Would you class this as good tree surgery

[Mick Dempsey]

It's not so bad, it's a way of retaining a tree that would otherwise be removed if "the rules" were rigorously adhered to.

 

 

Rot pockets, fungi, it's all (mostly) good.

[Will Heal]

It's not so bad, it's a way of retaining a tree that would otherwise be removed if "the rules" were rigorously adhered to.

 

 

Rot pockets, fungi, it's all (mostly) good.

 

 

What mick says.

Simply put, half a tree is better than no tree.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

[MattyF]

Good point Gary , really can't be arsed either .... it's just a massive shame LA's don't have the money to prosecute people who do this to protected trees with out permission or are big organisations like the arb association don't In my view do enough to make changes or help prosecute.

[jomoco]

I used to look down my nose at fellow arbs toppin n pollardin trees indiscriminately too.

 

Unti I read a UK study confirming that estate plane trees pollarded their whole life, actually lived longer lives than their unpollarded brethren in the wild.

 

That many commercially maintained trees are maintained within bucket reach as a cost saving economic expediency, sustainable on a 2-3 year cycle.

 

Jomoco

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

Saw this "bottomed" earlier....

 

A new fad perhaps?

 

[Thesnarlingbadger]

I have recently been asked to give a beech a lovely 60% reduction :-/. I advised to fell and replant and that I would even come and do the planting for free as I just couldn't bear to do what was being asked of me, there was no way the guy was going to except my 30% reduction idea because "if I'm paying money I want to see a bloody difference". Put in my price and stressed that taking it down and replanting would be my preferred option and it wouldn't cost any more (as I'll take the hit for the firewood). Phoned up to check if it's in conservation and it's not. Just waiting to here back from the customer :-/.

[Root and branch sw]

If you give the customer the above points usually they don't want it doing .. cutting below pollard knuckles not even attempting to hit pruning targets is just lazy and short sited and in my opinion if your selling your self as an arborist or tree care specialist you are a con man if you don't tell the customer the above points I tried to make ... but as rosy says we don't know the story of the above tree but that is my general feeling about most the hat rack pruning you see.

 

We have the same problems down here, young lads coming into the trade with lots of money backing them claiming there a Arborist, I'm sorry no, chainsaw ticket , climbing tickets don't make you a arborist, there is alot more to it. Please please make this trade better regulated.

[Stubby]

Saw this "bottomed" earlier....

 

A new fad perhaps?

 

[ATTACH]216032[/ATTACH]

 

Crown lifted to 6 meters ?

[Arctostaphylos uva-ursi]

What sort of tree is it? Can't tell for sure.

 

Looks kind of Eucalyptusy to me.

Interesting branching habit may be suggestive that the tree had been topped previously when it was much smaller?

 

I would be interested to know how many of the learned tree surgeons on this forum would go about restoring a lapsed pollard. After all isn't this just topping by another name?

[Gary Prentice]

Damn I said I was done with this thread.

 

I'd look to the works, over twenty or more years, that were published on the lapsed beech pollards at, I think, Burnham beeches.

 

Is it a justifiable arguement, or just smoke and mirrors, to say that (true) pollards are longer lived or bringing lapsed (original) pollards back into management is all the same thing as topping?

 

Pollards are created, as a planned form of management intended for the the life of the tree for a particular purpose, begun when the tree is just taller than the height that the pollard heads are wanted. It's quite clear and included in BS3998.

 

Edit. Dealing with a lapsed pollard. Consider species, location, vitality and the trees regenerative abilities as a species. Then, prune back to beyond the boll/pollard head, considering stem diameter in the relation ship to the retained stem length.

 

Can (some) topped trees become pollarded trees- yes IMO but should they really be or should it be more the case that the right tree for the right place would be the better move?

Edited January 21, 2017 by Gary Prentice
The