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

[David Humphries]

I was up at Dunham Massey on friday night and looks like the method of tree maintainance is to use coronet cuts virtually all the bigger reductions in the park used them to varying degrees.

 

I understand the work at Dunham Massey has been carried out by the same guys that have carried out the work at Richmond Park in London. Very Good IMO.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[detritus21]

I must say I was rather impressed. If your not looking too hard you can't really tell that much has been done but when you look a bit harder you realise its a bit of an artform

[arbogrunt]

We're back to the 'right time - right place' answer again. The work I do is quite varied, working on wildlife trust reserves - coronet cuts, street trees - very BS3998!, in private gardens - I might ask the customer which they would prefer (especially in a woodland garden situation).

Incidently, I recently went on a 'bat awareness' course. Whilst talking to the bat expert who was instructing, I discussed what sort of cuts would benefit bats in particular. He said horizontal cuts that wouldn't be accessed by much rainwater would be best, especially if they were borning cuts going upwards into the tree.

The more open 'fracture' type of cuts would still be of benefit to other beasties of course.

I had the pleasure of watching a Kestrel using one of my pollard - coronets as hunting perch last week - now thats a bit of job satisfaction!!

[MattyF]

ive done a few coronet jobs now and i still think theres only time and places for them and what they encourage the same would go for entrenchment pruning.

Personally any one trying them out on say a semi mature garden maple needs there heads testing.

[David Humphries]

Personally any one trying them out on say a semi mature garden maple needs there heads testing.

 

Would like to think this point really does go without saying, Matty

But I'd be interested to hear if anyone has seen an example.

[Tom D]

Just read this thread through and though there is definately a place for coronet cuts it isnt healthy trees in public areas. The whole piont of natural target pruning is to allow the tree to heal as quickly as possible therefore retaining as much structural integrity as possible. Coronet cuts do the exact opposite of this encouraging and speeding up the rotting process, this can only be acceptable on trees which are in low target areas and are dead or dying anyway.

Any tree owner has a responsibility to inspect and maintain their trees in a safe condition otherwise they leave themselves open to claims of negligence. Making coronet cuts in an urban / garden environment adds to the duty of care on the owner to monitor and carefully maintain the tree in the best of health. IMO you are asking for trouble if you recommend coronets to a customer without providing a written explanation of the risks involved and thereby avoid any liability on you or your company.

 

Don't get me wrong there is a time and a place for habitat creation but deliberately making a tree even slightly more dangerous is a very dodgy business. Leaving prunings on site either in heaps or "planted" in the ground is probably the safer way to go.

[David Humphries]

I understand the work at Dunham Massey has been carried out by the same guys that have carried out the work at Richmond Park in London. Very Good IMO.

 

Some photos of The Tree Companies Work at Richmond Park.

 

http://www.thetreecompany.co.uk/

[David Humphries]

Dead Sycamore, not quite Claus Mathecks suggested 2-3m

Will be logged, annualy monitored and reviewed, along with our growing population of Monos.

You can't see from these photos, but there are plunge cuts up the trunk on the leeward side for our fury friends.

I think its a lesser spotted old codger up the tree in the last shot

[MasterBlaster]

Amazing!

[David Humphries]

Amazing!

 

Go on then, amuse me, Amazing How?