Pushing Pruning Limitations

[ATH]

The tree is about still a baby. ...

That is why I don't think it is pruned too high. I'd probably rather have just a little more live crown ratio, but I wouldn't have wanted those branches getting any bigger. If the lowest limbs were smaller in diameter I could see leaving them until the next pruning cycle, but I don't think the trunk is too tall for the future.

 

[Tree_Frog]

Here are pictures of some trees. I only worked on one of them and it had been over 5 years ago. The trees were existing before the home excluding the last one.



Example of the final size but lions tailed.

Full size hammock of Oaks.

3 live Oaks behind a home of one of my previous customers. I cabled and removed moss with some light pruning. over 5 years ago. I believe they sold the home since then.

Good example of a possible end result. Great example of the proper fall leaf removal in the foreground. lol.


These trees get big.
This tree was planted at the time of building. It is now a removal. No fixing this mess.

 

[Tree_Frog]

That is why I don't think it is pruned too high. I'd probably rather have just a little more live crown ratio, but I wouldn't have wanted those branches getting any bigger. If the lowest limbs were smaller in diameter I could see leaving them until the next pruning cycle, but I don't think the trunk is too tall for the future.

I agree with the crown ratio. I really did not want to take the material over the driveway.

 

[Treetopflyer]

Here are pictures of some trees. I only worked on one of them and it had been over 5 years ago. The trees were existing before the home excluding the last one.


View attachment 56450
Example of the final size but lions tailed.
View attachment 56451
Full size hammock of Oaks.
View attachment 56452
3 live Oaks behind a home of one of my previous customers. I cabled and removed moss with some light pruning. over 5 years ago. I believe they sold the home since then.
View attachment 56453
Good example of a possible end result. Great example of the proper fall leaf removal in the foreground. lol.

View attachment 56454
These trees get big.
View attachment 56455View attachment 56456This tree was planted at the time of building. It is now a removal. No fixing this mess.
View attachment 56457

"It is now a removal. No fixing this mess."
I'm curious as to why you've come to this conclusion. Could you expound on this statement, please?

 

[Tree_Frog]

This Live Oak (Querqus virginana) has been lions tailed for a number of years. There are too many branches with poor branch taper. In an open field you could reduce the upper canopy to push branches back to the interior and increase the dimensions of the existing branches. This tree could be trained to be large and wide with low extending branch network.

In this case we need to see the property behind the tree to ensure we have a house with a tree instead of a tree with a house.

The real issue with this tree is the amount of scaffold branches that require removal. There are too many to heal effectively. Also look at the small upper canopy leader. The size ration of the central leader is smaller than the two just above the previously removed branches. When these limbs develop into maturity they will at times constrict the central leader, thus reducing vitality of the central canopy. This tree was trained to grow a certain way. It did exactly what it was told to do.

Why removal. Purely financial. Attempting to fix this would be a long and expensive journey. The many scaffold removals and reductions would take its toll on the vitality of this tree. Remove and replace would put a new professionally maintained tree in the same position by the time you were finished with this one. Its too bad, the genetics on this tree show beautiful connections with no inclusions.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[guymayor]

OK I see the aesthetic objective now. What a strong species...And planting associates like Vitex is a fine arboricultural complementary service.

 

[guymayor]

In this case we need to see the property behind the tree to ensure we have a house with a tree instead of a tree with a house.

Well that's too bad for the tree then. Lots of pruning options--you could maintain it as a mushroom!--but the kind of structure you want forces the decision.
Can you buy trees with good roots?

 

[Tree_Frog]

Lol. We have a lot of mushroom trees.

Two sources that I will consider are:
http://www.marshalltrees.com/
http://cherrylake.com/
They have the best roots that I can find.

The vitex was outsourced from Gainesville and I had to take a 30 gal pot size to a 15 gallon size to find straight roots. Since it is winter it should recover fine. It would have meant death in the summer.

 

[CutHighnLetFly]

@Tree_Frog I was excited to see the follow up on this. Thanks for coming back with an update. This is juicy stuff for a young guy like me. See trees 3-5 years later after assessing and pruning is not something common so far in my career. Occasionally I see trees I've worked on before, but any time I get to see that kind of thing it is neat to me.
Like said they have a ways to go, but amazing to me how fast those trees have callused over those wounds. I'm in new England, never would that be the case up here in 3 years.

 

[guymayor]

I hope Marshalls' live oaks are better than their red maples I saw.