Advice on veteran Fagus' management

[Mick Dempsey]

I'm all for taking out risky trees but....

If it's in a woodland just leave it, a few signs telling people not to loiter.

Aesthetically I'd leave all the broken stuff as well.

To make a monolith of that would be a very poor choice IMO.

[Adam M]

Small scale tip reduction, with loppers, perhaps 1-2m max, if you and or the financer has the patience. Hope that some of the small amount of dormant buds develop. Repeat in 5yrs. 10cm woodchip mulch as far out as possible. As a suggestion.

[Victor]

I will try to avoid serious reduction at all cost... The tree is far too nice to butcher it even in the interest of safety. I don't think it is likely that it falls on someone, being a bit remote and in private land.

At the moment, fencing around and signaling, cable bracing and end-weigh heavy limbs are the options I am considering.

[Kveldssanger]

Do keep us posted!

[Victor]

Do keep us posted!

 

I will do. I am going away till September now. When I come back I will try to arrange a meeting with the tree owner and the TO and trace a plan. I will post here any resolutions.

 

Thanks to everyone for intervening.

[treeseer]

10% off the ends of overextended limbs, <20% if they have bad forks. 15% off=> 50% gain in stability.

Cut to upright laterals where possible.

Cable to support the cracking fork. This does not seem too difficult. Fencing etc. does not seem warranted; the limbs over the (rarely used?) path have already failed--where is the risk?

 

Not sure if Mr. H. might have another plan or not. But why jump to such extreme conclusions and actions?

 

If you want buds to release, it' might be worth a try nicking the limbs just beyond old growth points. It works with apple trees.

Edited August 19, 2015 by treeseer

[Victor]

I don't know if you guys are still following this thread...

 

I came back from holidays to find this picture... terrible.

 

It looks like the middle of the crown if gone now.

 

I haven't been yet to see the tree but I think I still will use signs reduce heavy limbs gradually and try to cable brace if I can, but of course i accept sugestions.

 

Cheers.

[David Humphries]

Looks to be heavy reduction time now.

 

If it survives, then that would be a bonus.

 

If it doesn't, treat it as standing dead wood (monitor/re-reduce when required), which is as valuable an asset to biodiversity as the live tree is to aesthetics.

 

 

 

Thanks for the update

 

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[Paul Cleaver]

you could try wounding the tree around the old pollard point to try and stimulate adventitious growth? -its worth a go surely

[David Humphries]

you could try wounding the tree around the old pollard point to try and stimulate adventitious growth? -its worth a go surely

 

Definitely worth a go, as I have seen it work, although we have found that its very difficult to get advantitious buds forming from the wounds/callous material.......

 

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/ecology/51183-deliberately-wounding-trees.html

 

 

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