Topping Harms Trees

[stig]

Guy,it is somewhat species related.
Being European, I don't know shit about Pecans, but you could do the purple cuts on a linden and not get any significant rot.
Probably on a platanus as well.

 

[treelooker]

stig, many species might have a chance to close those wounds, but who wants to bet on that happening?

re linden, I think you mean any visible rot. and I've seen <12" platanus cuts rot out, and others where lower stem decay seemed related to topping.

And what about root starvation? There's a lot we don't see.

Question is, why settle for purple when you can reach higher? O I forgot, real men don't use poles. Ooo there's apunch line there, but i don't want to get punched back!

 

[Mick!]

Guy, no need for argue is my point as well, pleasant enough discussion is cool. There are some major differences in the cultures though, French food will give you the gout, Jap cuisine won't, and how often is it that the French bathe...

All that prose looking for the perfect profound sound bite, then this.

 

[Mick!]

stig, many species might have a chance to close those wounds, but who wants to bet on that happening?

re linden, I think you mean any visible rot. and I've seen <12" platanus cuts rot out, and others where lower stem decay seemed related to topping.


And what about root starvation? There's a lot we don't see.

Question is, why settle for purple when you can reach higher? O I forgot, real men don't use poles. Ooo there's apunch line there, but i don't want to get punched back!

Why settle for purple? Because, for a myriad of reasons that is what the client wants, and if there is a rot pocket in a number of years so what? Fell the tree, cut lower or just re pollard. As it stands the tree, for whatever reason, cannot remain at that size where it is.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Cool dog!!!

 

[treelooker]

As it stands the tree, for whatever reason, cannot remain at that size where it is.

"So what, fell the tree"????? This works for vegetation management, but in arboriculture we are paid to grow the asset. It wouldn't be good business to just hack our way to a short-term end of a perceived problem, and kill the asset.

"...for a myriad of reasons that is what the client wants" then the arborist who can reach beyond the purple can deliver a myriad of reasons why the cuts can be red or orange, retain the asset, and still meet their goals. If the boss sez shut up and do it, then there's a decision to be made.

 

[Thor's Hammer]

Ticking time bomb LOL

 

[Jomo]

Yeah, generally exploding within 1-7 years depending on species.

Caffra coral forcefed nitrogen from a surrounding lawn? One year in some cases and they must be topped again.

Eucs vary, but within 3-5 years before the secondary growth lets go.

The point I'm makin here is yet another foregone fact, that primary growth is stronger and better attached than any tertiary growth is in the vast majority of tree species.

There's a dang good reason forestry firms don't top their planted forest replacement trees yu kno.

Jomo

 

[treelooker]

Whenever we hear something described as "yet another foregone fact", we know there's some wild and wholly undefendable opinion gonna be pulled outta someone's asp.

"that primary growth is stronger and better attached than any tertiary growth is in the vast majority of tree species."

See what I mean? And what does forestry have to do with tree care?

"There's a dang good reason forestry firms don't top their planted forest replacement trees yu kno."

Yer durn tootin thar, Podner! They grow em big and fast to harvest then replant, bing bang boom.

ok, dr. heuch, the next pearl?

 

[Jomo]

I hear the faint bemoaning of the sting of truth as it finds its mark!

Talk to me oh wise one.

Jomo

 

[treelooker]

re your tertiary growth claim, see the last pic here:

 

[Jomo]

You're killin me Guy!

A storm damaged structurally compromised branch/tree instance of topping is hardly the same as maliciously topping un structurally compromised primary growth that's unflawed!

The straws you're grasping ain't well attached mate, be careful.

Jomo

 

[Pelorus]

"that primary growth is stronger and better attached than any tertiary growth is in the vast majority of tree species."

Doesn't that tertiary ( post topping / reduction) growth tend to be greatly accelerated, to the point of being "unbalanced" in terms of it's growth or mass vs it's attachment strength? Over time, I guess a balance or equilibrium can result, (last pic in attachment Guy provided).

 

[Jomo]

All I can say's it's a good thang the bulk of TL's readers ain't Housers!

You're killin me oh wise one!

Jomo

 

[Jomo]

All's I'm sayin's once you start toppin?

The safest most responsible advice you can give an arboreally uneducated client is to keep toppin on a regular basis, or else?

Jomo

 

[treelooker]

All I can say's it's a good thang the bulk of TL's readers ain't Housers!

Sheesh. I hung my asp on a 10-year old sprout; not out of daring, but ignorance. Pel yeah i guess that equilibrium got reached, or I would have sat on the ground after the first bounce test. Ouch.

Jomo cmon whatcha got? And who is TL anyways??

 

[stig]

Maybe we should start a thread as a special place where you two can sit and hit each other over the head.
We can probably find a quiet corner for it somewhere.

 

[Jomo]

Well, at least we're on topic!

If primary growth isn't structurally stronger than tertiary growth?

Then why is it so preferable to loggers n wood mills?

Guy can promote tying into tertiary growth all he wants, he's on a roll here.

I myself prefer keeping my primary lifeline in primary wood, even if it's below me by a fair margin.

Jomo

 

[stig]

I came across this spectacular pruning job on some birch trees, and thought I'd take a picture for y'all.
Notice how they show a professional touch by making the top cut slanted, so rainwater can run off and the tree won't rot.





And then the other side of the coin: 3 Linden outside a school for gardeners, lovingly maintained by gardening apprentices over the years.

 

[woodworkingboy]

You could get young Shaolin priests jumping from the top of one of those Birch trees to another.

 

[Thor's Hammer]

Here's a sycamore I did yesterday. Tree has a huge cavity at the base. It's scheduled to be felled in 5 years.

 

[squisher]

Than why bother doing that to it at this point? Good value for the customer?

 

[Thor's Hammer]

Retention of biodiversity value, client enjoys tree for another 5 years, time for replacements to grow. Cash in my pocket too.

 

[treelooker]

If it's scheduled to be felled for risk reasons, that's hard to understand, given how much load you just took off. whatever consultant specced that was not thinking about biomechanics. not thinking much at all imo.

5 years does not allow for replacement. How old is the maple, 50? 70? If it's getting felled for other reasons, ok.

stig, nice lindens! but the birch work should be a capital offense.

 

[brendonv]

I love those lindens, stig.

I want to get a tree here that i can pollard. Hide it in the back so i can enjoy it. I have a fascination with pollards for some reason.