Assessing Tree Forks

[Gardiners Tree Surgery]

If you were there for number one I'm sure the missus won't mind you missing number two.

 

You haven't met my wife. !! My chipper is tamer than her.

[treeseer]

Slater's studied the strength in bark occlusions in forks that have included bark. Has anyone tried training bark occlusion, by carving out included bark?

[Paul Barton]

Slater's studied the strength in bark occlusions in forks that have included bark. Has anyone tried training bark occlusion, by carving out included bark?

 

I don't quite understand the question, sorry!

 

Duncan has studied the strength of wood across normal junctions and then in junctions that have bark inclusions. He is putting some scientific evidence behind what we already know - that junctions with included bark are more prone to failure, and then adding to it by investigating the cause and effect of bark inclusions.

 

Today was interesting - I would highly recommend anyone to attend one of his workshops on this topic.

[treeseer]

Reading his study (with Ennos), they found that forks with included bark that also had a little occlusion were a lot stronger.

Hence the impetus to try carving out the bark to train it to occlude (form a branch bark ridge).

See the first column:

Response Growth after Pruning Compartmentalization Rules!.pdf

[Nimby]

Really enjoyed the workshop yesterday and anyone thinking about attending should book on asap. Thoroughly recommended.

[Anno]

Agreed, took two other staff members with me yesterday - excellent and much food for thought,tilting at the Windmills of Shigo and Mattheck!!