Thinning, rule of thumb

[johnty]

I've go to thin a beech in a week, and to be honnest I haven't thinned a tree in the 4 years I've been in business. People just don't seem to be intrested here in North Devon it's reductions or dismantals that's it.

Need some advice on the rule of thumb, done some research but just wondering what advice you guys and girls could give.

I could get a climber in but you don't learn by someone else doing it. :confused1:

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Thinning is not really a great practice, IMO

 

and without seeing the crown form it would be difficult to give you any advice.

[johnty]

Why not?

The Arb approved contracter assessment requires us to show two examples and we are struggling to give any examples.

[scottythepinetree]

Use a silky. Don't take off anything bigger than your thumb. Try to leave even gaps, and be gentle. Trees that are thinned too heavily are prone to branch failure. A photo of the tree would be help a lot.

 

And above all avoid lions tailing.

[cerneARB]

I have never done it , but the main climber at work tends to prune 1 in every 3 branches.

 

be intrested to hear Hama why you dont think much of it?

 

Apart from opening the canopy up to increased wind loading and decay wounds coalecsing and maybe branches supporting each other.

 

intresting.

[RobArb]

had to thin a large mature alder today by 40%!!!!!!!!

 

awesome stuff, not:thumbdown:

 

i'll put picks up when i find them on my phone

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I have never done it , but the main climber at work tends to prune 1 in every 3 branches.

 

be intrested to hear Hama why you dont think much of it?

 

Apart from opening the canopy up to increased wind loading and decay wounds coalecsing and maybe branches supporting each other.

 

intresting.

 

I have covered this a few times in the past, though some appear to have difficulty understanding exactly what im talking about!

 

I might try covering this in depth in my pruning thread but suffice to say it just isnt done properly in 90% or more of the cases, isnt really in keeping with natural growth or rather encourages the kind of growth you get in competition or phototropism and causes over long leverage's.

 

Thinned limbs tend to sway far more in resonance than maiden or reduced limbs, increasing the odds of mechanical stress.

 

But more importantly, trees naturaly have growth at various points not only on the outer perimeter but also 9in maturity) throughout the crown and on the lower stem. This growth produces carbs close to where the mechanical stresses are at their greatest. The tree needs the resources there to optimize and has a lot more difficulty doing so when the only source of carbs is at the outer limits of the canopy. This is basic tree physiology/morphology, thinning really does nothing for the tree, in fact it often is detrimental.

 

the ONLY reason for thinning IMO is to alleviate rapid excurrent growth ater a poor or hard reduction, where the long term frame work needs to be re established to set a perment scaffold structure for long term maintenance of size in say a tree that has been pruned heavely due to structural faults/decay, but can be viable in the long term with carefull managment.

 

to thin for light is toal BS, it doesnt have the same end result of more sky, just dappled as apposed to full shade, and is short lived.

[Mark Bolam]

I'm with the Hama on this one.

 

I really enjoy thinning, nice clamber round a tree with a Silky, and a pleasing effect at the end.

 

However, the practice is better for the arb than the tree! I wince slightly when I revisit some of my early thins.

 

Also, Beech favours a dense canopy, and doesn't seem to react well to too much sunlight getting through to the bark in the summer, so go easy!

[cerneARB]

I have covered this a few times in the past, though some appear to have difficulty understanding exactly what im talking about!

 

I might try covering this in depth in my pruning thread but suffice to say it just isnt done properly in 90% or more of the cases, isnt really in keeping with natural growth or rather encourages the kind of growth you get in competition or phototropism and causes over long leverage's.

 

Thinned limbs tend to sway far more in resonance than maiden or reduced limbs, increasing the odds of mechanical stress.

 

But more importantly, trees naturaly have growth at various points not only on the outer perimeter but also 9in maturity) throughout the crown and on the lower stem. This growth produces carbs close to where the mechanical stresses are at their greatest. The tree needs the resources there to optimize and has a lot more difficulty doing so when the only source of carbs is at the outer limits of the canopy. This is basic tree physiology/morphology, thinning really does nothing for the tree, in fact it often is detrimental.

 

the ONLY reason for thinning IMO is to alleviate rapid excurrent growth ater a poor or hard reduction, where the long term frame work needs to be re established to set a perment scaffold structure for long term maintenance of size in say a tree that has been pruned heavely due to structural faults/decay, but can be viable in the long term with carefull managment.

 

to thin for light is toal BS, it doesnt have the same end result of more sky, just dappled as apposed to full shade, and is short lived.

 

Sorry i did not find and read your original post Hama and made you writ it again.

 

toataly agree with the above idea and concept.thanks for posting:001_smile:

[Ian Flatters]

Yeah don't over thin it or 'Thin it to a lions tail'????? As i am going to reduce 2 Oaks which the client got somone else to thin (i was too expensive) and basicly went to above 1/3 of the trees hieight then did something. So i now have to go in and in all honsety mess up/re build crown framework on what could of been a nicely reduced tree.