A year on........

[sloth]

My boss would call that a 30% reduction, and would NOT be happy if I did anything else, believe me I've tried! The biggest joke is our tree officer would come to check it and say good job!? I

[wirralarb]

the new BS3998 standards have come out,i think people havnt read them.

[sloth]

Nope, don't think he read the last one either! Must confess I have not seen the new one, too expensive. Would a public library have one to view?

[janey]

Nope, don't think he read the last one either! Must confess I have not seen the new one, too expensive. Would a public library have one to view?

 

They should have. If they haven't got one available in your local library, they can order it for you.

 

A great resource and much under used

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Yes I understand the arguement it is just that it seems to me most improbable that a 'pollard head' will be formed before the injury site becomes an occupied infection court.

 

I don't think you or anyone else here is arguing that this was an attempted pollard but I have come across such claims when cuttinglike this is questioned, I am not climbing on some high horse (at least I don't think I am) it is just that I am unimpressed by the weakness of such claims of deliberate pollard formation via lopping and topping.

 

so how do you propose maintaining veteran/compromised trees in such a context sean?

[sean freeman]

First of all lets be clear I only have the pics to go on...I do not know what the tree owner/custodian wanted from the work that was done...I don't know what the objectives were, nor what (if any were carried out) the outcome of a pre-works assessment might have been.

 

If we are talking in the hypothetical then I can think of a myriad of options...none of which BTW I would think appropriate to call pollarding.

 

In the specifics (at least as far as can be gleaned from the pics) of this tree if the intention was to retain the tree for habitat then I am unsure what organism is being considered....the biggest beneficary being the Ganoderma

 

Of course there are many insects and other fungi that would be calling this tree home, they matter but I do not accept that this hat racking is either the only or the best means to retain such standing habitat.

 

That kind of severity of cutting IMO is merely going to accelerate the decline in the tree, massively increase dysfunctional tissue, rob the tree of all of its photosynthetic capacity condemning it to sacrificing what stored carbohydrates it can access to drive the flush of new growth.

 

I do not see this as 'maintaining' a veteran tree...but I do acknowledge that it is just possible that is what the intention might have been.

Edited May 5, 2011 by sean freeman

[David Humphries]

One thing for sure is that will never again be what it once was.

 

 

 

.

[Arctostaphylos uva-ursi]

If we are talking in the hypothetical then I can think of a myriad of options...none of which BTW I would think appropriate to call pollarding.

 

"Butchery" perhaps?

 

I could not agree more with your synopsis. It will no doubt provide habitat for fungi, insects etc as it continues to decline. That is if it is not removed sooner rather than later. It would be good to see some photos of it in 5 years time.

[David Humphries]

. It would be good to see some photos of it in 5 years time.

 

I'll be sure to remember

 

 

 

 

.

[Bretonboy]

Well here is a question who got planted first Isobel Richards or the tree??? I'm guessing Isobel.