Large Cottonwood reduction
- Thread starter unatool
- Start date
RyanCafferky
Been here a while
- Location
- Hood River, Oregon
I love pruning large trees and doing what is best for the tree. I think that Guy's plan looks really good but with that said, I would have to say that on this tree I would likely turn it into a wildlife snag. The continued maintenance will likely not be worth the cost considering the species unless the city understands that future maintenance will be required.
Who owns and maintains the dike? If it is Army Corp of Engineers what is the likelyhood of them requiring removal in a few years anyway? Here in Portland a few years ago the Army Corp of Engineers required hundreds of trees to be removed on the levy along the Columbia River so that during a major storm with high water that the trees uprooting couldn't put holes in the levy.
Who owns and maintains the dike? If it is Army Corp of Engineers what is the likelyhood of them requiring removal in a few years anyway? Here in Portland a few years ago the Army Corp of Engineers required hundreds of trees to be removed on the levy along the Columbia River so that during a major storm with high water that the trees uprooting couldn't put holes in the levy.
- Location
- Penticton, British Columbia
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I've built a living green retaining wall out of interlaced poplar limbs in a spot guaranteed to stay wet, ten years later the old limbs are fairly rotted in spots, but it has well rooted, needs pruning for abatement every two years and controls erosion like nothing else.
Northwind
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Cool. Thanks, I am just a field arborist with some years in the poplar trees.
I for one think they have their place and can definitely benefit a landscape.
I've built a living green retaining wall out of interlaced poplar limbs in a spot guaranteed to stay wet, ten years later the old limbs are fairly rotted in spots, but it has well rooted, needs pruning for abatement every two years and controls erosion like nothing else.
Northwind
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Cool. Thanks, I am just a field arborist with some years in the poplar trees.
I for one think they have their place and can definitely benefit a landscape.
- Location
- Longmont, CO
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large mature cottonwoods are a pain to climb...all the best of luck
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Although that isn't much of a spreader, so it should make for a fun climb.
Do the reductions need to be that aggressive?
large mature cottonwoods are a pain to climb...all the best of luck
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Although that isn't much of a spreader, so it should make for a fun climb.
Do the reductions need to be that aggressive?
guymayor
Branched out member
- Location
- East US, Earth
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The continued maintenance will likely not be worth the cost considering the species unless the city understands that future maintenance will be required.
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I hear this a lot and am not sure what it means. Of course the city knows it'll need care--so do the rest of their trees. How much and how often? This gets exaggerated a lot.
A 5-year cycle fits for routine crown cleaning; just add a snip to reduce sprawlers and remove codoms. The harder it gets pruned now, the more frequent the repruning will need to be. Treee pruning is not rocket surgery.
Attached is a clip from ANSI re spec writing, and an example of storm damage specs, without sizes detailed. O and the quote someone found online and attributed to ANSI did not look familiar at all. Reader beware.
The continued maintenance will likely not be worth the cost considering the species unless the city understands that future maintenance will be required.
[/ QUOTE ]
I hear this a lot and am not sure what it means. Of course the city knows it'll need care--so do the rest of their trees. How much and how often? This gets exaggerated a lot.
A 5-year cycle fits for routine crown cleaning; just add a snip to reduce sprawlers and remove codoms. The harder it gets pruned now, the more frequent the repruning will need to be. Treee pruning is not rocket surgery.
Attached is a clip from ANSI re spec writing, and an example of storm damage specs, without sizes detailed. O and the quote someone found online and attributed to ANSI did not look familiar at all. Reader beware.
- Location
- Penticton, British Columbia
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Treee pruning is not rocket surgery.
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Haha! Intentional or not, that right there is funny
Treee pruning is not rocket surgery.
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Haha! Intentional or not, that right there is funny
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Attached pic is of a 5 ft. dbh Cotttonwood. The red lines represent proposed reduction cuts.
[/ QUOTE ]It looks like the 3 main leaders are getting cut back to the same predetermined level. if branches are the concern, why is the top getting cut back so hard? This could be called topping, even if the cuts are made to nodes, because it does not regard structure and health. Quick rot and crazy sprouting would seem inevitable.
Yellow dots at proposed cuts, 40 or more, <2". Handsaw and pole pruner, i'd take ~2-4 hrs in tree; why rush, when it takes time to read the tree and do it right? Re-prune when sprouting slows down, 5 year cycle?
Orange line point to stub--is this the branch that broke? If so that shows that tip reduction like the yellow locations should be adequate to mitigate that risk to a reasonable level.
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I am speed reading everything tonight, but Guy has it right.
trim like he said, or you are creating a weaker tree. Period.
