Crown reduction pruning is a valuable technique used to decrease the overall size of a tree's crown while maintaining its natural shape. It's different from topping, a harmful practice that indiscriminately hacks off the top of the tree, leading to weak regrowth and decay. Proper crown reduction requires skill and an understanding of tree biology to ensure the tree's long-term health and structural integrity. There are several techniques arborists use to achieve effective crown reduction.
One common method is drop-crotching, which involves removing smaller branches back to a larger lateral branch lower down in the crown. This reduces the overall height and spread of the crown without creating the stubs and large wounds associated with topping. It mimics natural branch shedding and encourages a more balanced and compact crown. Choosing the right lateral branch for the cut is crucial, as it becomes the new terminal and dictates future growth.
Another technique is thinning, which selectively removes branches throughout the crown to reduce density. Thinning improves light penetration and air circulation, reducing the risk of wind damage and disease. It's important to avoid removing too many branches in one go, as this can stress the tree. Thinning cuts are typically made at the branch collar, the slightly swollen area where a branch joins a larger one, promoting faster healing.
Reduction cuts, sometimes called lateral branch reduction, shorten a branch by removing a portion of its length back to a smaller lateral. This technique is useful for reducing the length of individual branches that are encroaching on structures or power lines. Similar to drop-crotching, the lateral branch selected should be large enough to assume the terminal role and ideally be oriented in a direction that favors the desired shape of the tree.
Regardless of the specific technique used, proper crown reduction requires careful planning and execution. A qualified arborist can assess the tree's health, structure, and surrounding environment to determine the most appropriate approach. They have the knowledge and equipment to make precise cuts that minimize stress on the tree and promote healthy regrowth. By employing these techniques correctly, arborists can effectively manage tree size while preserving their natural beauty and extending their lifespan.
Crown reduction is a tree pruning technique that reduces the overall size of a tree's crown, but maintains its natural shape. While it might seem drastic, it offers a range of benefits for both the tree and its surroundings.
One key advantage is improved tree health. By removing dead, diseased, or weak branches, crown reduction reduces the strain on the tree, making it less susceptible to pests and diseases. It also improves air circulation within the canopy, further discouraging fungal growth. Think of it like a haircut for your tree, keeping it tidy and promoting healthy growth.
Another benefit is reducing the risk of storm damage. A smaller, more compact crown presents less resistance to strong winds, making it less likely to be uprooted or suffer broken branches during storms. This is particularly important for trees located near buildings or power lines. By proactively reducing the crown, you're safeguarding your property and minimizing potential hazards.
Crown reduction can also enhance sunlight penetration and air movement around the tree. This can be beneficial for the surrounding landscape, allowing more light to reach understory plants and improving grass growth. It can even improve views from your home by selectively removing branches that obstruct sightlines.
Finally, crown reduction can improve the overall aesthetics of a tree. By carefully shaping the crown, you can enhance its natural form and create a more balanced and pleasing appearance. This can significantly improve the curb appeal of your property and create a more inviting outdoor space.
In summary, crown reduction, when performed correctly by a qualified arborist, offers a multitude of benefits, including improved tree health, reduced storm damage risk, enhanced light and air penetration, and improved aesthetics. It's an investment in the long-term health and beauty of your trees and surrounding landscape.
Crown reduction, while a common tree pruning practice, isn't without its potential downsides. While it can address specific issues like reducing height or width, improving light penetration, and mitigating storm damage risk, it's crucial to understand the possible drawbacks before undertaking such a procedure.
One significant risk is the creation of large wounds, particularly when improper techniques are employed. Overly aggressive crown reduction, sometimes referred to as "topping," can leave behind stubs that are difficult for the tree to compartmentalize, making it vulnerable to decay, disease, and insect infestation. These large wounds also disfigure the tree, impacting its aesthetic appeal and potentially shortening its lifespan.
Another drawback is the potential for excessive regrowth. When a tree is heavily pruned, it often responds by producing a flurry of new, weakly attached branches, sometimes called "water sprouts." These sprouts are prone to breakage in wind or snow, creating a hazard and necessitating further pruning down the line. This can lead to a cycle of pruning and regrowth, ultimately weakening the tree.
Furthermore, crown reduction can stress the tree, particularly if it's performed during the wrong season or if the tree is already weakened by other factors like drought or disease. This stress can make the tree more susceptible to pests and diseases, further compromising its health.
Finally, improper crown reduction can negatively impact the tree's natural form and structure. A poorly executed reduction can leave the tree looking unbalanced and unnatural, detracting from its beauty and potentially affecting its overall stability.
Therefore, while crown reduction can be a beneficial practice when done correctly, it's essential to weigh the potential drawbacks and risks carefully. Hiring a qualified and experienced arborist is crucial to ensure the procedure is carried out properly, minimizing the risks and maximizing the benefits for the tree's long-term health and aesthetic appeal.
