Root zone amelioration

[David Humphries]

Brilliant Monkey-D! So you decided for different method then.. no radial trenching or have I missed something? I still think you should move that leftbehind sewer pipe..

 

Will follow this one close...great pics! Will use them to promote the idea to my boss, might persuade her to allow me to go ahead with my oak.

 

Work in progress Tobias.

Learning curve here, will lead to a proscription toward future decompaction works.

 

Think I like your piece of art a little more than our hunk of concrete.

 

Dave, any idea why such intense compaction had occurred from human traffic?

 

Had Josh been meeting some of his young ladies there?

 

Don't think even Josh knows "that many young ladies" Mark

 

Our site has in excess of 7 million visits a year.

That's a lot of urban footfall.

Compaction is a big problem for us.

Hampstead's pretty much a big hill, and when we get flash floods it just skids over the surface straight in to & over running the water courses.

 

This is not good for the Trees, & not particularly nice for the poor souls who live off site at the bottom of the hill.

 

 

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[David Humphries]

Im curious as to the reasoning behind the large woodchip addition rather than say humus which would last longer, and maybe a little perlite to increase longer term airation and resitance to further compaction. That or pumis/tufa.

 

If I'm honest, I have no experience of perlite or pumus as an additive.

 

The composted wood chip is possibly smaller agrigate than it looks on that Dumper.

 

 

In terms of future compaction, we have plans to deck over the entire plate on constructing a raft & pile decking.

 

You'd be amazed at how many people walk up to this Gazeebo & climb on top of it.

 

 

We reduced this tree earlier in the year, as the perifery of the canopy was showing signs of shutting down.

 

 

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Edited October 19, 2010 by Monkey-D

[Paul Barton]

Nice sensitive reduction there. Were you not tempted to wait until the summer to do it? I don't know if you have the luxury of being able to time your tree pruning works?

[elicokiz]

Hello Dave,

this is in part of the North London Open Spaces (Hampstead Heath division) for the City of London.

 

Golders Hill Park, which just so happens to be where me yard is

 

Locals are loving seeing the process, although it's just a Chesi, it holds memories for a lot of the older public here who grew up watching this Tree grow.

 

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love the sentiment:thumbup:...the work you are doing also gives the public such a positive attitude towards arborists. so many of the folk I teach have to be converted to think about the conservation of trees as apposed to the quick fix off "fellin the bugger". most dont realise (initially) that constant management also puts a roof over their heads?..sorry i'm being cheeky:sneaky2:but would it be possible for me to use your photographs to illustrate this technique to my learners?

regards

Dave:thumbup1:

[Giles Hill]

Im curious as to the reasoning behind the large woodchip addition rather than say humus which would last longer, and maybe a little perlite to increase longer term airation and resitance to further compaction. That or pumis/tufa.

 

Woodchip probably has the advantage of being free and readily available.

 

Also I think it would probably be more resistant erosion from foot traffic and wind - it looks an exposed site.

 

And it can be topped up easily, as you would play surfaces, without the need for buying in and mixing materials, this would make it a very simple task meaning it can be a more routine operation.

[arb culture]

Nice series of pictures, thanks for sharing.

 

Just wondered what type of soil you've got.

 

I've been lead to believe that airspades aren't so good on very heavy clay soil, but I'm hoping to be proved wrong.

[Treegeek]

Love seeing this kind of thing going on. i have been losing intrest recently as i now work for a highways contractor and the work is quite often heavy handed and brutaul seeing this helps to rekindle the flame keep up the good work and respect to your client for instructing this level of management.

[john dawson]

As punch once said........"Thats the way to do it!!"

[David Humphries]

Nice sensitive reduction there. Were you not tempted to wait until the summer to do it? I don't know if you have the luxury of being able to time your tree pruning works?

 

 

Paul, we do have the luxury to time works dependent on prioritising the works around safety/highway/veterans.

 

This really only started as a dead wooding above a fairly busy pedestrian site.

I then took the oportunity at that point to set the reduction.

As we may not of had a later oportunity.

 

 

 

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[Paul Barton]

Cool. As others have said, very nice job Mr Monkey.