Kveldssanger

As I said, it's just a thought. I made no remark as to whether I take that stance or not. From people asking the question such as the OP has, it is evident that there's an inherent desire or preference not to do what is being required by the customer in such instances of poor tree work, though one merely seeks to rationalise going against their desire by explaining-away the situation with "but follow the money" and / or "well the customer is always right". Again, an observation only. I am not masquerading my opinions within these observations.

A platitude: when people within the industry don't care enough to initiate widespread change because good practice doesn't take first place, how can we expect for the desired change the industry seeks to bring about to improve overall standards to ever be meaningful or appropriate?

Some thoughts on retrenching trees: does the presence of mature trees with crown retrenchment correlate with the the visitation (for perching) and subsequent hunting success of birds of prey / scavengers (crows)? From observing the oaks in our fields, the retrenching crowns' dead branches / limbs are often used by sparrowhawks and crows in particular as perches, most likely because visibility is increased from such elevated and 'clear' platforms.

Nice one!

Nah the serrations and leaf shape are too far away from it being a walnut, surely?

Now there's something - I am keen to find out what it is!

If open source does become the future, I just hope it's proper grass roots stuff and not the result of some sort of astroturfing.

Links to past facts: Fact 1 – A history of coppice woodlands Fact 2 – Branch failures in wind storms Fact 3 – What is bark? Fact 4 – A history of man trying to afforest the Black Country, UK Fact 5 – Mycorrhizae-facilitated communication between individuals Fact 6 – Root severance and tree stability Fact 7 – Development cycle of wood-decay fungi Fact 7.5 – A brief history of Ancient Woodland in the UK Fact 8 – Coal deposits of the past Fact 8.5 – Europe's lack of tree diversity Fact 8.75 – The resource demand of trees Fact 9 – Endo- and ecto-mycorrhizal fungi Fact 10 – An overview of cladoptosis Fact 11 – Trees can help with human recovery Fact 11.5 – Aborting fruit to improve tree vigour Fact 12 – Vigour and vitality Fact 13 – Photosynthesis Fact 14 – How residents perceive trees Fact 15 – Bid cherry-mediated competition between two of its principal herbivores Fact 16 – Coppicing ability and suckering Fact 17 – Concrete and asphalt as mulch? Fact 18 – Root penetration of sewer pipes Fact 19 – So exactly how small are micro-organisms? Fact 19.5 – Bat-shaped soil amoebae Fact 20 – Arbuscular mycorrhizae benefits Fact 21 – What do plants need to grow? Fact 22 – Utility installations and root pruning issues Fact 23 – Seedlings and susceptibility to pathogens Fact 24 – Bumblebees self-medicating! Fact 25 – Doesn't exist because I cannot count above 24. Fact 26 – Apical dominance Fact 27 – Fertilisation – is it good or bad? Fact 28 – The Black Poplar Fact 29 – Sporophore (fungal bracket) formation Fact 30 – Trees to regulate temperature Fact 31 – Honey fungus sporulation Fact 32 – Saproxylic insects Fact 33 – A video on photosynthesis Fact 34 – The pale tussock moth Fact 35 - Białowieża National Park, Poland Fact 36 – Reproductive growth in plants Fact 37 – How plants detect light and the birth of pigments Fact 38 – A more detailed look at light and photosynthesis Fact 39 – Adaptive growth in response to mechanical stimuli Fact 40 – Gravitropism / geotropism Fact 41 – Telepathic plants Fact 42 – Vernalisation Fact 43 – Phenotypic variation as a means of compartmentalisation Fact 44 – Responses by plants to herbivory Fact 45 – Monoecious and dioicous trees Fact 46 – Insects and flowers Fact 47 – Trees and crime rates Fact 48 – Branch shedding in more detail Fact 49 – Factors that influence cladoptosis Can a mod please edit my first post and permalink this post in the first post, so people can have easy access to this index? Cheers.

