Previously topped trees....

bwktreeserv

bwktreeserv

Location
Eugene, OR USA!
I wanted to ask everyone's thoughts on general protocol when pruning previously topped trees. Obviously there are a million different situations that would necessitate different courses of action but i am looking for a general answer. If you have a tree that was improperly pruned via many heading cuts years ago and then allowed to grow erratically to the point that is could now be a hazard to a target of some sort, and the customer requests a large reduction, what is ok to do and not do? If the customer refuses removal at this time, is it ok to take considerably more material out of the tree then you would ever do otherwise? Do some of our normal rules and guidelines go out the window? Do you take back a lot of the shoots that have grown out of the heading cuts? Just looking for some specifics with how some of you all have handed this situation in the past. I know that species would be a factor in this and in the case that brought this to my attention we are talking about a Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) in Oregon. Discuss.......

_BEN
 
Not too familiar with the Sweetgum but I have heard they aren't the strongest. Trimming to make the tree safe and with a possibility of making it look nice. I say that would be the objective. And looking nice doesn't really mean that day.
 
What diameter are the stems at the point that the heading cuts were made (average-ish), and how long/tall is the new growth that has formed since the wound sites? Maybe this is a chance to retrain the tree over time.
 
I'd pick a new leader out of the existing growth, remove some new stems and subordinate the others. Next pruning cycle you can go back and perhaps remove another if the new leader has taken off.
 
Maui, Just leave this to the educated and go trim your palm trees.

BWK, Do you have any pictures of the tree? First thing you might think about doing would be to do a tree risk assessment. This will give you a better idea on what you might want to do as far as removal or pruning. Getting this tree back to what it should be structurally is probably not going to be a one and done pruning. You can't just go cutting out everything that looks bad then there would be nothing left and you'd stress the tree by removing too much foliage. I do quite a bit of crown restoration work in our area on topped silver maples. There's not really a guideline where this is how you're going to do every tree. Discuss the concerns and goal of the homeowner and work with that and what's best for the tree and have a reason for every cut you make. Every cut should have a purpose. Check targets, unions, and decay to make your decisions on reduction cuts. Make sure you're doing it properly regarding your laterals and comparative size to the cut. If there is major concern for one or two leads you can always suggest installing a cable to reduce the risk of failure. That's my two cents but if you get some pictures we might be able to help you more so.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Do some of our normal rules and guidelines go out the window?

[/ QUOTE ]The A300 pruning performance standard, with its guidance on restoration, still applies--more than ever!

Typically more than one new leader will emerge.
Retain 1/3, reduce 1/3, remove 1/3 is a good starting point.
In many cases the topic of removal does not belong in the conversation, even though it is the easiest course for the tree guy.

The topic of risk can also be exaggerated.

One constant is the additional strength in woundwood and adaptive growth. This quality is often ignored, and good growth removed as a result.
 
Guy,
I respect your knowledge and your addition. I am going to say that removal has a place in a situation where the tree has been topped. I understand your point of view and agree with in all possibility we would like to save and restore the tree back to it's glory but every situation is different. I do believe in the tree evaluation and there's some trees that have been previously topped that have might have been stressed and have not healed well and have created major decay issues. There was a study done that topping can cause a loss of strenghth on average of 50%. I do agree with you that the rules outline in the ANSI apply and shouldn't go out the window. But each case should be evaluated on a tree by tree basis and pruned accordingly.
 
sweet gums are very strong in my opinion, have you ever dragged a branch filled with its fruit josh? reduce and restore, sweetgums respond well to reduction pruning. it is natural for a fruit tree to have the ends of its limbs broken off due to very heavy fruiting so they compartmentalize well, at least in a very hot and moist zone seven with almost perfect soil.
 
Forget the ANSI BS.

"But each case should be evaluated on a tree by tree basis and pruned accordingly"

Look at the tree and situation and then get to work.

Forget about the week tree arguement, I have heard that for almost every tree I have ever seen. Sweetgums are native from NE US south through Costa Rica and form a significant portion of the forests in many regions. They are large trees and reach 40+m and are significant timber trees. Clearly not a tree that is "weak".
 
yeah jeff i have. i hate those spikey balls. they are like walking on marbles with spikes! kinda reminds me of something james bond would deploy outta the back of his car to flatten tires
zombie.gif
 
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