Bending conifer trees

[niioll]

Hi! 

 

I have a plot of conifers (diameter max 200mm, height 12-15m). They are very flexible and bends with the wind quite a lot and I want to do an experiment where I bend two trunks towards one another (probably at least 3.5m apart) to create an A-frame. Am I right to say that the trees will survive if I don't bend them beyond the horizontal? ie, the roots will adapt to the new loading and the canopy will grow towards the sunlight? I could do it incrementally too - tightening the bending every year or so?

I'm uploaded a sketch, please see what I mean. I'm really curious. I see many "arbosculptors" grafting, bending and pruning to shape trees, but not specifically on conifers. 

 

Thank you for your advice!

 

Best Regards,

Nicole

[Steve Bullman]

They'll be fine. What conifers are you planning on using?

[niioll]

They are Norway Spruce. I will test on the thinner ones.

 

What would you consider the condition of this woods and recommendation for this woodlands with the objective of promoting the natural regeneration of vegetation from the soil?

 

[Guest Gimlet]

How will you get them to fuse? Presumably they won't stay in that position unless tied or fused. 

[monkeybusiness]

5 hours ago, niioll said:

They are Norway Spruce. I will test on the thinner ones.

 

What would you consider the condition of this woods and recommendation for this woodlands with the objective of promoting the natural regeneration of vegetation from the soil?

 

Drastically thin it out to get light down to the woodland floor - leave the edge trees in place to shelter the inner trees from windblow. You need to remove 50% of those trees minimum - that’s a monoculture cash-crop that is grown to force tree growth and kill off any competitive understory.

Thevillageidiot and Bigj are the people to input here imo, this is right up their slightly varied streets! 

[Guest]

I would have thought this needed to be done when the trees were a lot younger to get them to retain the shape you're after. At that size, surely they'd have to be ratchet strapped together and then bound with a strong rope to hold together, and I don't think they'd start to fuse naturally.

[Stere]

 

[Stere]

David Nash ash dome thingybob^

Edited March 2, 2020 by Stere

[Rough Hewn]

This was on a job recently.
Completely fused.
Very glad to just have trimmed it and left it.

[emoji106]

[niioll]

From my research, conifers can't inosculate/fuse together, only some broadleaf species. I guess it would just be fixing/tying them together. Unless someone has an example that would prove it wrong!