I don't have a source for horse chestnut, though from speaking with a colleague he remarked that they a tendency to drop big limbs. I know in Lonsdale's book he used a HC in the example for hazard beams in one of the pictures. I have seen a cracking (no pun) hazard beam in a willow and it has been there for years, however. It's flippin' wide, too. Considering the weight of the limb, I did laugh when, in a wind storm, another branch failed and not that one! If you're interested, 'A Handbook of Hardwoods' has details regarding the wood properties of many trees. There is another edition for softwoods too, entitled 'A Handbook of Softwoods', though it's a lot smaller as it covers fewer species. [ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NQ6BN7E?keywords=a%20handbook%20of%20hardwoods&qid=1443868017&ref_=sr_1_12&sr=8-12]A Handbook of Hardwoods: Amazon.co.uk: HMSO: Books[/ame]

In regards to summer branch drop - maybe. See the part about Ohio. The source cited by the book is however from 1902 (see here)! Hazard beams, as long as they remain 'moist' are less of a risk (by-and-large, though not always). If the wood dries out, the friction that builds up due to a lack of lubrication means failure is more of a risk. Hazard beams also depend on wood properties. Willow or horse chestnut - get them down, if the target area is bad. On oak, I have observed hazard beams in huge limbs that appear to have originated some time ago. Of course, ain internal fracture is exactly that, and that's not 'good' (from a safety perspective). Obviously one must weigh up the pros and cons of leaving it / removing it.

Buy the paperback new for £44! Hardback ones are all used as are quite expensive.

3/10/15. Fact #48.5. Factors impacting upon cladoptosis: Branch and twig abscission will occur as a result of an array of physiological and environmental factors: low vigour, water supply, age, and unique site factors. However, the relationship between these four main drivers is poorly understood. Typically, branches that abscise are weak and lack vigour. For illustrative purposes, insect or fungal infections may trigger a decline in vigour, in turn initiating cladoptosis. In Populus serotina, for example, twigs that arise from small buds and make poor growth are usually shed come autumn (fall). Further, if a branch produces a serious abundance of flowers year-on-year, internodal distances progressively reduce, photosynthesis of the branch is lessened, and the decline in 'carbohydrate budget' of the branch eventually is compromised - the branch is then abscised. In support of such a claim, Quercus alba have been observed to shed twigs with less distance between nodes and retain only the twigs with greater internodal spacing. Cladoptosis will also vary significantly with age. When young, Quercus alba will very rarely - if at all - shed any twigs. However, come maturity, twigs abscise frequently. The retention of leaves throughout winter on young specimens is throught to be a driver behind the lack of abscission. Cupressaceae species will also shed commonly in maturity, though not so before. This trend is bucked however by Castilla elastica (Panaman Rubber Tree), which sheds twigs frequently when young, though by maturity has developed branches that need not be shed. Relating to summer branch drop (potentially?), water deficits will also initiate cladoptosis. In very dry summers in Ohio for example, many angiosperms were observed to drop branches before 15th July - branches of the trees continued to abscise until - and even partially into - autumn. Ephedra sp. will for example shed branches as a defence mechanism against water stress - as will Araucaria araucana, when on thin, dry, sandy soils. Source: Millington, W. & Chaney, W. (1973) Shedding of Shoots and Branches. In Kozlowski, T. (ed.) Shedding of Plant Parts. USA: Academic Press.

Is the above too basic? I can grab some more 'specific' facts if you so desire.

