Tree age definitions (tree surveys)

[twigger]

Hi all, Just wondering if anyone can give me input on how you define the age categories you put trees into when doing surveys please?

 

eg Young / Early mature / Semi mature / Mature / etc

 

How would you define those, would it be on the proportion of their expected life they have been alive? Or to do with their growing etc?

 

Thank you for any help!

 

PS also how would you define minor / moderate / major deadwood?

 

I am doing on the PTI course and it is our homework, so I thought the best method would be to ask my peers :-)

[daltontrees]

Hi all, Just wondering if anyone can give me input on how you define the age categories you put trees into when doing surveys please?

 

I'll try to pin down the defnitive source for this tomorrow. It has always bothered me this very question but I formulated a reliable answer last year. If I can only find where I put it...

[twigger]

Thank you! I did try to search the forum in case it had come up before, but I couldn't find anything.

[Jesse]

You need to understand tree species first, and the growth rate, then develop your age class,

Y- Young , M- Mature , OM over mature, V- Veteran , Develop your own stance as long as people can understand your interpretation. But remember , i think this is whats troubling you, eg M - Mature , Sp Silver birch 30 years, against say a 30 year Oak which would be Y - Young as a M - Mature Oak could be 100 years old + hope that helps.

[benedmonds]

This is what I use, don't know where I got it.

 

Age Class:

Y Young; tree in first third of life expectancy

M.A Middle Aged; tree in second third of life expectancy

M Mature; tree in final third of life expectancy

O.M Over Mature; tree in decline

V Veteran; tree with major physiological decline, surviving beyond the

Typical age range for the species

[Jesse]

You need to understand tree species first, and the growth rate, then develop your age class,

Y- Young , M- Mature , OM over mature, V- Veteran , Develop your own stance as long as people can understand your interpretation. But remember , i think this is whats troubling you, eg M - Mature , Sp Silver birch 30 years, against say a 30 year Oak which would be Y - Young as a M - Mature Oak could be 100 years old + hope that helps.

 

Dead wood, again up to your own interpretation but as long as you specify it in your Key to your report all should be fine, I would say , minor - dead wood with a stem diameter 0 to 25mm Moderate 25mm up to 50mm Major dead wood 50mm upwards. As long as you provide a good Key and don't over complicate your report it should be fine, always fine detail any work specifications , and give clear time scale constraints to cover your self and aid the client in implementing a work schedule which will prioritise the work in respect of the Target areas and Risks which you have identified .

[tree79]

you could also ad NP, which is newly planted,

[twigger]

Thank you all very much! That is very helpful.

 

I am enjoying the course, want to do a good job in the assessment :-)

[daltontrees]

Here's what I use, and I am certain that I derived it from a reliable source.

 

Newly planted Not fully established and capable of being transplanted or easily replaced

Young Establishing, usually with good vigour

Early mature Established, usually vigorous and increasing in height

Mature Fully established around half their species’ life expectancy, generally good vigour and achieving full height potential but crown still spreading

Late mature Moderate vigour, no additional height expected and growth rate slowing

Over-mature Fully mature, in last quarter of life expectancy, vigour decreasing

 

But I would suggest you don't just copy it or anyone elses' definitions. Life stage is linked to vigour, potential for further upward growth, further outward growth, the onset of fruiting, the annual number of leaf flushes, degrees of susceptible ripewood or heartwood, step change in annual increments, ability to withstyand and recover from pruning etc. so whatever you choose as definitions I would suggest should be useful to inform the decisions that you arte about to make to serve the purpose of the survey.

 

Or you can just do what everyone else does, mostly involving box-ticking for BS5837 surveys.

 

Knowing is useful, but understanding is by far the greatest prize.

 

Hows about you let us know how you get on in the assessment?

[twigger]

Thank you! Appreciate the help and the advice.

 

I also had to laugh this morning when I went back into the course and Guy knew I had been asking about this on here! :-)

 

Will report back how I get on.....