather is going to start getting colder soon, don`t worry because we still have plenty of sunshine to enjoy while this month is with us. Now the kids are back at school, this may be a good time to consider getting things in order for the autumn months. Brooke Estate Management covers all aspects of keeping your environment and surroundings sparkling - no matter what time of year it is.

Even though the weather is going to start getting colder soon, don`t worry because we still have plenty of sunshine to enjoy while this month is with us. Now the kids are back at school, this may be a good time to consider getting things in order for the autumn months. Brooke Estate Management covers all aspects of keeping your environment and surroundings sparkling - no matter what time of year it is.

Think of us as an all-round-spring-cleaner for your garden, livery area or workplace. You are guaranteed a service that ensures your safety at all times with regard to keeping pathways clear from wet leaves, removal of over-hanging branches and generally keeping the outside looking sparklingly fresh.

Our customers enjoy a friendly and regular service so, if like them, you prefer to deal with a supplier who has your satisfaction at heart, simply get in touch to arrange an initial chat.

You'll be pleased you did.

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August, named after the first Roman Emperor Augustus is now with us. We still have our beautiful summer weather, and a bank holiday to look forward to at the end of the month. If tree surgery and estate/grounds maintenance is on your mind, this may be a great time to contact us to talk over what we can do for local authorities, farms, land owners, equestrian centres and park managers in the South Wales and Gloucestershire area. Emperor Augustus had the month August named after him because of all the fortunate things that happened to him in that month, so August is the month for fortunate things! Who knows? It could be the start of great things. To benefit from the qualified staff and our high professional standards so we can offer a quotation for their paddock and grasslands management, weed control, fencing and tree surgery needs . For the best value out of your open spaces simply click the header image on any page to send us an email , so contact us today. Brooke Estate Management on 01600 730857

Emperor Augustus had the month August named after him because of all the fortunate things that happened to him in that month, so August is the month for fortunate things! Who knows? With weed control being so critical this time of year, you cannot rely on good luck so call the professionals. To benefit from the qualified staff and our high professional standards so we can offer a quotation for your paddock and grasslands management, weed control, fencing and tree surgery needs. For the best value out of your open spaces simply click the header image on any page to send us an email, so contact us today. Brooke Estate Management on 01600 730857

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March is a great time for paddock and estate/grounds maintenance. In a month of special days, including days celebrating the Saints St David and St Patrick, as well as Mothering Sunday, all the signs tell us spring is just around the corner.

Our customers, local authorities, farms, land owners, equestrian centres and park managers throughout the South Wales and Gloucestershire area will be aware of renewed growth and increased need for thorough management of open spaces. They can be confident that our qualified staff and high professional standards will make sure that the most appropriate steps will be taken for the time and the need.

If you would like to know more, or get a quotation for paddock and grasslands management, weed control, fencing and tree surgery needs in March, just click the header of any page to email us, or call Brooke Estate Management on 01600 730857

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February is the month to celebrate pancakes and love, but while you are not being romantic or eating pancakes you can take a look at our tree surgery and estate/grounds maintenance

Many of our customers are local authorities, farms, land owners, equestrian centres and park managers throughout the South Wales and Gloucestershire area.

This February many of those customers will be coming to us because of our qualified staff and our high professional standards Many of them will ask us to offer a quotation for their paddock and grasslands management, weed control, fencing and tree surgery needs. Many of the most pestilential weeds will be at their most vulnerable, so it is a great time to take action before they burst into new growth with the spring.

February also marks the start of the bird nesting season here in Britain, so while it is possible to deal with tree work, a thorough survey for nesting birds must be carried out by a competent person before any tree or hedge work can be carried out. If in doubt, call us.

If you would like to have the best value out of your open spaces for the ones you love this February, call Brooke Estate Management on 01600 730857

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Every time of change is a time of opportunity. This is very true of January, the perfect month to look back on the previous year and of course look forward to the coming one, make the most of the new year opportunities ahead. Janus, the Roman god who gave this month its name looks forward and looks back and, we are sure would appreciate the consistently high standards of tree surgery and estate/grounds maintenance. By focusing on our customers including local authorities, farms, land owners, equestrian centres and park managers throughout South Wales and Gloucestershire who come to us for the qualified staff and our high professional standards.

Make a great start to the year ahead by offering a quotation for your paddock and grasslands management, weed control, fencing and tree surgery needs then sit back and enjoy the best value out of your open spaces. All you need to do is call Brooke Estate Management, 01600 730857 or click in the header of any page to send us an email, and relax.

