Reduction tree pruning & revisit after 1 year : How would you have pruned it?
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- Опубликовано: 24 авг 2024
- Dan is called in to prune a Robinia pseudoacacia tree, with the aim of reducing the tree so that it can be maintained on a 3-4 yearly cycle. Due to the small rear garden and limited space, the goal is to never let the tree get larger than it is prior to pruning.
Dan explains his plan and approach to the pruning work, you will see the choices he makes as he prunes the tree, and finally Dan will revisits the property 1 year on to see the results and response from the tree.
#ClimbingArborist #Arborist #TreePruning
Revisiting trees that we prune is such a valuable learning tool for any arborist. We get to see how different species react to different types of pruning, and we can then use this knowledge for future pruning.
We hope to compile more and more of this type of video in which we revisit the property and discuss the response from the tree.
What an awesome video concept! Thank you for doing this.
Thanks for going back to show us. Yes, sent quite a few shoots, but an hour climb to nip them out isn't that bad. Better than straight topping it! I think you made a good compromise with clients wants vs. best pruning practices.
Yeah, pruning the 1 year old shoots would be the best thing and hopefully the tree won't keep putting them out at the same rate
my first thought was the shoots. but yes good compromise in the end
I like the honestly and transparency, although being experienced showing the ongoing learning process. I was actually looking for another video but this your video was so interesting so I kept looking!
Glad you liked this one Johan!
I have a concept that I learned from the Aesthetic Pruners down in the Bay Area (CA) which theorizes that pruning a deciduous tree at the end of its growing season (as opposed to winter/dormancy) while it still has some live foliage will reduce the amount of photosynthate that will be stored in the tree for the next growing season.
The logic being that if one waited until winter/dormancy to prune the tree, the photosynthate is already fixed in storage. Hence any pruning done in dormancy will essentially remove avenues (branches) that the fixed energy has to disperse itself outward in the spring. But, the AMOUNT of energy is already fixed from the previous season and it has less pathways to release it into.
Hence, a large amount of shoots/sprouts that might not be there if the pruning was done at the end of the previous growing season. (Lessor amount of branches, lessor amount of stored energy)
Just a thought.
As you know and as we all know (talking about professional Arborists), tree toping or crown reduction is bad for the health of a tree ( i guess we all have had to explain it time and time again to far to many clients). That being said, when you have no choice and have to do this kind of triming, it is better to cut bigger limbs instead of doing a hole bunch of smaller cuts (located in the same area of the crown). In doing so, you will see lesser dead wood appear during the following years. Meaning that when a limb shows alot of cuts here and there, there are more chances that the sap won't be able to run up to the end of that branche. Other point: we must try our best not to over prune like you said (20 to 25% max. Leaving at least 2 years of growth before you prune it again). I learn alot about pruning trees over 22 years. I also have had the chance to prune the same trees 3 times in a 15 to 16 years time line (different trees and different species too). I tell you that sure helped me learn alot about how a tree reacts after pruning. I took alot of pictures too. Take care man !
Great video with honest discussion on reduction, client's goals etc. - our industry needs more of this! I think the general problem is communication or lack of understanding, mainly on the clients side, on the long term results. Removing the perimeter on mature/semi-mature trees I think is always a gamble, opening a closed canopy to lots of sunlight, especially on species with high growth rates. Therefore I would never reduce the whole crown on a mature tree as I think it generally is bad for the tree, introducing risk of epicormic growth that could potentially lead to a weaker structure then the original one, if not maintained, as well as putting a lot of stress on the tree. It's also a bit like cabling trees where you leave all the responsibility for maintaining it on somebody that doesn't understand the implications. Like this video demonstrates, pruning too hard could mean removing a pretty good branch structure, replacing it with a weaker and less wind resilient one that requires lots of follow-up maintenance.
