To Coronet or Not to Coronet, now that is a question

[Mick Dempsey]

So after falling upon this thread where 7/8 years ago people were saying coronet cuts are a passing fad, the question is, were they right?

[MattyF]

Think they have more importance than ever for wild life , this year I've done more than I have in my career that have been specced in to work by surveyors and consultants than me suggesting it as a nice idea on monoliths or retrenchment prunes to clients.

[Kveldssanger]

I was told the other day that for bats no they're not any better, but they are for insects and so forth. I have five willows getting monolithed and coronet cut this coming week - will get photos afterwards.

[treeseer]

Sure on monoliths why not.

 

On living trees the fad has yet to hit the US, thank goodness.

The theory that coronetting helps or speeds sprouting has fallen flat, so the fad is bound to fade, gradually being restricted to dead trees.

[David Humphries]

..........The theory that coronetting helps or speeds sprouting has fallen flat, so the fad is bound to fade, gradually being restricted to dead trees.

 

I think perhaps there's a slight confusion here Guy, fracturing branch ends (as opposed to coroneting) is where the adventitious sprouting can be stimulated.

First two images

 

Coronetting is purely about aesthetics (mimicking naturally severed branches) and creating micro niche habitat for invertebrates etc.....

and not concerning sprouting.

Last image

 

 

 

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[treeseer]

Thanks David for clarification on the dichotomy as defined by some in the UK. But I've seen a lot of 'coronetting' on the ends of branches living and dead in living trees in other countries. What else would that be called?

 

Thanks for posting the first 2 pics. They show sprouts arising from nodes aka growth points aka concentrations of vitality. On my screen I can't see sprouts arising from the cut/tear surface. That substantiates the biological reality that the strongest sprouting arises from preexisting buds, so a flat cut to those buds is the best for the tree.

 

I'm all for carving dead trees for aesthetics, and for habitat.

 

On the other hand if you have seen an actual benefit to the tree from fracturing, I'm all eyes.

[Kveldssanger]

It is my understanding that immune (and associated) responses of the tree are, at least in part, induced by the exposure of the cambium to ambient conditions. Could one therefore suggest that, assuming my memory does serve well, fracture pruning would enable for a preferential response with regards to the immune process - if one accepts that sprouting in abundance will deliver more sugars to the area local to the sprouting (assuming the debt for the initiation of massive growth can be paid back), which in this instance (and usually) is near to the fracture points - because a fracture pruning cut leaves more cambium exposed to the air.

 

I do see what you mean with regards to the sprouting appearing to have originated from the dormant buds, though would I be right to suggest that because of the hormonal changes within the tree following such wounding as is observed here that there may be an amount of adventitious growth not originating from dormant buds but from cambial differentiation?

 

In a very raw sense, one can argue trees weren't pruned with target cuts or otherwise before man came around and started inventing saws. Fractures would have been more traumatic, with large extents of exposed internal surface. From that perspective therefore, is there any basis for raising the idea that trees have evolved to respond to natural fractures in the most optimal manner possible because, by default, that is the prevailing means of induced wounding to the tree's aerial structure.

 

I do hope I have made sense here.

Edited November 29, 2015 by Kveldssanger

[David Humphries]

So after falling upon this thread where 7/8 years ago people were saying coronet cuts are a passing fad, the question is, were they right?

 

We seem to be doing it less than we were back then, but still have it our bag when we feel the tree and its environment merit it.

 

[ame]

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[Mick Dempsey]

Hmmm, i watched the vid, I can see the monolith thing, standing rotting wood.

It's tempting to view the coronet thing as a bit of a fad, chance for a few peeps to play around with some chainsaw carving.

It's difficult to put into words what I think of fracture pruning.

I can't see it ever seriously breaking into hard nosed domestic work, strictly for LAs/public parks etc.

[Mick Dempsey]

Anyway thanks for the vid, on the subject of standing deadwood I saw a black woodpecker today, bit of a treat,