treeseer

Hard to resist looking inside those sexy curves. If the tree's to be killed for that reason, don't sell it cheap! Wood turners could make some marvelous creations from that wood.

Mumps

Paul, would you put the ISA Cert with Level II of...V? VI? in the UK? I thought it was hot stuff when I got it in 1992. But like many peers (all with their biases of course) I've seen it seem to lose rigor and credibility. I got ISA's Board Cert in 2004, and saw the member number of BCMAs stagnate in the 400s for years. Now it's getting overhauled, with much concern here that it too will be dumbed down for $. I/USA is dominated by US corporations, and dedicated to milking the nutritionless cash cow called TRAQ. But like I said I'm biased (in favor of rigor, and arboriculture, and against vegetation management), and maybe just a tad jaded! dave the attached are fyi; much more on my website fwiw PHC-CEU (1).pdf ISA CEU Risk.pdf

Any cut that size next to a weakened area has a filthy effect on a tree. BS3998 et al discourage cuts >4".

Excellent points: the correlation is strong! Improving the soil and *mulch* would be at the top of the list of treatments.

Yes that was light the first go-round. Unless the objective is not related to the tree itself, how deep to go next time should be dictated by the response of the tree, imo, rather than firmly proscribed by man. Nice pic that last David--3 crowns in one tree!

And I would also agree that I could ride a bicycle if my car breaks down.

So you heard what you wanted to hear and went with it. Seriously, that conclusion seems to match the evidence and history.

Hammer and probes and shovel and garden hose can do the work. Standard Tree Inspection 1508.pdf

Qu: Is the wood fractured with the bark keeping pace? Yes, wood is likely decaying and cracking under that 10m load; time to reduce! Or is it the woods reaction to the rapid weight gain? That's another way to [put it! Not merely bark changing to adult. Location indicates the association with topping wounds.

What was the owner's goal in having it reduced? What's their long-term goal for the tree?

Catalpa fairly common here. Big cuts hollow out so as always the smaller the cut the better to meet the objective and of course aim for buds.

re AOD fwiw How can we give relief, to an infected or damaged area? The 6X Protocol was designed with this question in mind:  EXpose the affected area: Clear away obstructions like grass and other weeds, mulch, or soil.  EXcavate loose decayed tissue Clean away any dead or foreign matter. If tissue is living but infected, give the tree the benefit of the doubt. Drying alone can be enough to speed CODIT.  EXcise respecting the barriers: Cut into living tissue only if you are certain it is justified. If the pathogen is aggressive and the tree defenseless, or if collecting samples for laboratory analysis, then living tissue is cut away.  EXamine strength and weakness, like columns, and active infections.  EXtract information by recording images and measurements, to reach a definite diagnosis, and mitigation options. According to the ZTV: “Before contracts begin, a definite diagnosis.” EXhaustive specifications are written and illustrated, to implement mitigation options and carry out the work. These include trunk drenching with minerals like phosphorous acid, growth regulators such as Paclobutrazol, and prochloraz, which is approved for management of Armillaria in the UK. Prochloraz is “a mixture comprising a combination of a phenyl amide fungicide; an imidazole fungicide; and a phthalimide containing fungicide, wherein the composition has a synergistically enhanced activity” (patent application). Other compounds such as salicylic acid also work, which is why willow bark is spread under apple trees with scab. per Percival, 2 months ago. Soil replacement below the infected area also can help a lot.

Looks like a big segment.column.rib of tissue below that spreading limb. The magnolia would not be felled--we are not that barbaric over here all the time you know! It will likely be ignored. If it were my job I would be loathe to remove much green unless it's drying out. Maybe in a landscape it would be pruned back to the new inner crown, if the owner wanted a smaller bushier form.

Here's a magnolia that responded to the stressful life in the city by regenerating a new crown. It could also be called natural retrenchment, but that downward adjustment is only the first and least important part of the Growing Downward story, as I heard it from Mr. Green. The growing part is the long-term focus; maybe that's why the German-inspired terms of Crown Regeneration and Regeneration Pruning are favored in the global scope of arboriculture. The TEP description seems limited to the pre-ancient phase. Semantics, yes, but a bit more.

Engineers in general fail to understand biology, but if they could measure a core pulled from that woundwood, they'd see numbers they could appreciate.

All the pics show a vigorous response by the tree, which is always good to see! Those trunks might be stronger than they might be without the colonization.

Nice, thanks! It's refreshing and instructive to see tree management over time. Here in the US the view is constrained; myopic and manic in comparison.

There must be a whole lot of rot, to removed that much crown! I've seen very few hollow trees that need to have reduction past the second pruning, as shown in an ITMP or by other cautious assessors. And despite 6 years of begging Mr. ITMP, I have yet to hear any kind of reason for going farther. But of course I do not know trunk condition, wildlife objectives, the sociopolitical milieu, and a whole lot more! Plus, if that tree comes out looking like Mr. Hodge's, all good!

These 35 were all street trees, squashed in lines. Most of the pruning was off the central leaders to reduce leverage, and some sprawling tips. So there was a lot of green left, cuts hidden so the trees were looking natural; poor prospects for good B&A.

Definitely; snags for perching are quite underrated as habitat features!

Other trees in way but still the shedding top and lower regrowth are evident. Q nigra maybe; MS, US

I did not top the trees, according to the ANSI definition, nonselective cutting with no regard to health or structure. If BS 3998 calls any reduction of a central leader 'topping' then mea culpa. Yes the new growth was there back at the forks before any pruning took place. That growth was retrenchment as I understand it. 5%-15% came off the tops, depending on stability and structure and location etc.. Almost all cuts <10 cm. The pics are taken ~80' off the ground. 3 years later 34 0f 35 are doing well.

10% off is half felled? Some response! But I'll try to do better. The post was just a response to request for retrenchment images, but it was not on point enough to fit that thread.

What do you want to hear?