To fracture prune, or................

[softbankhawks]

I have been fracture pruning at Hatfield forest. There is a hornbeam that was worked on around seven years ago as a retrenchment. This means bringing the crown down toward the pollard point in order to keep the non-managed poles from snapping out. It has bloody worked I tells ya. Minor pruning, up to 15%, at the tips is likely to inspire growth further down the stem.

This is exciting work, finally a way to holistically manipulate growth.

Photo(s) to follow.

[Mesterh]

I garantee you that this tree will look "natural" this time next year.

.

 

Look natural to who? I'm sure it will look like a tree that has been fracture pruned and has thrown a load of epicormic out, and until its felled it will allways look like that.

 

Remember you cant polish a turd.

 

Anyhow no offense intended just my opinion

[softbankhawks]

Retrenchment on hornbeam

[softbankhawks]

Layering on a hornbeam

[David Humphries]

Interesting technique SBH, is it Axe?

Do you know where the spec originated from?

 

I've seen similar work by a Spanish Pollarder over at Burnham Beeches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[David Humphries]

Retrenchment on hornbeam

 

I'm not 100% but I think this Hornbeam below is the same one as in your picture from back in Oct 05.

If it is, my shot is taken from further round to the left than yours.

 

When was your picture taken?

[softbankhawks]

I took the picture a couple of days ago. Tom Fleming and Tony Davies did the work several years back on that hornbeam.

The survey guidelines are Neville Fay's....it read something like....promote layering to base of crown on north side....and then we got creative. Yes, it was an axe and with two guys taking the weight. We reduced it once it became steady on the ground.

[softbankhawks]

oh yes, tis the same only yr photo is much much better!

[David Humphries]

So it would seem that in three years the crown is not only retrenching strongly to just above the boling, but has also reinvigourated it's top canopy at the extremities.

 

Very interesting.

I wonder if this was originally intended ?

 

I'd imagine more stagheads would have been anticipated.

 

 

 

.

[softbankhawks]

I don't think this was the intention as those lapsed hbm sticks are knocking out left right and centre up there at hatfield.

At least the growth has started lower down, that was the gamble, the tops can be worked on again.

Is the retrenched growth classed as epicormic? If so I have another interesting picture.