Thinning and Reducing Beech

[Rupe]

Having said that I just did a third height reduction on a Beech for the local authority. It was for safety reasons and not "I want I want I want, more light!"

 

It looked ok, but for some reason I forgot to take my camera with me that day!

[cerneARB]

cerneARB - Do you really mean only cut off 30mm? That seems tiny to me. Would take forever;- there would be that many.

 

 

cant remmber were i read that ..i may be wrong, think it had something to do with tip pruning advice from a hazard assement book.

 

i think its just best to remmber that the branch removed should be a third of the parent branch left as recommended by Lonsdale.

[ukminch]

Do you not mean don't cut off anything bigger that 30mm diameter, ie just over an inch in size?

 

As the old adage goes if you need to use a chainsaw your taking to much off.

 

Rob

[cerneARB]

Do you not mean don't cut off anything bigger that 30mm diameter, ie just over an inch in size?

 

As the old adage goes if you need to use a chainsaw your taking to much off.

 

Rob

 

THATS THE ONE...

[Xerxses]

But remember!

Beech is a very sun-sensitive...Beech grows in forrests where each tree is protected by neighbouring canopy. The branches and trunks have very thin bark and is prone to sun scald (bark cracks up) All pruning should be carried out in such a way that the bark is not overexposed to the sun. The roots are very sensitive aswell.

[Big dog]

Being multi stemmed that beech looks like it would be a pig to reduce (very leggy imo) and over the years i've found that its quite difficult to achieve a really good top to the reduction because of it being multi stemmed.

[Marc]

Give it a good crown raise then tip in the laterals as much as possible and leave the top. That should make a big and immediatly noticable improment to light levels, plus i like the look of clean steams on Beech.

I hate these kind of jobs height reduction will never give the light levels the client wants unless you butcher it.

[Tom D]

Its hard to say from the pictures but you may be able to remove one or two stems completely if they are individual trees and not conjoined at the base. This could give a much more dramatic effect, and coupled with a crown lift leave a much healthier tree/s than a reduction would.