Dani M thank you for your thoughtful and detailed comment. No I have seen the result of this pruning job I believe it will change the way I approach many future jobs, and also how I articulate the reasons of how I will prune to my clients.
Good on you for the post! Love this content. I usually suggest to my clients that if they don't like the hight they should remove and replace. I will do crown restrictions but let them know that I will have to be back very soon to continue reducing. You did an awesome job, don't think it would be possible to reduce that tree any other way.
This is the type of work I admire the most because you can really test your skills this way very good my brother always love to see you teaching the people
Thanks for posting this. I think you did a great job trying to stay within the realm of proper pruning and meeting the client’s wishes. If you’d pruned lighter, the client may not have been satisfied with the amount of reduction.
Better someone like you pruned the tree than some hack coming in and just topping it. At least the tree still has a decent branch structure to work with for future maintenance. That is the key here in my opinion. The tree is still maintainable but will just require more frequent pruning to keep it under control. Black locust is quite hardy and this one should be fine in terms of health.
If the options are to either do what you did or remove the tree then clearly the pruning is the better option. 👍👍
I just finished a course on fruit tree winter pruning and it made me think of this video. I hadn't considered this with structural pruning, but they teach that winter pruning stimulates vigorous growth, which seems like what's happened here.
Wow, that was very interesting. Love how safety conscious you are.
Thank you 🙏 safety is highest priority
Thanks for the INTRO my friend..
Sometimes even after you explain to the client that topping may kill the trees, they INSIST on topping as much as possible..
You did a great job on the crown reduction!💯🌳
From Las Vegas, Nevada
Time of year of pruning is going to affect the amount of resprouting due to sunlight infiltration to the final cut sights. In this instance lots of sunlight stimulation before foliage increased the sprouting As expected, the bulk of the sprouting occurred at crown top where sunlight stimulation was greatest. A reduction of sprouting could be expected if trimmed after leaf out and if final cuts were selectively deeper to provide more shading of cuts if those cuts could be made to promote or not eliminate a strong central leader. To a greater or lesser extent periodic retrimming to select most most viable sprouts will always be needed. As long as the customer is informed and realizes that in the case of reductions periodic and continued maintenance is required to ensure desired results and continued tree vitality. Good informational video. Keep up the good work in the trees and on the informational front.
Hand pruners up in a tree.. I've never seen that. Professional!
Awsome I always try go back past my work
Hey Dan, if you go back to this job to reduce the vertical shoots definitely keep taking footage of it's progress! It would be great to see how it continues to play out over time, even if you thought you got it wrong and went a little heavy. I'm not experienced enough to say what I would've done, really. I think you did a good job. Continual maintenance is to be expected, maybe give them a deal on coming back to reduce the new shoots.
I will be returning this year (later in the summer) to prune out these new shoots, so I will continue to document this tree as and when I prune it. Thanks for watching
How did it turn out? I’m very curious about this; as I’ve performed very similar work without considering keeping track of property to review at a later time.
Excellent work Dan. You achieved a great compromise between tree and client. Thanks for sharing and the reminder of how valuable it is to revisit trees that one has pruned. 👊🏽
Anthony Williams thanks dude, definitely was a great learning experience from my point of view
It all comes back to the right tree in the right place..so hard to accomplish a customer's goals sometimes. Thanks for the info.
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Also ever single tree even the same specie's of trees are gonna handle change kinda differently so it makes it kinda difficult to predict how every tree is gonna respond but it's awesome to learn from watching trees react to different things.cheers dude
Thanks for your comments which are very true, cheers dude
Massive hats off to you! good reflective video
I aim to do a follow up on this video, I pruned the regrowth down again this summer and will do a follow up next summer to see how it responds
@@ClimbingArborist sir, may I ask what country you are based?
Anthony Gibson Vancouver, Canada 🇨🇦
The start of this video reminded me of listening to my aunt talking about the back and forth between her clients wishes and how she Incorporated that into her work as a hairdresser. You can't always do just what the clients say. You have to guide them and use your better judgement because truthfully most have no idea what looks good and works. If you do it their way to the letter it ends up looking terrible and they're gonna blame you for a bad prune.
