Should I start thinning trees

[oldgustav]

Planted a shelter belt of 4,000 trees (mostly ash, alder, sycamore and lodgepole pine), in 2007 in west Wales. Spaced at 1.5 - 2m we have a substantial canopy over much of the belt. This year I've noticed that the lower branches under the canopy are without leaves. It's all a bit bare and empty. Should I be thinning to let in more light? The trees are for shelter, habitat and amenity. Thanks!

[5 shires]

Planted a shelter belt of 4,000 trees (mostly ash, alder, sycamore and lodgepole pine), in 2007 in west Wales. Spaced at 1.5 - 2m we have a substantial canopy over much of the belt. This year I've noticed that the lower branches under the canopy are without leaves. It's all a bit bare and empty. Should I be thinning to let in more light? The trees are for shelter, habitat and amenity. Thanks!

 

Yes...not only for trees health and longevity but for ground growing plants and habitat.be choosey which areas you do and by how much.never a bad thing to thin and or reduce in som circumstances.

[10 Bears]

Being in west Wales, I am going to presume that your shelterbelt is to reduce the effects of wind.

 

Something to rememeber is that belts shouldnt be a solid block of trees. They need sparodic gaps to allow the filtration on wind through to reduce the wind speed, not a solid wall to block wind in its entirety. Where there is a solid (but realtively narrow) block - often on the top or marginally leeward side of a hill where belts are often situated, you will find that as the trees reach the critical height for wind effect - they will just all start blowing over.

 

If you do your first thin of your belt broadly on a diamond matrix style, you will start the process of making it more of a filter than a block. I've attached an image to show what I mean. This image is a bit of an oversimplification - but its something to begin to work towards...

[5 shires]

Planted a shelter belt of 4,000 trees (mostly ash, alder, sycamore and lodgepole pine), in 2007 in west Wales. Spaced at 1.5 - 2m we have a substantial canopy over much of the belt. This year I've noticed that the lower branches under the canopy are without leaves. It's all a bit bare and empty. Should I be thinning to let in more light? The trees are for shelter, habitat and amenity. Thanks!

 

May I also suggest depending on how tall the trees are wind firming the outside boundaries would also be a good idea.

[10 Bears]

wind firming the outside boundaries would also be a good idea.

 

Yes, a good point Shires.

 

I have heard/seen different takes on wind firming, everything from leaving the 1st 5m of trees on the edge alone ie no thinning etc. to allow them to adapt naturally, or my preferred method, inter-species mix planting/management to create a low to high profile.

 

Which firming method are you referring to?

[5 shires]

Yes, a good point Shires.

 

I have heard/seen different takes on wind firming, everything from leaving the 1st 5m of trees on the edge alone ie no thinning etc. to allow them to adapt naturally, or my preferred method, inter-species mix planting/management to create a low to high profile.

 

Which firming method are you referring to?

 

Option one.

[oldgustav]

Thanks very much for the advice. Yes, very windy here. I'm nervous about thinning because our site/farm was treeless until we started planting in 2007 and I have become very attached to them. We now have 20,000 trees - mostly as belts but all connected. Here's a link to a photo taken last October. It's the trees in the foreground that we planted first that need thinning. Should I leave this until winter - and since I appear to have a lot of ash die back, perhaps I should start with them

[Stefan Palokangas]

Thinning is normally done in 2 to 3 stages, done it for years in Sweden. You need to know what you are doing don't want to take to much to begin with.

 

 

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[Arctostaphylos uva-ursi]

If you do have ash dieback I would suggest you sanitation fell that first and see what you have left. What you do after depends on how you planted it i.e. in blocks/groups of single species or an intimate mix. Anyway dead diseased dying and suppressed is a good place to start.

[10 Bears]

sanitation fell

 

Yes, I agree with this. You will possibly find that this approach will inadvertently move you someway towards the shelter-belt-filter-matrix as I suggested earlier - depending on how intricate your planting scheme was in the first place i.e. not large blocks of ash, but an intricate mix.

 

Looks like an excellent working site BTW. You have done well to combine the needs of a working area with a healthy amount of afforestation.

Edited September 5, 2016 by 10 Bears