Deadwooding

TC3

Headache !
Joined
Aug 12, 2006
Messages
1,504
Location
Michigan
Aesthetics, yes.
Safety, all for it.
Why is deadwooding important ?
What I tell my customers (and I may be dead wrong) is that trees use energy to expel deadwood & getting rid of it ahead of a natural schedule can save precious resources.
???
 
Over 1.25-2", can be a hazard if there's targets, larger deadwood serves as a food source for the pathogens trying to spread into the sound wood.

Under 1.25-2", not a big deal, mainly for asthetics.
 
Deadwood.... It's a product of the tree eliminating current unneeded stems along the path to maturity. As a rule the unneeded stems die out as a result of shading by the progressive upper canopy. The results of which we all know as deadwood.

How many people here can predict what stems (limbs) a tree will shed along its path to maturity? Which lead, or leads, will progress to be dominate in the mature form?

Whether trimming a single tree or thinning a forest stand one can preempt the process if they know.
 
Over 1.25-2", can be a hazard if there's targets, larger deadwood serves as a food source for the pathogens trying to spread into the sound wood.

Under 1.25-2", not a big deal, mainly for asthetics.

I'll tell you what. :/: I'll drop a 2" limb on your noggin from 50 feet up and you let me know if it's a big deal or not. OK? :P I agree that it would be aesthetically unpleasant for you. :D
 
When I prune a tree, my SOP is deadwood 1/2 inch or bigger is removed and even 1/4 inch stuff if there is a lot of it. Trees look so much better with no deadwood in it. My "rough" pruning standard is 1 inch or bigger.
 
Removing deadwood also allows the tree compartmentalize more rapidly.
 
I end up removing some or all dead wood depending on the tree or the customer. I've always wondered if it was really good for the tree.

Has anyone read that conifer stubs are a part of a branch protection theme? I may have misinterperated something I read somewhere...
 
I'll tell you what. :/: I'll drop a 2" limb on your noggin from 50 feet up and you let me know if it's a big deal or not. OK? :P I agree that it would be aesthetically unpleasant for you. :D

There's always exceptions. Around here, for a tree sitting in the yard it's a fine standard. For a tree in a school's playground, of course I'd go smaller.

Over 2", with the trees we have around here, is getting to the point where it will keep the wound open long enough that it can cause substantial rot, especially in water oaks.
 
Reading all this makes me wonder how these poor trees ever got along w/o us. Deadwooding a tree is usually for safety or asthetics. I don't believe it's necessary for the tree's health - for the most part.
 
If you have somebody that hates skwerls, use that to sell a thorough deadwooding job. I cleaned out my big oak tree in my back yard 7-8 years ago and the skwerls have never made nests in it. They just run through it on their way homes in my neighbor's back yard.
 
Trees are tough. They'll continue to survive, in spite of our best efforts to preserve them. :roll:
 
i dont think a tree uses energy shedding deadwood. maybe the wound wood sealing it over takes more energy
 
There is a push in the UK now to retain deadwood where it does not present a hazard or is deseased. This is for ecological reasons primarily & as our tree cover is pathetically small every little helps.

Here is an section fron the draught of the update for the British Standard for treework. I will email the pdf to anyone as i can't upload it onto the forum



9.4 Deadwood management
COMMENTARY ON 9.4
The risk posed by dead branches depends on the location (e.g. whether the deadwood overhangs a
“target” that cannot be readily moved, such as a highway) and the wood properties of the species
concerned, the size of the deadwood (e.g. whether > 50 mm diameter). The dieback and shedding of
branches are, however, natural processes within the development and aging of trees and provide
essential habitats or places of shelter (i.e. decaying wood and cavities) for many species of fauna and
flora.
Dead branches should be shortened or if necessary removed if they pose an
unacceptable risk to people or property and if other options (e.g. diverting a footpath)
are not practicable. The unnecessary loss of deadwood habitats should be avoided
when making specifications for crown management, particularly if legally protected
species (e.g. bats and many birds) are using the tree. Thus, in the absence of any
significant risk to people or property, deadwood should not be removed.
NOTE 1 The hardened dead branches of several species of tree e.g. pedunculate and sessile oak,
sweet chestnut and yew, can often be retained without unacceptable risk to people and property; such
branches do not need to be removed where any risk associated with this deadwood is judged (by a risk
assessment) to be at an acceptable level.
NOTE 2 If branches have died due to disease or to a pest infestation, their removal might be
justifiable for sanitation in certain circumstances. There are, however, very few harmful organisms
that can survive for long on dead branches and so the sanitation pruning of such branches is generally
not appropriate except on specialist advice. On the other hand, the “sanitation pruning” of living
branches is an accepted means of controlling various diseases, such as Nectria canker.
If it is appropriate to cut any dead branches (see Table 1), this should be done so as to
avoid injury to living bark or sapwood, which could lead to the development of
further dysfunction and colonization by decay fungi or pathogens (see Annex E).
 
Reading all this makes me wonder how these poor trees ever got along w/o us. Deadwooding a tree is usually for safety or asthetics. I don't believe it's necessary for the tree's health - for the most part.

That's my opinion also. Or am I just being a zombie?
 
I've always wondered about rapid spread of decay through wall one.

I do a job deadwooding an old japanese maple every year. Last year a large (10-12") codominant
stem died. It seemed like a bad idea to make a big cut so close to the trunk. There's no way it's going to callus over anyway, so I cut the soft stuff at the end and since theres no target, left the rest, about 8' of solid stub. There's a large wound on the trunk that a landscaper made 3-5 yrs. ago, It's not callusing quickly at all, there are many surface cracks and decay is setting in rapidly...right into the trunk.

What do ya'll think? It looks like cutting it may make more problems. I'll probably leave it but is there a good reason to cut it?
 
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