I think another important point we could add to this topic is knowing when to walk away. If you can’t make a reasonable compromise that is within proper pruning practices and the client is set on what they want, being able to turn the job down. At least for me personally. I’m not willing to compromise on my integrity and do something that I know is wrong just because that is what the client wants, doesn’t matter how profitable the job is.
I'm currently having an ongoing discussion re a plane tree on a housing estate that one home owner wants massacred. My reasoning with the managing agent currently goes along the line of "if I were an electrician or a gas engineer would you bend to whatever bat shit crazy idea the one home owner has about the way things should be done?" At the end of the day as a tree professional you have a wealth of experience to draw from and will always be mindful of the effect that your work will have on the tree you're working on.
I may well use this video as part of my ongoing conversation, so thanks for posting.
I understand what you mean, but your example isn't really a direct comparison. Plumber and electrician are usually called in to fix a problem (unless fitting out new houses). The end goal is to fix the problem. As arborists we are called in for a variety of different reasons, some of the time the reason for pruning is for the clients personal preference, their view of how trees should be, how they like to see the tree in there garden etc...
Feel free to use this video as an example to show your client @@christiansmith4911
I personally see that as one of the biggest challenges of our job - what client wants vs. best practice and what is good for the tree, persuading the clients is really tough, in my experience they often want to go even more aggressive - why would they maintain it in 3-4 years cycle, if they (in their mind) can do it in 10 years cycle, and cut the tree by half :( such conversations are really difficult and sometimes you walk away without the job - I am not sure if this is a case for others, but I'd appreciate some discussion on that. In this particular case - what arguments would you use to persuade the client to make the pruning lighter when his goal is to reduce the tree as he wants?
Pleasing a client can be challenging in certain situations and compromises sometimes are needed. I think you did a great job!
Josh Mullinnex thanks Josh, but honestly I don’t think it was a great job now that I’ve seen the response from the tree
@@ClimbingArborist I can't stand when certain trees vigorously sprout from even minimal pruning. We only can do what we feel is best for the client and the tree. I enjoy your videos thank you👍🤙from Naches Wa
Nice results. It's almost exactly what I would have done, and like you, I'd be surprised and a little disappointed with all the new whips. Still - absolutely the correct approach considering the objective. Not a criticism, but I'll usually make many of those cuts with an MS150 just to speed things up.
Appreciate the content very much. Looking forward to making a version of your knee ascender.
Cheers.
Good video my friend
For what it is you did what had to be done. Very nice crown reduction btw. I guess you created your own job security as long as the client calls you to come back. Maintenance after a hard prune is almost inevitable. I myself as an owner operator have lost jobs for telling people I will not top a tree and try to explain a reduction. I drive by weeks later and it’s a coat rack. Then spring hits and every limb is a crazy Pom Pom. Sad stuff. Great job on the before and after video and thanks for doing it!
TREEdiculous thanks for the comments bud. Certainly lessons to be learnt from this job for me
It takes some cajones to post something like this... you knowingly did a bit more of an aggressive reduction than you probably wanted to, due to the client's wishes, and the tree's reaction is honestly more than most arborists would have expected. I've came out of a tree before, after having meticulously reduced the canopy with an 8ft pole pruner for 4-5 hours, only to have Joe Blow force me back up the tree to make aggressive reduction cuts to the next set of laterals because its 'not short enough.'
Another lesson that can be taken from this is to ensure appropriate species selection at time of planting for the size of the yard and proximity to structures and other targets. This eliminates many of the costly and damaging processes that occur decades down the line.
