eucyalptus reduction

[carlos]

i have been asked to reduce some small eucs ( 30ft ish).

reasons being they are on an exposed site, and there is shrub planting underneath that requires more light.

they are also a bit unbalanced due to prevailing winds.

question is how hard to go on them??

people often seem to go real hard on eucs because they reshoot, but not sure wether this is great in the long run.

would normaly just get on with it but its for a family member so want to do the best for them and their trees as they care about them which is nice for a change:001_rolleyes:

a few photos but hard to get clear shots.

thanks carl

[Le Sanglier]

I would have thought there would be plenty of light penetration anyway. Eucs don't cast a lot of shade. You will cast more shade with a heavily cut regrowth.

On the other hand they do fall over a lot, which it's looks like these will do soon with that wind.

[toprotter]

I dont know how cold it is there atm but I would wait till it warmed up a bit, if done when cold they can have a habit of dying back from pruning wounds.

[carlos]

I dont know how cold it is there atm but I would wait till it warmed up a bit, if done when cold they can have a habit of dying back from pruning wounds.

 

a point that i had not considered, how cold is cold?? its a fairly mild part of the world?

thanks carl

[geoff]

a point that i had not considered, how cold is cold?? its a fairly mild part of the world?

thanks carl

 

Avoid cutting if you expect any good frosts.

[Jesse]

My advice would be to leave alone or cut them down. Reducing in my opinion to Eucalyptus is bad practice, very vigorous regrowth if they survive and the regrowth will compete with itself , the result will be a very dense upper canopy, with in a very short time, which will reduce light levels much more at ground level, 3 years after you have reduced them they will get you back , ask what on earth you did to the trees, and then ask you to fell them. They will coppice which is a more acceptable form of management.

[carlos]

weather looks pretty mild.

thanks for the input i will think it over and disscuss with them, iam not sure wether removing them is an option though.

can you thin the regrowth to create a better shape crown?

thanks carl.

[treeseer]

My advice would be to leave alone or cut them down. Reducing in my opinion to Eucalyptus is bad practice, very vigorous regrowth if they survive and the regrowth will compete with itself , the result will be a very dense upper canopy, with in a very short time, which will reduce light levels much more at ground level, 3 years after you have reduced them they will get you back , ask what on earth you did to the trees, and then ask you to fell them. They will coppice which is a more acceptable form of management.

 

Jesse maybe this experience came from reducing too hard. In australia they are very commonly reduced 10-20% with no bushy reaction.

 

Objective should be clear first--what kind of shrubs and how much light is required? if trees have adapted to lean then stability concerns seem overblown.

 

Climb ahap and use pole pruner/saw maybe. a little goes a long way.

 

How cold do you expect it will get there? ideal timing may be after the coldest day of the winter.

[Jesse]

At the end of the day you can only advice and then at least you have been honest with your client , you could sympathetically thin, that would be my preference over a reduction if felling was not an option , just put across your concerns regarding how the trees will respond to a reduction, either badly or really badly (death) explain what costs are involved with all options and the extra cost involved if its felled for whatever reason shortly after, One other problem with thinning Gums , they tend not to have even branch formation much of the branch development occurs towards the branch tip making it difficult to leave a good form, Lion tailing could result, branches identified for retention could be damaged while working around the canopy . Don't forget those trees look like babys to me and all that they want to do is be massive and bigger than the closely planted mates.

[Jesse]

Jesse maybe this experience came from reducing too hard. In australia they are very commonly reduced 10-20% with no bushy reaction.

 

Objective should be clear first--what kind of shrubs and how much light is required? if trees have adapted to lean then stability concerns seem overblown.

 

Climb ahap and use pole pruner/saw maybe. a little goes a long way.

 

How cold do you expect it will get there? ideal timing may be after the coldest day of the winter.

You are absolutely correct, but its just my opinion and i much prefer to see Gums growing naturally down under than being suppressed, and constantly reduced for the purpose of retaining a woody feature in a small garden or on a problematic boundary. Down under growing conditions are perfect for these trees and the shade issues are seen as a great asset and the attitude of the householder is very different to that in the UK. Fear of the height of trees seems not to be an issue down under. I don't know why its so different in the UK.