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December is with us and winter is closing in, Christmas is just around the corner and this is always a popular time to think about tree surgery and estate/grounds maintenance. With limited time available before the whole country goes on holiday, many customers including local authorities, farms, land owners, equestrian centres and park managers throughout South Wales and Gloucestershire will be making the most of their last opportunities this year to benefit from the qualified staff and our high professional standards, which has earned us our enviable reputation.

To offer a quotation for your paddock and grasslands management, weed control, fencing and tree surgery needs so that you go into the holiday period enjoying the best value out of your open spaces get in touch with Brooke Estate Management, 01600 730857 or click the header image on any page to send an email.

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Now is the time of year that broad-leafed weeds can interfere with the grass crop from your fields and paddocks. Perennial broad-leafed weeds generally reproduce through seed, but also through various vegetative structures. Many only set seed in the second year, and some may die back after setting seed (biennials). Weed management can therefore be aimed at one or more phases of the life cycle such as prevention of seed setting or exhaustion of underground roots.

The specialists at Brooke Estate Management can advise on and apply the most effective treatment for broad-leafed weeds to make sure that your feed crop is protected. Call us today, or click in the header of any page to send us an email if your fields and paddocks are blighted by:

• Bramble
• Broad-leaved dock
• Bulbous buttercup
• Cat's-ear
• Coltsfoot
• Common mouse-ear
• Common nettle
• Common ragwort
• Common sorrel
• Common toadflax
• Cow parsley
• Creeping buttercup
• Creeping thistle
• Curled dock
• Daisy
• Dandelion
• Field bindweed
• Greater plantain
• Ground elder
• Ground-ivy
• Hedge bindweed
• Hoary cress
• Japanese knotweed
• Lesser celandine
• Meadow buttercup
• Mouse-ear-hawkweed
• Mugwort
• Perennial sowthistle
• Perforate St John
• Procumbent pearlwort
• Ribwort plantain
• Rosebay willowherb
• Selfheal
• Sheep's sorrel
• Slender speedwell
• Thyme-leaved speedwell
• White campion
• White clover
• Yarrow

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If you have a small holding or small farm, hay bales and haylage are every bit as useful as they are on larger farms, but sometimes the large bales that are commonly available are just too big for the rate at which you use them.

Small bales are also much easier to handle without the need for specialised equipment and can be stacked for storage, making the best use of limited space.

You can now avoid waste by taking advantage of our small bale wrapping service, which is ideal for the smaller farm. This is just one of our many agricultural contracting services, which add up to a great help for farms with limited equipment and manpower resources.

Call us now on the number shown above or click in the header of any page to email us and start taking advantage of small bales straight away.

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July is the peak growing season for many plants, not least of which are the various invasive weeds that thrive here. Our government takes a fairly strong stand on the matter of invasive weeds. Their website spells it out for us like this:

"Invasive non-native plants are species which have been brought into the UK that have the ability to spread causing damage to the environment, the economy, our health and the way we live. Injurious weeds are native species, which have been deemed to cause a problem to farming productivity."

The government site then goes on to say: "If you have invasive plants or injurious weeds on your premises you have a responsibility to prevent them spreading into the wild or causing a nuisance.

You must not plant or otherwise cause to grow in the wild any plant listed on schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

You are not obliged to remove or treat invasive plants, but you must not:

• allow invasive plants to spread onto adjacent land - the owner of that land could take legal action against you
• plant or encourage the spread of invasive plants outside of your property - this can include moving contaminated soil from one place to another or incorrectly handling"

• Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica)
• Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)
• Himalayan Balsam (Imaptiens glandulifera)

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May is here and it looks like spring is finally upon us. With the abundance of water and sunshine, growth will be strong in all plant groups at this time. This is great news for the plants that we wish to encourage, but unfortunately, it will also bring a proliferation of weeds.

To define a weed as a plant that grows where you don't want it to leaves the choice of what to keep and what to remove entirely up to you. However, if you wish your paddocks, pastures and fields to be clear of any unwanted plants, now is the time to get specialist help to eradicate weeds before they take too strong a hold. Call us now or click in the header of any page to get help with:

• Ragwort (Scenecio jacobaea)
• Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum)
• Marestails (Equisetum spp)
• Nettles (Urtica dioica)
• Docks (Rumex spp)
• Chickweed (Stellaria media)
• Buttercups (Ranunculaceae repens)
• Plantains (Plantago spp)
• Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense)
• Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare)
• Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
• St. Johns Wort (Hypericum spp)

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National Bird Nesting Season starts on March 1st and goes on until July 31st. Any tree work carried out in that period may be in breach of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the European Habitats Directive 1992/Nesting Birds Directive.