I know exactly what you mean. Hope having this video to show potential clients who are wanting future pruning will be a good tool to deter them
I reduced an ash tree as much as I possibly could. The client comes out outraged saying “that’s not what I’m paying for”
Had to go up there and basically butcher the tree to her liking...
great learning tool, thanks
Very interesting video, as this tree seems to be a North American native commonly known here as Black locust. It is a succession species here and crops up in pastures and along roadsides. It is rare to see a Black locust attain the size and age of the one you are working on because borer beetles or something else takes them out. A big one, if still standing unbroken, is commonly riddled with holes where bluebirds nest. I wonder if Europe didn't import the pests along with this species? I've often lamented that a tree with such virtues does not become one of our great shade trees in America. But it does pave the way for longer lasting trees.
Good job Dan. This is difficult work, requiring as you say experience and care. Urban pruning differs from rural, and additional references to hedging could be interesting. I relate tree height to roof height because of the need to avoid falling litter from trees on the roof and in the gutter. In rural France trees are commonly felled for firewood, a significant saving on the winter fuel bill.
Wow very good info I just did a prune on a tree that had been getting pruned the wrong ways for quite some time and I took off Alot of limbs and I'm curious now if I made the right choice I'm going to do what you did and revisit the tree in some time also
Thank you for making this. These are exactly the types of obscure scenarios that lose productivity on our crews.
Good video Dan! Good job!
Awesome brother...attention to detail💪🏽😎👍🏽
Good work overall. The reaction is what I would expect, especially given good health combined with complete crown reduction. Basically, this is a hybrid of pollarding and reduction, not topping as some might suggest. It could be similar to pollarding if it’s done every 1-3 years and probably every year at first or ongoing. The other option is to allow some growth in height, and limit only width, which might mitigate the severity of the response growth. I find the request is “smaller” while pruning the crown “narrower” achieves the goal more efficiently.
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Great, informative video. I think we are up against it with pruning Acacia any time of year, pruned a big one 3 years ago for a regular customer in November and it went berserk. Have trimmed the new suckers off it for the last two years but at different times and it’s made no difference to the amount or speed of growth.
Like you rightly said it’s coming to a compromise between what the customer wants and what’s best for the tree. If a customer wants a hard reduction I always try and talk them into having it out completely rather than driving past it a year later looking like a troll doll.
Thanks for your comment especially as you have experience in a very similar situation. I have already contacted my client and let her know I will be back to prune out the eppicormic shoots in summer this year. This will make for a great ongoing video series as I manage this tree and see how it reacts..
Love the term "berserk" my mother says that all the time!
You did a real nice job, I had to go way beyond crown reduction on last reduction job I did but it was in line with an approach to airport runway.
Good man👍🏼
Robinia pseudoacacia it's an invasive tree in Italy where I live. Some says that it was firstly planted in the early stages of telephone industry (cause poles were needed in rapid time) around a century ago.
For my knowledge (and surely for my English) it's difficult to tell you how, here, we manage this species... it's not our first choice for a garden perhaps.
Yes, it emits a lot of water sprouts, if you cut down ones ( mainly to regain space in abandoned lands) be prepared to start the lawnmower, cause roots can produces for years. I've managed some plants, from ground, (according to University studies) to literally "suck" the energy on a 3 foot stump, where sprouts were encouraged and chopped for several years, before the actual cut down was made.
In synthesis, they grows fast, skinnies, and (more important) can brake branches in windy days. I've seen a foot diameter trunck slipped in half from base to 6 feet high on leaning trees in the forest still alive. It's a beast!
For your case I suggest to eliminate 2 thirds of the vertical water sprouts avoiding any other operation.... but that can be too gentle. 🌿
In the end it usually comes down to risk and economic assessment... you clearly have an awesome client there.
Great follow up. I try to persuade the client first but often meet in the middle. However, I will pass if they want me to do something detrimental to the tree - my follow up question to those clients is "why not remove it then?"
