Deodar thinning, are we getting it wrong?

[Ty Korrigan]

On 30/01/2025 at 08:25, MattyF said:

Gotta be honest I don’t thin my climbing routes for all the reasons why I don’t agree with thinning. 
French and any one else can crack on but that’s not what I’m telling my clients to do to trees unless they specifically want it, after watching the trees my self and father have worked on ,that’s 40+ years of being able to see results of thinning and different types of pruning and seeing how they react has drawn me to that conclusion.

That is a very nice reduction, just over thinned in my view. 

 

If you visit French forums and post an every day reduction done by British tree surgeon you will read 'waily waily waily' never touch the apical dominance, only thin.

They even have a specific word for it 'Tawa' 

I asked where does this word come from, even they don't know.

Post a European street pollard in an American group and buckle up your flak jacket as the comments fly.

Mark Bolam has it, money.

When those with disposable income want to throw their excess cash at hairdressing a tree then that's fine by me.

Some of the easiest and most profitable days I've had has been watching a climber thin a tree whilst I gather the sticks like a rich peasant.

Why, I may even get to repeat the task in a couple of years if I create (sell) a pleasant enough experience for the client.

Much of my pruning is to 'solve' in part an issue a client or neighbour has with a tree. Not to make it prettier, better or improved it in any way.

Most of the time, we get called to reduce a tree that really should have been reduced long ago so end up creating something less that desirable all because a new neighbour hates leaves...

Weekly I polish turds created by owners, landscapers, builders and members of the twin axle caravan club of Europe.

Deadwood too.

Why? Unless it is large enough to break a parked cars windscreen or represent a serious hazard greater than the effort required to rake it up.

Insects live in deadwood, birds feed on insects, tree surgeons then remove a niche food source.

 Right, now I'm off out to quote for the communes trees, mostly this 'ultra deadly' deadwood in public spaces.

      Stuart

 

 

 

 

[MattyF]

I can imagine Stuart , used to frequent the American forums before at arb talk and that was there view too.

i think dan Maynards last post proves the point im trying to make.

[Mark Bolam]

Spot on Stu, excellent post.

[Ty Korrigan]

On 31/01/2025 at 12:33, Dan Maynard said:

This is from Florida which is where Ed Gilman taught, it shows not much difference after even the first year on this tree.

 

To be honest, in my geographic zone with the species I habitually work with, I've never experienced such regrowth.

Oaks, typically 4/5 years before a revisit is required.

 

[MattyF]

Two climbers in one tree, as you talked about earlier most will thin their climbing route , come back in 3- 5 years and you will see massive reactive growth poking out of the areas that have been thinned a lot more than the areas that have not.

This is a birch I reduced in 2014 , not thinned at the time but there is minimum reactive growth ,10 years worth of regrowth at a max of 3ft maybe 1ft in areas that had not been hit harder.. I know if it had been thinned there would have been a lot stronger regrowth and epicormic now dominating its current shape. 
I actually talked him out of rereducing it now and retaining its dead wood for his garden birds… and only reducing the one he wanted doing on the end… I’ll come back in another ten years and give you an update 😂