Crown reduction, a pruning technique that reduces a tree's height and spread, can be a valuable tool, but it's not always the right solution. Knowing when to consider – and just as importantly, when to avoid – this significant pruning practice is crucial for the long-term health and aesthetic appeal of your trees.
Crown reduction is a good option when a tree has outgrown its allotted space, posing a risk to nearby structures, power lines, or even the tree itself due to excessive weight in the crown. It can also be beneficial for improving light penetration and air circulation, which can be helpful in a crowded landscape or to reduce the risk of wind damage. Similarly, if a tree has suffered storm damage or has structural weaknesses, crown reduction can help to restore balance and prevent further damage. Finally, it can sometimes improve the overall shape and appearance of a tree that has become unbalanced or overgrown.
However, crown reduction should be avoided if simpler pruning methods, like thinning or raising the canopy, could achieve the desired outcome. These less invasive techniques often cause less stress to the tree. Never use crown reduction simply to make a tree fit under low-hanging wires – this often leads to "lion's tailing," a harmful practice that leaves bare branches vulnerable to sunscald and weakens the tree's structure, making it more susceptible to breakage. Additionally, avoid crown reduction on young trees, as their structure is still developing, and heavy pruning can disrupt their growth. Finally, certain tree species, like maples and beeches, are particularly prone to stress and disease after heavy pruning and may be poor candidates for crown reduction.
Ultimately, the decision to undertake crown reduction should be made carefully and in consultation with a qualified arborist. They can assess the tree's health, structure, and surrounding environment to determine the most appropriate course of action, ensuring the long-term health and beauty of your trees.
Tree care is the application of arboricultural methods like pruning, trimming, and felling/thinning[1] in built environments. Road verge, greenways, backyard and park woody vegetation are at the center of attention for the tree care industry. Landscape architecture and urban forestry[2][3] also set high demands on professional tree care. High safety standards against the dangers of tree care have helped the industry evolve. Especially felling in space-limited environments poses significant risks: the vicinity of power or telephone lines, insufficient protective gear (against falling dead wood, chainsaw wounds, etc.) and narrow felling zones with endangered nearby buildings, parking cars, etc.. The required equipment and experience usually transcends private means and is often considered too costly as a permanent part of the public infrastructure. In singular cases, traditional tools like handsaws may suffice, but large-scale tree care usually calls for heavy machinery like cranes, bucket trucks, harvesters, and woodchippers.
Road side trees are especially prone to abiotic stress by exhaust fumes, toxic road debris, soil compaction, and drought which makes them susceptible to fungal infections and various plant pests[4] like the spotted lantern fly.[5] When tree removal is not an option, because of road ecology considerations, the main challenge is to achieve road safety (visibility of road signs, blockage-free lanes, etc.) while maintaining tree health.
While the perceived risk of death by falling trees (a part of the "tree risk" complex) is influenced by media and often hyped (the objective risk has been reported to be close to 1 : 10.000.000, almost as low as death by lightning),[6] singular events have encouraged a "proactive" stance so that even lightly damaged trees are likely to be removed in urban and public traffic surroundings.[3] As a tree ages and nears the end of its safe useful life expectancy (SULE),[7] its perceived amenity value is decreased greatly. A risk assessment normally carried out by local council's arborist to determine the best course of action.[8][9] As with all public green spaces, trees in green urban spaces and their careful conservation is sometimes in conflict with aggressive urban development even though it is often understood how urban trees contribute to liveability of suburbs and cities both objectively (reduction of urban heat island effect, etc.) and subjectively.[10][11][12][13] Tree planting programs implemented by a growing number of cities, local councils and organizations is mitigating the losses and in most cases increasing the number of trees in suburbia.[14] Programs include the planting of 2 trees for every 1 tree removed, while some councils are paying land owners to keep trees instead of removing them for farming or construction.[15]
The voluntary industry consensus standards developed by TCIA, resulted in the ANSI A300 standard, the generally accepted industry standard for tree care practices including trees, shrubs, and other woody plants.[16] It includes the following parts:
Urban Forestry maintains 4.1 million trees on public property, which includes an estimated 3.5 million trees within Toronto's parks and ravines, and approximately 600,000 trees on City streets. ... The focus of our maintenance service is shifting progressively from reactive maintenance to proactive maintenance.
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Ho Chi Minh City has announced a plan to move and cut down 300 trees on Ton Duc Thang Street in District 1 to make space for a bridge connecting to District 2 and a metro station.
