Can Beech be hedgelayed?

[Duncan.]

I've been asked to lay a 70 yard long Beech hedge.

I'm not sure whether Beech lays very well and especially as a lot of these trees are 5-6 inches in diameter.

My thinking is they will most likely break before they are laid over properly.

So my question is has anyone had any experience with Beech and how did it go?

 

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Duncan

[green heart]

 

Yes, Beech hedge lays (and typically responds) fairly well; though you will need to take great care at this size, unless you can find someone with previous experience of this type of situation to guide you , at least initially...

You will likely find it considerably slower than your previous hedge laying work-rate.

I'm assuming you have had some hedge laying training, experience and are a reasonably competent chainsaw operator -and climber ?

Also, is it possible you can practice on another similar sized section of hedge, else where -it tends to look really obvious, if someone's 'getting their eye in' so to speak..

 

[Duncan.]

Thanks for the response. No I have minimal experience with hedge laying my main work is tree surgery.

It's actually my Dad who has been asked to do the hedge and he asked me to give him a hand as he's getting on a bit now to do it all himself. He's had plenty of experience over the years but probably not to the standard of the professional guys as there isn't as much demand for it now round here and when he did the most of it was probably 50 years ago! So he queried with me as to whether Beech and of that size would work well so thought I'd ask on here as he's not on computers. 

Thanks again

[Gary Prentice]

12 hours ago, green heart said:

 

Yes, Beech hedge lays (and typically responds) fairly well; though you will need to take great care at this size, unless you can find someone with previous experience of this type of situation to guide you , at least initially...

You will likely find it considerably slower than your previous hedge laying work-rate.

I'm assuming you have had some hedge laying training, experience and are a reasonably competent chainsaw operator -and climber ?

Also, is it possible you can practice on another similar sized section of hedge, else where -it tends to look really obvious, if someone's 'getting their eye in' so to speak..

 

Have you any photos? 

 

Never seen beech laid and quite surprised that it can be.

[Woodworks]

6" beech should lay beautifully. Lots of the our Devon banks have beech and it responds well to laying as long as it's not too big an by big I mean 10" plus!

[Gary Prentice]

1 hour ago, Woodworks said:

6" beech should lay beautifully. Lots of the our Devon banks have beech and it responds well to laying as long as it's not too big an by big I mean 10" plus!

Every day's a school day

[Stere]

This is interesting regional beech hegde style in germany not laying though

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monschau_Hedge_Land

 

 

Quote

Field hedges instead of fences or barbed wire to protect fields from damage from nearby grazing cattle are widespread across the whole of the Monschau Land. They are typically made from beech. At regular intervals individual stems are allowed to stand, that grow into large trees. As well as their protective enclosure function they act as windbreaks. By reducing the wind speed, soil erosion is minimised and the fields protected from drying out. The hedges also provide habitats for rodents and resting sites for migrating birds. The wood of the pleached trees is still widely used today for firewood.

 

http://www.euregio-im-bild.de/wandern-entdecken/eifel-1/fotostrecken/flurhecken-im-monschauer-heckenland.html?page=3

 

Got any pics of large diameter beech layed it doesn't grow in hedges here.

 

Had a struggle trying to lay with  some larger diameter hawthorn seeemed to snap easy/ be brittle but im not very skilled @  hegde laying.

[woody paul]

If they are cut with flail what a job with all them stems. 

[woody paul]

The height maybe your biggest problem if can't support them above balance they will split off, long handled fork to support top and lower gently. 

[Duncan.]

Don't think the height will be too much of an issue there about 15ft could support them on the way down. I will take some picks and stick them on here.