Heavy reduction on beech tree

[Steve Bullman]

Today’s job, neighbours had a tree surgery company in and basically sided this Beech tree back to the boundary, right up to the tips.  Our job was to make the most of the tree we could by giving it a 5-6 meter reduction and balancing the sides best as possible.  Not sure if there was a better option, probably not.

 

 

Thanks to the previous tree surgeons who left me some lovely pegs to stand on, making my life that little bit easier.

 

 

Didn't come out too bad all things considered.

 

 

Front of the tree looks entirely different from the rest.

 

Would you have done anything different?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mark Bolam]

Good save in the circumstances.

What was Newton doing on your patch anyway?

[carlos]

what do you think about the size of some of those cuts? looks quiet chunky in terms of future decay? just asking as i have a heavy beech reduction coming up.

thanks carl.

[Steve Bullman]

10 minutes ago, carlos said:

what do you think about the size of some of those cuts? looks quiet chunky in terms of future decay? just asking as i have a heavy beech reduction coming up.

thanks carl.

Not ideal but in the circumstances it was probably necessary.  The largest cut was about 8" so not massive really.  As long as the tree is managed from this point on then I don't see a massive issue.  Its when they are let go and end up with long over extended regrowth that it becomes a problem

[Steve Bullman]

29 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

Good save in the circumstances.

What was Newton doing on your patch anyway?

Good question!  I will be having words.  He did say only yesterday that he has a customer miles away who pays him extra to make it worth travelling!

[Sequoia]

Good rescue Steve.  On many other trees those pegs would not cause a problem but as you know (otherwise you wouldn't have created this post) Beech will struggle to active dormant buds, so the likelihood is multiple dead pegs and future points of decay.

 

However, I watched a team doing something similar to the whole crown of a mature Beech in Midhurst a good 10-12 years ago and after struggling for 3-4 years, it now looks great. I had written it off, but it defied all I had been taught.

[Alex O]

Really good reduction Steve good save on a nice tree it still shocks me that in this day an age people get away with doing that to trees and get paid for it. I would of done exactly the same or walked away from the job if the customer wanted different

[WesD]

5 minutes ago, Alex O said:

Really good reduction Steve good save on a nice tree it still shocks me that in this day an age people get away with doing that to trees and get paid for it. I would of done exactly the same or walked away from the job if the customer wanted different

+1

[Steve Bullman]

19 minutes ago, Sequoia said:

Good rescue Steve.  On many other trees those pegs would not cause a problem but as you know (otherwise you wouldn't have created this post) Beech will struggle to active dormant buds, so the likelihood is multiple dead pegs and future points of decay.

 

However, I watched a team doing something similar to the whole crown of a mature Beech in Midhurst a good 10-12 years ago and after struggling for 3-4 years, it now looks great. I had written it off, but it defied all I had been taught.

over the course of 20 years I have carried out all sorts of work to all varieties of trees for various reasons, and seen the trees go on to thrive.  Its nice to do textbook tree work, but in a service industry its not always possible, and the results aren't all doom and gloom like some people would tell you.  Just my experience.

[Darrin Turnbull]

looking good , all done with a handsaw or chainsaw.