Retrenching a Willow, US style

[treeseer]

Definitely one for the bantam weight climber.........

And multiple tie-ins, and pole tool usage. I wouldn't want to lean my 170# out too far on that one.

 

David, I note a few cuts seem to have been made back to nodes with no laterals; how common is that?

[likeitorlumpit]

Thanks for the link Guy.

 

 

 

This willow faired badly in big storm a few years back.

Hence the heavy handed original cuts.

 

Becoming a pretty hollow shell now & delicate to climb, so one of the non silver backs gets the task

 

Trying not to let the new canopy get big enough to tear off so it gets a tickle every couple of years.

 

First images from 2010, latter ones yesterday

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David- what happens next time you do work on this tree- I mean it would appear that you don't want a large canopy to develop as the tree just couldn't hack it. So, at what point do you just repollard it and did you consider doing that anyway this time.

[David Humphries]

David, I note a few cuts seem to have been made back to nodes with no laterals; how common is that?

 

They may have had laterals on when cut and been snapped during moving around the canopy.

It happens.

 

 

So In answer, I would say 'not very common'

 

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[David Humphries]

David- what happens next time you do work on this tree- I mean it would appear that you don't want a large canopy to develop as the tree just couldn't hack it. So, at what point do you just repollard it and did you consider doing that anyway this time.

 

I think a re-pollard (not an accurate term with this one) would probably fail, even being willow.

 

We've been trying to manage the apical growth of the branches.

 

Hopefully it will not need reducing too often.

 

 

It's not a big tree so happy to fit it in to increasingly varied program if and when.

 

 

 

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[likeitorlumpit]

I think a re-pollard (not an accurate term with this one) would probably fail, even being willow.

 

We've been trying to manage the apical growth of the branches.

 

Hopefully it will not need reducing too often.

 

 

It's not a big tree so happy to fit it in to increasingly varied program if and when.

 

 

 

.

 

I guess it's never going to grow mad but I'm interested to know why you think pollarding will (if I read you correctly) lead to tree vigour reducing leading to eventual death. Is this the thinking?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I guess it's never going to grow mad but I'm interested to know why you think pollarding will (if I read you correctly) lead to tree vigour reducing leading to eventual death. Is this the thinking?

 

if i may

 

Because the tree is A) old so vigour is reducing anyway B) is hollow, so no lateral storage/reserves in xylem/rays

[David Humphries]

what he said

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[likeitorlumpit]

Thanks for that both

It's more then a case of nursing the old boy.

Just a thought- would another method rather than a overall reduction be to remove a third of the existing branches over 3 years in a phased 'pollard' -might be easier for the climber and still leave a reduced tree.

[gibbon]

Thanks for that both

It's more then a case of nursing the old boy.

Just a thought- would another method rather than a overall reduction be to remove a third of the existing branches over 3 years in a phased 'pollard' -might be easier for the climber and still leave a reduced tree.

 

I gues that could work. Risk is that as you start to remove whole stems the remaining ones are more prone to snapping out through increased exposure.

 

We have worked on several phased reductions. Week after Easter we are doing the final phase of a reduction to 2 veteran holm oaks. It's taken 7 years of selected thinning and reducing to develop an internal crown to reduce to.

[likeitorlumpit]

I gues that could work. Risk is that as you start to remove whole stems the remaining ones are more prone to snapping out through increased exposure.

 

We have worked on several phased reductions. Week after Easter we are doing the final phase of a reduction to 2 veteran holm oaks. It's taken 7 years of selected thinning and reducing to develop an internal crown to reduce to.

 

Interestingly thats what we are looking to do to a group of holm oaks that have lots of spindly growth. How much smaller did you make the new 'internal' crown. I'm thinking they would suit 50%