Your cuts looked spot on, but It is hard to tell how much of the canopy was actually reduced. As others pointed out, fall and winter pruning encourages vigor. Summer might have been better. Also, it appears that the lower limbs had been removed early on when the tree was very young. Nonetheless, some trees, like Morus alba (mulberry) here in CA, just push epicormic shoots...I swear that after a cut they can push 3' long growth in a blink of an eye.
Thanks for your comment Shane. Seeing the response from the tree is a huge learning tool, and now I have something to show clients if they want harder pruning, hopefully this can make people listen a little more
I would have done it the same way . Maybe trying some summer prunning for less sprouts? Good job keep safe collegue
I think time of year certainly had a role to play in the huge response of shoots in the short term. Having thought more about it, April pruning I would expect a large surge in hormones related to tip expansion (auxin / gibberellins) due to local weather conditions. So this was a poor choice on my part.
That's really interesting dude. Very, very interesting. I like this type of video and I hope you will do tohers like this.
Here in Italy, Robinia pseudoacacia isn't a very common ornamentla species, at least ones on public areas maintained casually for incurance of the area itself. We have a lot of pink flowers cultivar on public streets but they are pretty small and the common pruning on them is cut on too large diameter. It cause a kind of premature senescense.
Anyway, Robinia is a pioneer species and its capacity of sprout from roots and from coppice is formidable. As formidable that cause invasive problem here (but it's also a good thing because we can coppice Robinia's woods instead of autoctone forests without managing problems). Also your Robinia here look like an old one (here in Italy, in the woods, they start to grow old and perish in 25-30 years and it is a tecniques to let them vanish and restart with autoctone species) and i though you were pruning too much in the video, because on this species i aspected this kind of react, maybe bacause you cause a rejuvenation exatly like when you coppice this son-of-a-bitch-sprouts-trees from the base...
I also seen this kind of react on some very tall and old plane... I though in this way i will keep the trees at the haight i wanted but this winter, without leaves, I could see this fuckind sprouts on the top even if I respected the 1/3-diameter-rules! :O On older trees is better to prune as less as we can imho.
The truth is that this Robinia's tree has to be pruned in this way some years ago xD
Keep on with your videos I really love them:
Greetings from Canavese, north Italy.
Gabriel Trogolo thanks for your in-depth comments, and knowledge with similar species and pruning. This certainly is a learning experience for me and I thought it would be very valuable to share with others.
Customers can be quite difficult to come to a compromise with. Just yesterday I had one thats adding a new floor over her garage so she asked me to do some roof clearance and extremely bad ball moss removal, probably the worst infestation ive ever seen. The moss was choking out probably about 70% of the sun from the lower branches. But anyway. We had agreed to leave as much green as possible but there was one branch that was maybe a consistent 3 inched in diameter that spanned about 25 to 30 feet in a cork screw fashion and the there was a small amount of green trying to peak through at the tip. Plus the branch spanned right over the area her kids play every day and was over her gutter and kids bedroom window. I ended up having to climb up and show her how much flex the branch had with very little force. Then explain to imagine it in a severe wind and hail storm which we have all the time here. Finally was able to talk her into letting me cut it back over 15 feet to the first lateral branch. It only took about half the day back and forth with her to finally let me cut it. Thankfully I was still tied into the same final tie in and able to just work my way back to it by then.
wow. they grew really fast.
They certainly did, much more than I expected
Dan, thanks for this report! Please show how do you store your pruners on a harness (use sheaths or smth)? I also see your felco is taped with smth green, what is it for?
thanks for posting this dan. better value to the client to remove and replace with a species that grows within the space the client wants filled, then do this type of reduction pruning, imo.