Ground nesting birds must also be considered at this time and any work that may disturb their habitat either carried out before the end of February or put off until August.

If you need any tree work done to lift or reduce crowns, prune trees or remove dangerous branches, February is the last chance for some time, so call us today on the number shown above or click in the header of any page to send us an email.

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As the Met Office issues a Severe Weather Warning for South Wales for high winds potentially resulting in damage to trees and buildings, Brooke Estate Management Ltd have been gearing up for a busy time.

As a reminder during periods of severe weather, we can provide the following services, all backed by nationally recognised qualifications, £5 million public liability insurance and a team of capable and experienced local personnel:

• Making safe damaged or dangerous trees
• Clearing private roads and driveways to facilitate urgent access/egress pending remedial work to fully clear fallen trees
• High level access using tracked cherry pickers (up to 18 metres/60 feet vertically) if trees have fallen on buildings/roofs etc.
• Chipping and removal of tree debris (we are also licensed waste carriers with Natural Resources Wales/Environment Agency)
• Liaison with utility companies on a 24/7 basis (particularly BT Openreach and Western Power Distribution) if electric or telecom lines are affected.
• Liaison with the local planning authorities if the damaged trees are within conservation areas or are protected by Tree Preservation Orders
• Liaison with insurance company loss adjusters to gain approval of remedial works after any emergency phase.

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During the nesting season, all birds living in a tree are protected. No work can be carried out that would disturb the avian population. Luckily, evidence of birds is easy to spot, so not much special training is needed to assess the risk. However, if in doubt it is always safer to ask a qualified arborist to make sure you stay on the right side of the conservation laws.

Bats are protected during roost and hibernation. Signs of bats are a bit less obvious than birds, so if there is any suspicion of a roost in your tree, please check with us before taking any action.

Brooke Sstated Management follows the best practice guidelines as adopted by many local authorities:
Timing of works

• To reduce the chance of disturbing a bat roost, it is important to avoid the summer (breeding season) and winter (hibernation) months.
• Works to trees with potential for bats is best done from late August to early
• October when young bats are mobile and on the wing, female bats are
• unlikely to be pregnant and the hibernation season has not yet begun.
• March to April is also a suitable time, though consideration should also be
• given for nesting birds as these are also protected by law.
• Crown pruning and minor tree works can also be completed over the winter
• months. The removal of potential roost sites during this time should be
• avoided, as some bat species hibernate in trees.

• Keep tree work to a minimum retaining all potential roosts where possible.
• A precautionary inspection of the tree(s) by the tree work contractor looking for signs of bats should be carried out before starting work. This should include an inspection of all holes and niches using a torch and preferably an endoscope. If bats or signs of bats are found, no work should start and English Nature should be contacted for further advice.
• Where possible, avoid cross cutting in proximity to cavities or hollows.
• Limbs with internal fissures should be pruned carefully to maintain integrity of features as potential roost sites.
• Any sections felled containing cavities should be lowered carefully and left on the ground (preferably for 24 hours) with the openings clear, allowing anything inside an opportunity to escape.
• Split limbs that are under tension may need to be wedged open to prevent their closure when pressure is released, potentially trapping bats

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Brooke Estate Management Ltd is pleased to announce that DEFRA has secured an Emergency authorisation of the banned herbicide Asulam, the proven herbicide of choice for the control of Bracken. However there is only a limited timeframe within which this can be used. Between now and the end of October 2013 Asulam may be used to control the growth and spread of Bracken which has been significant since the original ban of Asulam.

Brooke Estate Management Ltd is now taking orders from landowners and home owners alike for us to apply Aulam to your Bracken. Using either knapsack or ATV mounted spraying systems capable of treating in difficult terrain areas or field margins with a hand lance and 4 metre boom combination. The last date we can accept orders is 15th September 2013, as after this date no new supplies of Asulam will be sold.

Call or email us now to arrange your quotation and to secure your booking.

Brooke Estate Management Ltd can also work with you to control all other commonly encountered weed problems in the UK. We only use BASIS registered advisers to ensure we provide the best solution for your needs and the environment.

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As with all plants, the combination of the wet weather of recent times along with a nice warm month stimulates growth of your hedges and paddock grass too. To keep these looking just the way you would like them to, contact us for a quote by calling the number shown above or clicking on the header of any page. You can book regular maintenance on a contract visit, or arrange a one-off mowing and hedging visit to get things under control quickly and efficiently.

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