TPO Oak Tree Is it Healthy?

[openspaceman]

I'll kick off; retrenchment happens when a mature oak tree can no longer support a full crown due to some outside influence.

 

It allows major scaffold branches to die back from the tips  whilst it supports new growth lower down, forming a secondary crown from adventitious buds and epicormic growth. The tree becomes stag headed. We often see this in pasture where cattle or horses have poached the root area.

 

The central roots of large veteran trees will often die because the soil has become anaerobic by them, this is the start of hollowing as mostly saprophytic fungi eat out the inert heartwood over many years.

 

I assume retrenchment pruning is where the dead branches are cut off, which probably involves cutting into some live sapwood as appears to have happened in this case, as some shoots have sprouted from by the cut branches. They appear to be live, I presume they did not retain leaves that died in the summer, so it will be interesting to see how they flush this spring.

 

The change in soil levels and hydrology may well have started the die-back.

 

The tree has a reduced sail area and a functioning root system so I see no reason to be especially concerned from the information given and shown.

 

I take it that if the tree dies naturally the TPO becomes void? and no replant condition?

[AHPP]

You didn’t have time to write a short explanation so you wrote a long one. Anyone think they can do it in 10% of the words?

[openspaceman]

45 minutes ago, AHPP said:

You didn’t have time to write a short explanation so you wrote a long one. Anyone think they can do it in 10% of the words?

You are the one with the higher education, precis it.

[CharlieOak]

1 hour ago, openspaceman said:

I'll kick off; retrenchment happens when a mature oak tree can no longer support a full crown due to some outside influence.

 

It allows major scaffold branches to die back from the tips  whilst it supports new growth lower down, forming a secondary crown from adventitious buds and epicormic growth. The tree becomes stag headed. We often see this in pasture where cattle or horses have poached the root area.

 

The central roots of large veteran trees will often die because the soil has become anaerobic by them, this is the start of hollowing as mostly saprophytic fungi eat out the inert heartwood over many years.

 

I assume retrenchment pruning is where the dead branches are cut off, which probably involves cutting into some live sapwood as appears to have happened in this case, as some shoots have sprouted from by the cut branches. They appear to be live, I presume they did not retain leaves that died in the summer, so it will be interesting to see how they flush this spring.

 

The change in soil levels and hydrology may well have started the die-back.

 

The tree has a reduced sail area and a functioning root system so I see no reason to be especially concerned from the information given and shown.

 

I take it that if the tree dies naturally the TPO becomes void? and no replant condition?

Thank you for your post, it was extremely helpful. 

[peds]

4 hours ago, Mick Dempsey said:

I baulk a bit at describing homeowners as clueless, usually better educated than me.

 

If I had to explain it, I’d use exactly the same language as I would use on here.

Or is that your question?

 

To your second point, yes. That was mostly the question, but there is also a subtlety involved that I think would be hard to explain to someone who doesn't speak tree. If you were to draw a napkin diagram of the two procedures, it'd be fairly hard for a lot of people to distinguish between the two.

 

To your first point, I obviously meant specifically with regards to tree work, not their general education. Otherwise they'd probably just do it themselves...

[CharlieOak]

On 25/02/2025 at 18:40, AHPP said:

More photos and/or sketch map to show surroundings please. Would also be interested to see the work spec approved for the prune. It’ll be on the planning portal for your council. Search by your address. 

Planning portal just states approval given to reduce tree to 14m. 

[peds]

2 hours ago, Retired Climber said:

If you can't explain something in simple terms, there's a fairly high chance you don't understand it yourself. 

 

Oh no, they're on to me! 👀

[sime42]

1 hour ago, AHPP said:

You didn’t have time to write a short explanation so you wrote a long one. Anyone think they can do it in 10% of the words?

 

Regenerative pruning for trees. Removed dead, dying, or diseased branches. 10 words, even better than 10%.

 

 

 

[Mick Dempsey]

1 hour ago, peds said:

 

To your second point, yes. That was mostly the question, but there is also a subtlety involved that I think would be hard to explain to someone who doesn't speak tree. If you were to draw a napkin diagram of the two procedures, it'd be fairly hard for a lot of people to distinguish between the two.

 

To your first point, I obviously meant specifically with regards to tree work, not their general education. Otherwise they'd probably just do it themselves...

Well it’s like a lot of things in tree work, I think Semantics is the word.

You can describe topping a lime tree in many ways.

Reduction.

Round over.

Topping.

Or the first stage of a belated (though still viable) pollard cycle leading to periodic reassessment and cyclical re-implementation.

 

As Mark says, the difference is usually the price.

 

 

Edited February 27 by Mick Dempsey

[AHPP]

1 hour ago, openspaceman said:

You are the one with the higher education, precis it.

As it happens, I am pretty good at that. Will do later.