I agree, but the local municipality won’t issue a permit for it’s removal
I am not an arborist but I have two small Robinia trees (20 ft maybe 4 years old) that I think I'd like to remove before they become a problem. All my research is telling me that pulling them up and disturbing the roots causes them to sucker profusely all along the root that can extend twice the distance of the height of the tree. Any pruning or root damage causes the tree to grow back or sucker vigorously . I came across this video trying to learn how to remove the trees without them becoming monsters. I think this pruning is a good example of the this species' response to pruning or damage and they are considered invasive due to it's vigor and spread. I wish information like the toxicity of the plant and the difficulty removing it was made available on the tree nursery sites so homeowners can make better decisions. I wish I could find an arborist like Dan to help me figure out how to get these trees to disappear without any crazy regrowth. They are beautiful but troublesome trees, unfortunately.
As an orchard farmer I’ve found the time of year pruning is done really changes how a tree reacts. You pruned when it was dormant. I think it potentially could have reacted completely different if you pruned a different time of year. Something to consider. Big fan thanks for the hard work
I think the pruning was ok Dan, as you ask in the video how much less pruning give you the certain that you wouldn't have that amount of sprouts?
I think that if you explain to the client that the job probably will need a sprouts reduction the next year is ok👍
Great video! Do you think the time of year had something to do with it? I do most of my pruning in the UK in summer and try to minimise reductions in spring the most. Never pruned a robinia before so not sure.
I think time of year certainly had a role to play in the huge response of shoots in the short term. Having thought more about it, April pruning I would expect a large surge in hormones related to tip expansion (auxin / gibberellins) due to local weather conditions. So this was a poor choice on my part.
When we want to control the response of the tree we prune at summer. The tree is more responsive during the winter.
I learned that when you cut a branche, don't exceed 50% percent of the diameter, that's why the tree made this rejects.
Nice vidéo !
Great videos . Hello from Torrance California
Thanks
That Tie-In-Point freaked me out big time. Have you considered adding a fimble in between the two branches? Having it set up as a V-Rig, would change the direction of the load on the limb at the back to a downward direction. This would compress the fibres of the branch rather than elongate the fibres on the back side as the branch pulls inward.
The species gave me confidence in the tie in point. But yes, having a centre ring on the fiction saver to go through and creating more downward force would have been a better option
I’m just getting back into the tree climbing/Arborist work. I’m by no means an expert in this field. However, I have climbed and fell a few trees. (I have heavy machinery moving experience and dropped/erected silos.)
While tree removal can have it’s issues in tight places. Pruning takes a very different kind consideration in addition to not damaging property. You’re correct in saying it was reduce little to much, hence the sprouts. The tree will want to return to its original size. Some trees will sprout just by pulling out a saw and looking at it. As a rule of thumb, no more then 25% of the foliage should be removed in one season. With the exception of the 3 “d’s”, not part of the 25% of the pruning budget.
I think before and after picture are great teaching tools to what happens to trees (species dependent). Especially after a few years of growth. Not enough of them on the internet.
Most people think trees are like hair and believe it will grown back to a similar shape. Trees will grow to it’s pre determined size and shape for its species, theirs no stopping it. You can shape it and guide its growth but even that’s up for debate. I’m noticing more in Vancouver, a lot of trees are “mal pruned” and are done for either utility clearance or structural clearance. I question why trees are planted in some places because as a mature tree it ain’t going to fit. More consideration should put in to the type and location of the tree. Proper structural pruning should done EARLY in the trees life. Usually not the case when they call the Arborists.
Regardless, I enjoy your videos and would like to meet with you. I’m in the Vancouver area as well.
I agree with you, trees should always be chosen with a well thought out plan before planting, but in the case of private residence, properties change hands often, and people have different ideas about their trees, this is where some of those blurred lines are. Email me and we can meet up at some point if you're in Van
My teacher billy ray👍👍👌
I think in this scenario our company would have to take a stand and advise reductions away from the house only. Hypothetically speaking that is if we knew this robinia was growing to have so much epicormic growth. The tree looked great before you began and the pruning looked excellent afterwards. I’d say make a note for your sales rep and only sell light reductions for robinia. Otherwise recommend another arborist.
