Stress from drought can seriously impact trees and shrubs. Leaves will wilt and drop. Overall tree growth is reduced and trees are more likely to become infested by insect pests or disease. Ultimately, if the water lost from leaves or needles is not replenished, the plant will dry out and may die. Here are some recommendations to help prevent moisture stress and loss of plants when drought hits.

DICA has announced its move to a new headquarters and manufacturing facility in Urbandale, IA. This will double the company’s manufacturing capabilities for both standard and custom products.

“A consolidation from multiple facilities in rural Iowa to a large, single manufacturing and office space enables us to provide an even higher level of customer service,” said Kris Koberg, CEO, DICA.

Bobcat showcases an ingenious new way to operate a skid steer or compact track loader with a smartphone through their MaxControl system. Now available with all R-Series models, contractors have an innovative, convenient way to operate these machines in their fleet, without breaking the bank.

Construction output in North America is forecast to grow 2.4% in 2022 and is expected to reach US$1.94 trillion, up from US$1.89 trillion in 2021, according to a report from GlobalData.

In this four-part series, Utility Pros will summarize and share four Tech Tips produced by our Product Support Team. Tech Tips cover the most common questions our Terex Services Team receives regarding repairs and replacements and is meant to provide service personnel with information to make their jobs easier. In this series, we cover tips related to maintaining insulated booms, including:

• Damage classification and measurement,

• Correctly taking photos of the damage,

• Performing maintenance on the caulking or sealant at the fiberglass to steel joint, and

Few can argue the convenience of the growing “on-demand” economy, where you get what you need, where and when you need it. It’s usually for things like a ride, or groceries and take-out, but now you can order a commercial drone just like you order a pizza.

New guidance from the ICSA aims to raise safety standards.

ICSA - the International Crane Stakeholders Assembly - has published two new detailed, free guidance documents on the use of mobile cranes. The first - ICSA 005 - is the long-awaited report on the use of mobile cranes on barges. Work on this started in the wake of a crane accident in Alphen aan den Rijn in 2015 and the subsequent accident report from the Dutch Safety Board. In the accident, two cranes and part of a prefabricated bridge fell on several buildings.

In response to local demand, high school students in Georgia now have access to training on heavy equipment operation.

The State Board of Education approved the new courses recommended by State School Superintendent Richard Woods in December. Students began coursework during the spring semester and will begin the new school year with the second course for the career pathway.

Manitowoc continues its expansion and investment in support services with the launch of CONNECT, a new digital platform that will launch at bauma 2022. It enables remote monitoring through an app-based system that gives owners and operators the ability to view real-time crane information, receive alerts, exchange data, and more with further functionality to be added in the future.

An incremental bridge launching approach was used by Kentucky, USA-based contractor Bush and Burchett to build the Pond Creek Bridge on US460 in Pike County, Kentucky. It is now the tallest bridge in the state and one of the tallest traffic bridges in the country. The bridge has a height of 324 feet and the job site’s rugged terrain created multiple challenges for the construction project.

To propel Intel’s global manufacturing buildout — the biggest investments in company history — Intel has brought to Arizona what its maker calls the world’s most powerful conventional crawler crane. Think 3,000 tons of lifting capacity — the weight of about 428 large adult male elephants. Think a maximum hoisting height of 774 feet — more than twice the height of New York’s Statue of Liberty.

UK-based crane service company Crowland Cranes has completed and handed over a fully restored six tonne Hydrocon Highlander mobile lattice boom crane due to be presented to John Sutch of John Sutch Crane Hire in Liverpool on his 70th birthday. Because John was delayed in Europe on his birthday the crane was presented on Father's Day a few days later.

If you’re hungry about scaling your tree service business – bidding on and winning more contracts, taking on more work, eliminating the challenge of finding skilled, competent workers, and feeling assured your team has the capabilities and resources to complete any job on time and efficiently – then you’re in the right place.

Liebherr has confirmed that it will have a prototype of its first hydraulic luffing jib tower crane - the 195 HC-LH 6/12 - at Bauma in October.
While the German manufacturer will be one of the last major tower crane companies to launch such a machine, it promises to bring new ideas to the market.

Although CCO candidates began taking exams utilizing computers nearly 15 years ago, CCO is excited to announce its technology initiative to move all written exams to the computer. This initiative not only uses the latest and greatest testing and security technology, but it has several key benefits for candidates and employers, the company said.

As a safety coordinator, one of the most disturbing things I saw in 2021 was a video of an employee who was looking down at their phone while walking, slipped off a curb, and ended up being hit by a vehicle. Thankfully, that employee has fully recovered and returned to work, but this incident was a stark reminder of the ongoing pattern of distracted walking that needs attention.

Proper cribbing and blocking helps operators set up cranes or other equipment safely on a variety of ground surfaces. Blocking provides a foundation for heavy loads such as outriggers. Cribbing is used to support the outriggers at greater height than blocking can provide.

The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (CCO) has launched a new certification program for operators of concrete pumps.

CCO developed this certification in response to numerous requests from industry so that users can garner the same increased safety benefits that users of other load handling equipment have seen through certification.

We are starting to see more and more synthetic grass being installed in front yards and parkways as an effort to reduce lawns and the attendant water consumption. But synthetic grass or turf can be very harmful to trees if it is installed too close to the tree trunk, blocking the flow of water and oxygen to the root system of the tree, explained arborist Nick Mook.

All terrain cranes are mobile, agile and a rental fleet rock star.

The all-terrain crane product line showed up in North America about 30 years ago. But they were not an overnight sensation. It took almost a decade for these cranes to catch on across the continent.