Arboriculture (/ˈɑËÂÂÂrbÉ™rɪˌkÊŒltʃər, É‘ËÂÂÂrˈbÉâ€ÂÂËÂÂÂr-/)[1] is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants. The science of arboriculture studies how these plants grow and respond to cultural practices and to their environment. The practice of arboriculture includes cultural techniques such as selection, planting, training, fertilization, pest and pathogen control, pruning, shaping, and removal.
A person who practices or studies arboriculture can be termed an arborist or an arboriculturist. A tree surgeon is more typically someone who is trained in the physical maintenance and manipulation of trees and therefore more a part of the arboriculture process rather than an arborist. Risk management, legal issues, and aesthetic considerations have come to play prominent roles in the practice of arboriculture. Businesses often need to hire arboriculturists to complete "tree hazard surveys" and generally manage the trees on-site to fulfill occupational safety and health obligations.[citation needed]
Arboriculture is primarily focused on individual woody plants and trees maintained for permanent landscape and amenity purposes, usually in gardens, parks or other populated settings, by arborists, for the enjoyment, protection, and benefit of people.[citation needed]
Arboricultural matters are also considered to be within the practice of urban forestry yet the clear and separate divisions are not distinct or discreet.[citation needed]
Tree benefits are the economic, ecological, social and aesthetic use, function purpose, or services of a tree (or group of trees), in its situational context in the landscape.
A tree defect is any feature, condition, or deformity of a tree that indicates weak structure or instability that could contribute to tree failure.
Common types of tree defects:
Codominant stems: two or more stems that grow upward from a single point of origin and compete with one another.
Included bark: bark is incorporated in the joint between two limbs, creating a weak attachment
Dead, diseased, or broken branches:
Cracks
Cavity and hollows: sunken or open areas wherein a tree has suffered injury followed by decay. Further indications include: fungal fruiting structures, insect or animal nests.
Lean: a lean of more than 40% from vertical presents a risk of tree failure
Taper: change in diameter over the length of trunks branches and roots
Epicormic branches (water sprouts in canopy or suckers from root system): often grow in response to major damage or excessive pruning
Roots:
Proper tree installation ensures the long-term viability of the tree and reduces the risk of tree failure.
Quality nursery stock must be used. There must be no visible damage or sign of disease. Ideally the tree should have good crown structure. A healthy root ball should not have circling roots and new fibrous roots should be present at the soil perimeter. Girdling or circling roots should be pruned out. Excess soil above the root flare should be removed immediately, since it presents a risk of disease ingress into the trunk.
Appropriate time of year to plant: generally fall or early spring in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere.
Planting hole: the planting hole should be 3 times the width of the root ball. The hole should be dug deep enough that when the root ball is placed on the substrate, the root flare is 3–5cm above the surrounding soil grade. If soil is left against the trunk, it may lead to bark, cambium and wood decay. Angular sides to the planting hole will encourage roots to grow radially from the trunk, rather than circling the planting hole. In urban settings, soil preparation may include the use of:
Tree wells: a zone of mulch can be installed around the tree trunk to: limit root zone competition (from turf or weeds), reduce soil compaction, improve soil structure, conserve moisture, and keep lawn equipment at a distance. No more than 5–10cm of mulch should be used to avoid suffocating the roots. Mulch must be kept approximately 20cm from the trunk to avoid burying the root flare. With city trees additional tree well preparation includes:
Tree grates/grill and frames: limit compaction on root zone and mechanical damage to roots and trunk
Root barriers: forces roots to grow down under surface asphalt/concrete/pavers to limit infrastructure damage from roots
Staking: newly planted, immature trees should be staked for one growing season to allow for the root system to establish. Staking for longer than one season should only be considered in situations where the root system has failed to establish sufficient structural support. Guy wires can be used for larger, newly planted trees. Care must be used to avoid stem girdling from the support system ties.
Irrigation: irrigation infrastructure may be installed to ensure a regular water supply throughout the lifetime of the tree. Wicking beds are an underground reservoir from which water is wicked into soil. Watering bags may be temporarily installed around tree stakes to provide water until the root system becomes established. Permeable paving allows for water infiltration in paved urban settings, such as parks and walkways.
Within the United Kingdom trees are considered as a material consideration within the town planning system and may be conserved as amenity landscape[2] features.
The role of the Arborist or Local Government Arboricultural Officer is likely to have a great effect on such matters. Identification of trees of high quality which may have extensive longevity is a key element in the preservation of trees.
Urban and rural trees may benefit from statutory protection under the Town and Country Planning[3] system. Such protection can result in the conservation and improvement of the urban forest as well as rural settlements.
Historically the profession divides into the operational and professional areas. These might be further subdivided into the private and public sectors. The profession is broadly considered as having one trade body known as the Arboricultural Association, although the Institute of Chartered Foresters offers a route for professional recognition and chartered arboriculturist status.
The qualifications associated with the industry range from vocational to Doctorate. Arboriculture is a comparatively young industry.