In hindsight, seeing the trees response, I may have done the same, or done a much lighter prune, which would still probably forced a reaction from the tree. Now I have this video to show future clients that want to argue about how much they want their tree pruned.
Hey you mention strength of wood, can you tell us what you consider a "weak" species of wood when considering anchor points, im in the UK btw, cheers.
As a tree service owner, I will try to persuade the client not to top and explain what will happen if they pursue this harsh approach. Also, over the long run will cost more in maintenance than light pruning. Will explain that the tree will grow slower with natural canopy growth. But, if all else fails I will top the hell out their trees.
That is great !tell customer what is gonna happen.! If hé doesnt care .fill chainsaw and go bererk😠
I ment:" bezerk "
As a fellow tree service owner, I tell them "No." And lose the job. We're known by what we leave behind, not satisfied customers.
😂😂😂
@@batmantiss agreed
Does the time of year it's pruned play a part? I think the main point is that pruning severely disrupts the flow of growth hormone and inhibitors; so ideally you should be pruning when its dormant. Yet this seems to be exactly what you did.
Nice pruning ! Too many trees are butchered for no reason at all ! Usually from the lack of training !
Thanks Stephen, great to get your comments as always!
Climbing Arborist : Ah ! No problem Dan !! Thank you for raising the issues we have to deal with !
And lack of skill, Instagram and forums are full of big removals or big pollards people seem to miss that those jobs don't require anymore skill than actual climbing and reductions.
This is a real topic here in Western Colorado, where Ranchers have been topping everything for decades to keep the height down. It's often hard to help them understand that they are excelorating decay of the tree when topping is done (all they see is the new growth, not all the rot that's above eye view). Plus, trying to help them understand that pruning/trimming a tree isn't a once every 20 years deal (which is why they liked topping...). It can be a struggle to educate some people for sure and then manage their unfulfilled expectations.
I don't have the same experience you have in the industry yet, so thanks for the vid. Helps me not feel so bad about the decisions that I've had to make trying to balance tree health, arborist ethics, and customer desires. I'll keep making the most educated decisions that I can, and keep educating myself.
Keep up the good work!
I would have taken it right back, maybe 8 foot around from the main fork.
Locust are very tough and take well to pollarding.
Dan, thanks for the video. I is a great way to see how trees will sometimes respond. I do the same follow up inspection to see how the tree is doing. When I cant get to the tips of the branches I'll used a pruner head or saw on a 6' or 8' poll. It doesn't work all the time because of the angle of the branch union. I do get a great work out when I need to carry and use the poll. : ) Thanks again for the video.
Thanks for commenting Mark. Hopefully I can go back and prune these shoots again this summer and make a follow up video
Thanks for letting all of us tag along Dan!
When pruning with silky and felcos, do you still have to abide by the same rules as chainsaw use for example a groundie with rescue tickets that has the climbing gear to rescue. I enjoy pruning manually to high standards but find it difficult finding anyone with the tickets and gear to assist. Seems very quiet on this job, was wondering where your groundie is?
people need to do more videos like these as im learning at the minute and every little helps 👍🏻 great video have you any recommendations on the hitchclimber to help improve climbing
Thanks Stu ! Hitch climber is the best pulley to use for your climbing system as it is versatile
i havent tried the v rig yet as im still pretty new to the job i guess i will have to do some recreational climbs and have a play 👍🏻 unless you have an in-depth video i cant find.
Here is a comment I use: If a tree wants to be "x" feet tall it will be "x" tall and that usually changes their mind.
That is a good phase and gets the point across. Although, in these urban environments that we live, tree pruning is necessary to maintain trees at a certain size for its location, and for each persons risk tolerance etc.... So there will always be a need to pruning even though ideally trees should just be left alone
The epicormic shoots, do you think the tree would of responded different, If you had pruned this species after it flowered ?
