Sweet Gum to Pollard or not?

[Gary Prentice]

All tree work is technically mutilation... Just some is better than the rest, willow pollarding is nothing more technical than felling and leaving a 6'+ stump

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

 

Sorry eddy I don't normally disagree with you, but that's nonsense . Take shade trees out of their natural environment ie woodland and the need for management becomes evident.

 

Pruning should be done to create good structure and with a view to allow the tree to exist within its environment . If you think all tree work is mutilation you 've been watching the wrong people.

[treeseer]

I have 2 sweetgums L. styraciflua that i reduced overall with <2" cuts (because 3-6" limbs had been snapping off!). It is coming back nice and manageable; a thin every 3-5 years is all they will need.

 

I would not make a 4" cut if at all avoidable. Remember, 15% off the end = 50% gain in stability. Less is more.

[Eddy_t]

Sorry eddy I don't normally disagree with you, but that's nonsense . Take shade trees out of their natural environment ie woodland and the need for management becomes evident.

 

Pruning should be done to create good structure and with a view to allow the tree to exist within its environment . If you think all tree work is mutilation you 've been watching the wrong people.

 

I was referring to the ones you see along rivers, which are usually older than most people on this forum.

Also these pollards had more function than what the bs3998 outlines, usually with a rotation of 5-15 years, so the wounds would always be bigger than what is recommended

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

[Ewan Murray]

I wouldn't Pollard it, we often deal with badly managed ones that have been lopped here in Melbourne, weight reduction and plucking out the longer limbs at the tips to reduce sail area is what I would recommend(that is without seeing the tree of course)

[Gary Prentice]

I was referring to the ones you see along rivers, which are usually older than most people on this forum.

Also these pollards had more function than what the bs3998 outlines, usually with a rotation of 5-15 years, so the wounds would always be bigger than what is recommended

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

 

The rotation comes after the creation though. Pollards should be initiated with sub two- three inch cuts.

[Eddy_t]

The rotation comes after the creation though. Pollards should be initiated with sub two- three inch cuts.

 

Yup, but when it was done 20+ years ago it's a bit late to change it, I know the growth I took off a lapsed pollard was 20 odd years, and the original wounds were 2-3 ft across, but it was done on a wildlife reserve where hollowed pollards were the aim

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

[jwade]

Liquidambar styraciflua (I'm assuming it's this species) does respond well to pollarding, it naturally breaks dormant buds freely and also suckers quite considerably from the parent tree. I've seen mature examples at RHS wisley that have had branches fail and the epicormic shoots are fairly vigorous near the wound.

[fen01]

Thanks some interesting stuff. Unfortunately, I had an epic today so no photos and now repairing the rear lights on the truck. Will try and go back over the weekend and reconsider and see what the customer can be persuaded to have done - ultimately its their tree so they have the final say, I'll just do the mutilating:)