3/10/15. Fact #48. The shedding of lateral twigs and branches is a frequently-observed phenomenon of woody plants, with many species of angiosperm and gymnosperm having the capacity to shed such laterals (among gymnosperms for instance, only Coniferales and Gnetales species are able to 'practice' cladoptosis - to expand, only 2 of the 9 genera of Pinaceae possess such an ability). Data available at the time of this book being written outlined two distinct mechanisms by which a branch may be shed: (1) physiological processes (cladoptosis) (2) an interaction of biotic and mechanical agents ('self-cleaning' or 'natural pruning') The physiological mechanism is much akin to how leaf abscission operates. Seperation of the branch from the adjoining structure occurs along well-defined 'cleavage zones' and is preceded by both the weakening of tissues local to the region and formation of a periderm. This process is known as cladoptosis, and typically only operates successfully for small branches and twigs - large branches may also be shed from the bole, however (of course, more infrequently). Interactions of biotic and mechanical agents, on the other hand, can be dubbed otherwise as 'self-cleaning' or 'natural pruning'. Particularly in dense stands (woodlands), branches lower on the bole often will die as a consequence of significant shading brought about by high levels of competition. These dead branches are colonised by fungal saprophytes and insects, which in time will decay, weaken, and eventually facilitate failure of the branch in loading conditions (rain, wind, snow, animal activity, or otherwise). Source: Millington, W. & Chaney, W. (1973) Shedding of Shoots and Branches. In Kozlowski, T. (ed.) Shedding of Plant Parts. USA: Academic Press.

Shall get some put up later then for you all. Cheers.

Shall do some reading of that tomorrow, then! Attached is my current book list, in case anyone wants specific facts or whatever. The file is in .xls. My Book List.xls

No fact today - I could post so many from the book I am reading (Plant Sensing & Communication), though I figured you're all tired of such facts as you're not discussing them much (I don't mean you, Paul!). I picked up the following books this week: - Shedding of Plant Parts (T. T. Kozlowski) - Sexual Reproduction of Tree Crops (Sedgeley & Griffin) - Japanese Flowering Cherries (W. Kuitert) - Fire in the Forest (Thomas & McAlpine) - The New Sylva So, does anyone want any facts from any of these?

I use Libre Office. It's great. Can save as a .doc file or whatever as well, or convert to PDF. Plus, it's free.

Ask the FC's Edinburgh station.

Indeed. It's very good.

Be sure to tune in for this one. Makes a change from the usual stuff aired!

Some copies are online... for £700!

01/10/15. Fact #47. Research indicates that larger canopy trees in particular can reduce crime rate (Donovan & Prestemon, 2012; Troy et al., 2012). Residents living in 'greener' areas on average report fewer 'incivilities', in addition to less aggressive and violent behavior (Nasar et al., 1993; Kuo & Sullivan, 2001). The mechanisms by which trees reduce crime are not particularly clear-cut, though one reason may be that trees encourage people to spend more time in public spaces, which in turn increases the probability that (potential) criminals are observed and / or deterred (Donovan & Prestemon, 2012), or alternatively because social ties in 'greener' areas are greater, which increases community cohesion and reduces the risk of crime inherently (Troy & Grove, 2008). However, if a tree, or group of trees, are not appropriately 'lifted', thereby possessing a 'shrubby' appearance towards the butt, they can provide visual screening and subsequently increase the risk of crime (Donovan & Prestemon, 2012). Sources: Donovan, G. & Prestemon, J. (2012) The effect of trees on crime in Portland, Oregon. Environment and Behavior. 44 (1). p3-30. Kuo, F. & Sullivan, W. (2001) Environment and crime in the inner city: does vegetation reduce crime?. Environment and Behaviour. 33 (3). p343-367. Nasar, J., Fisher, B., & Grannis, M. (1993) Proximate physical cues to fear of crime. Landscape and Urban Planning. 26 (1). p161-178. Troy, A. Grove, J. (2008) Property values, parks, and crime: A hedonic analysis in Baltimore, MD. Landscape and Urban Planning. 87 (3). p233-245. Troy, A., Grove, J., & O’Neil-Dunne, J. (2012) The relationship between tree canopy and crime rates across an urban–rural gradient in the greater Baltimore region. Landscape and Urban Planning. 106 (3). p262-270.

Yep! Flowers will have ultraviolet 'nectar guides' to help bees find the nectar, in many instances.

Ahem. I think you'll find that's a copper beech.