How's it look now
I wouldn't dwell too hard on choices you made while pruning, just do what you know is best for the tree, Then pray the next visit is a removal, lol good video you take pride in your work 👊
You carried out a reduction which was inline with industry standards (back to decent sized growth points, not leaving too big wounds etc) the problem is management plan after the tree has been cut.
Even the slightest tip reduction will result is epicormic growth because you are upsetting the trees hormonal balance, ( removing auxins triggers dormant buds ).
As you said, each species is different and there are many factors which will affect the trees health in the future, such as stored energy, pathogens,strain, phenology etc..
I suppose in this case the other option is to do the dreaded 'topping'. Which goes against modern arboriculture. However, the argument for topping in this case is quite strong.
1 seasons growth and the tree is already as big, or bigger than before it was cut, not to mention epi growth is comparatively weak to natural growth.
if this tree was drastically pruned meters below where you'd like the crown, then the regrowth can be managed and worked into a suitable size crown in years to come. Given the clients budget and patience. This management plan is not without risks either.
I had a feeling it was going to shoot water spores time of year may had little to it that's life I'm sure you warned homeowners 👍
I think time of year certainly had a role to play in the huge response of shoots in the short term. Having thought more about it, April pruning I would expect a large surge in hormones related to tip expansion (auxin / gibberellins) due to local weather conditions. So this was a poor choice on my part.
I would have trimmed that bottom branch alot more, about 3 meters:)
G'day, have you followed up this particular tree again recently and how is the ongoing maintenance/tree going?
Yes, I will also do a follow up video this summer
What make tree
Nice looking prune, I’m surprised by how much it did sprout. I’m curious, what age would you estimate for that tree in your climate?
I want to”top”my conifers,( I know how to climb with ropes)Any advice please!I,v been told I don’t have to be too fussy with these trees,as they are essentially a hedge??
Its often the case tho that the customer request, as misguided as it may be, will be the rule of the day (upsetting the purist pruner preachers) and when you're asked to prune a tree because of its location to a house is it better to remove that tree altogether and replant with a smaller species (try selling that idea) or take their money knowing the risk of sprouty species going for it....the purists say prune no more than 10%, which is very little indeed . I personally avoid jobs like this ....and just stick to removals........
Haven't watched yet. Caption alone cought my gear.
Friend, the climbing spurs which are best for you with short or long spikes.
Eaaaaeaedaadaaa
damn that looks easy, ill get paid 150 bucks to remove a decent size tree, I wish I was doing this all day...
There was absolutely no reason for you to do this. Topping does nothing but encourage decay and contributes to an unsafe tree.
With a tree that has that much vigor, pruning it that time of year might not be the best thing. Pruning after the tree is fully leafed out might get a different result, the tree will have a chance to chemically balance out coming out of dormancy.
I think time of year certainly had a role to play in the huge response of shoots in the short term. Having thought more about it, April pruning I would expect a large surge in hormones related to tip expansion (auxin / gibberellins) due to local weather conditions. So this was a poor choice on my part.
From my experience with pruning on fruit trees, that have lots of vigor, that have been let go for a few years and then the owners want to start pruning them again. A pruning at mid to early summer is ideal because the tree has put on most of the new growth, and there is still time for the tree to recover before the full heat stress of summer. The same holds true in most willows and poplars here where I live in western Montana...
End of the day the client pays the wage. we can only advise?
Col Sinclair That really isn’t the mindset I personally want to have moving forward, I actually think I’ll use this very video to educate my clients if their requests aren’t inline with my professional opinions.
Climbing Arborist I agree with you tho you know as well as I do most can't afford to loss work due to disagreeing with the client.
Climbing Arborist just finish a job small block of flats all owners. Small row of trees half wanted them removed others didn't want them touched at all. We talked them into a compromise by taking height off them. I don't like removing if it not needed
doing for the client is the only logic here... that tree is way too big already it will just die from pruning and fall over waste of time totally to prune must be removed but they dont want that...