[ QUOTE ]
Attached pic is of a 5 ft. dbh Cotttonwood. The red lines represent proposed reduction cuts.
[/ QUOTE ]It looks like the 3 main leaders are getting cut back to the same predetermined level. if branches are the concern, why is the top getting cut back so hard? This could be called topping, even if the cuts are made to nodes, because it does not regard structure and health. Quick rot and crazy sprouting would seem inevitable.
Yellow dots at proposed cuts, 40 or more, <2". Handsaw and pole pruner, i'd take ~2-4 hrs in tree; why rush, when it takes time to read the tree and do it right? Re-prune when sprouting slows down, 5 year cycle?
Orange line point to stub--is this the branch that broke? If so that shows that tip reduction like the yellow locations should be adequate to mitigate that risk to a reasonable level.
[/ QUOTE ]
I am speed reading everything tonight, but Guy has it right.
trim like he said, or you are creating a weaker tree. Period.
- Location
- North of Seattle
I climbed the big Cottonwood today. Warm day (54 degrees!) but with 10-15 mph breeze.
I decided on my first plan before climbing. Once aloft, I could see that a more simple trimming of 3 large limbs (over target) would eliminate future damage to sewage plant.
I kinda fell in love with this tree over the last 3 weeks. I never thought I would say that about a Cottonwood tree. She is a big old lady that has seen more than me. Growing maybe 20 feet from the Nooksack River, I am amazed it has not been affected by numerous floods and god knows what else the river throws at her.
So, my customers at Public Works looked up and thought it did not look dangerous anymore. Job done...
I thinned/deadwooded on my way down - out of admiration of the size of this tree. Got to the ground and had a cigarrete(see attached).
I decided on my first plan before climbing. Once aloft, I could see that a more simple trimming of 3 large limbs (over target) would eliminate future damage to sewage plant.
I kinda fell in love with this tree over the last 3 weeks. I never thought I would say that about a Cottonwood tree. She is a big old lady that has seen more than me. Growing maybe 20 feet from the Nooksack River, I am amazed it has not been affected by numerous floods and god knows what else the river throws at her.
So, my customers at Public Works looked up and thought it did not look dangerous anymore. Job done...
I thinned/deadwooded on my way down - out of admiration of the size of this tree. Got to the ground and had a cigarrete(see attached).
Attachments
- Location
- North of Seattle
- Location
- North of Seattle
- Location
- North of Seattle
- Location
- Central MD
Do you have and after shot from the same vantage point as the first picture you posted?
- Location
- Federal Way WA
We did a similar job 2 years back on a large cottonwood in Kent WA. Used the concept of conservation arboriculture as described and developed by Neville Fay
www.treeworks.co.uk
Here is a page on our website that describes the job:
http://www.treeresource.com/tree_preservation
Besides some reduction cuts that mimicked the failures that had happened naturally, we used a 6:1 reaving system to test different structures all over the tree, what wouldn't break, we left, even deadwood.
It was pretty amazing to watch as we applied over a ton of force to upper canopy branches in the 2 inch diameter range and find that they would not break. And they say that cottonwood is weak...
www.treeworks.co.uk
Here is a page on our website that describes the job:
http://www.treeresource.com/tree_preservation
Besides some reduction cuts that mimicked the failures that had happened naturally, we used a 6:1 reaving system to test different structures all over the tree, what wouldn't break, we left, even deadwood.
It was pretty amazing to watch as we applied over a ton of force to upper canopy branches in the 2 inch diameter range and find that they would not break. And they say that cottonwood is weak...
- Location
- North of Seattle
Zeb, That is cool idea... applied force to limbs to test.
I have to say that this was the largest Cottonwood I have trimmed. I have taken down a number of big boys. I found that I have been raised with the notion that they are all nuisance trees. Garbage to cut out, never really trim.
This tree changed that (narrow minded?) opinion and I think that tree is bigger than us. A survivor. Of all the problems thrown its way, a sewage factory finally sent the chainsaws into motion.
p.s. - I did not get an "AFTER" pic. sorry! I will take one from the same (as original post) perspective asap.
I have to say that this was the largest Cottonwood I have trimmed. I have taken down a number of big boys. I found that I have been raised with the notion that they are all nuisance trees. Garbage to cut out, never really trim.
This tree changed that (narrow minded?) opinion and I think that tree is bigger than us. A survivor. Of all the problems thrown its way, a sewage factory finally sent the chainsaws into motion.
p.s. - I did not get an "AFTER" pic. sorry! I will take one from the same (as original post) perspective asap.
- Location
- Penticton, British Columbia
Glad to see yer opinion change. Cottonwoods ain't so bad.
Nice site, Zeb.
Nice site, Zeb.
