Fracture Pruning Retrenchment on Fulham Oak

[Yorkshireman]

have you instigated some under planting that will develop as these decline ?

[Pete Mctree]

Is this going to be a process? As in will you continually reduce the tree each time reducing it's crown size and hopefully maintain a viable canopy?

[David oakman]

ditto as long as trees are safe keep them going as long as posible and let habitat live in harmony with the trees. By being over tidy we wipe out beetles like the violet click beetle:001_smile:

[David Humphries]

Appreciate the former comment Iain, I shall pass on to the suits.

 

With regard to the underplanting, this is a somewhat moot point currently.

We are an 800 acre or so site, which is predominantly secondry woodland that has established across Heathland that has not been grazed for almost a century.

 

Within this are veteran Oaks, Ash and Torminalis which are left-overs from hedgerow/boundaries.

In amongst these, we intend to identify and manage their replacements.

 

However, we also number a sizeable population of Victorian planted specimens, which is where the crux of the debate resides at the moment.

These are obviously non indigenous but do provide IMO, fantastic vistas, including the likes of the Fulham Oak (hats of to those great victorian landscapers and their foresight)

Do we maintain these trees and their legacy within this particular habitat, possibly at the expense of a more natural biodiversity.......................a conumdrum.

[ecolojim]

fracturing I have little problem with, but only within the bounds of location, specific interest, etc etc.

 

I think youve done a good job there. It looks like a lot of thought went into it and it is mostly fit for purpose, but to my mind there was little point in fracturing this job when it looked far from natural at the time of work (it does look somewhat more natural now).

 

I believe if we 'must' interfere and mimic nature, which btw I believe we cant ever hope to do completely, then it's my opinion that such techniques must be done as per nature. as said earlier. retrenchment achieved with much larger pieces winched off, no regular shapes and patterns. I believe that it would work just perfectly in this setting.

 

I think people are surely taking in the trees in their collective magnificence. If we want them to have perfect shapes, why pretend work hasnt been done... trees dont have perfect shapes. It's part of their wonder IMO

 

There are/were some trees at Harewood house in Leeds (while since ive been) that had limbs winched off them. Now they DO look natural in their parkland setting, and look great to boot.

 

the line for me, is drawn at coronetting... not coronetting in its entirity, but coronetting for coronetting's sake if you will. Where a large flushed cut can genuinely be improved from a habitat point of view, but making a flush cut just to coronet it, where a fracture could be made instead, boggles my mind. in terms of natural form, the coronet is far inferior to the fracture.

 

Ive also heard people saying coronetting for the good of the birds of prey, insect habitat i can go for, but do we not bolt spikes here there and everywhere to keep birds away?

 

anyway, I fear I have digressed and ended up ranting.

 

As you were

[Giles Hill]

Do we maintain these trees and their legacy within this particular habitat, possibly at the expense of a more natural biodiversity.......................a conumdrum.

 

There seems to be room for both and it sounds like they're both valued.

 

So long as its done to some kind of considered strategy, rather than randomly planting 'interesting' trees.

[Yorkshireman]

800 acre

 

do what ever you want with that dude

 

natives are great but some pureists get hung up about it . if it takes to the local climate & soils etc then why not especially if the add to vistas etc

if that attitude were brought out of the plant kingdom , there'd be screams of racism

 

okay extremes sush as j knotweed that no one wants but the rest if they add rather than detracting from what you have ,then imo bring it on

[David Humphries]

natives are great but some pureists get hung up about it . if it takes to the local climate & soils etc then why not especially if the add to vistas etc

 

My concerns would lay with the lack of indigenous predators to deal with exotic pest such as Cameraria on H chestnut.

 

Obviously this is a one off - species specific - example, but who knows what other 'orrible little beasties lurk awaiting their oportunity.

 

Here down in the balmy south, there is definately a shift afoot within the species range and what will adapt to this areas specific growing environment...............but that is a very different thread

 

 

 

 

 

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[mattylee]

oh well there you go then,kwl i must come and see this for myself soon,so do you no simon lee?that being my uncle....

[David Humphries]

oh well there you go then,kwl i must come and see this for myself soon,so do you no simon lee?that being my uncle....

 

Simon is my boss, I had no idea he has family working in Arb, he kept that one quite

 

If you're interested, I'll give you a tour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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