Types of Pruning eg crown thinning crown raising

Types of Pruning eg crown thinning crown raising

Crown Reduction Techniques

Crown reduction is a pruning technique used when a tree has become too large for its allotted space. Unlike topping, which is a harmful practice that indiscriminately hacks back branches and weakens the tree, crown reduction aims to reduce the tree's overall size while maintaining its natural shape and promoting healthy growth. It's a more complex and nuanced pruning method than, say, crown thinning or crown raising, and requires a skilled arborist to perform correctly.


There are several accepted crown reduction techniques. One common method is called "drop-crotching," where smaller, lower branches are removed entirely, and larger, higher branches are pruned back to lateral branches large enough to assume the terminal role. This redirects growth inwards and reduces the overall height and spread of the canopy. Another method involves reducing the length of individual branches by making cuts back to a suitable lateral branch, mimicking natural branch shedding. This technique is often used in conjunction with drop-crotching.


It's important to distinguish crown reduction from other pruning types. Crown thinning, for example, selectively removes branches throughout the crown to reduce density and allow more light and air penetration. It doesn't necessarily change the overall size or shape of the tree. Crown raising, on the other hand, involves removing lower branches to increase clearance beneath the canopy, often for pedestrian or vehicular access. While these techniques can be used in conjunction with crown reduction, they address different objectives.


Crown reduction is a valuable tool for managing tree size and should be carried out by a qualified arborist. Improper crown reduction, particularly excessive pruning or topping, can severely weaken a tree, making it more susceptible to disease, pests, and storm damage. A skilled arborist understands tree biology and can employ the appropriate crown reduction techniques to maintain the tree's health, structure, and aesthetic appeal while achieving the desired size reduction.

Espalier and Other Specialized Pruning —

Pruning is an essential practice in horticulture, influencing a plant's health, productivity, and aesthetic appeal. While many are familiar with common techniques like crown thinning and raising, which primarily focus on managing size and shape, specialized pruning methods offer a more nuanced approach. Espalier, a prime example of this, goes beyond mere maintenance and delves into the realm of artistic shaping.


Crown thinning removes select branches from the crown to improve light penetration and air circulation. This helps prevent disease and encourages more even growth throughout the canopy. Crown raising, on the other hand, removes lower branches to provide clearance beneath the tree, often for pedestrian or vehicular access. Both techniques are valuable for maintaining tree health and structure.


Espalier, however, transforms pruning into an art form. It involves training a tree or shrub to grow flat against a structure, such as a wall or trellis, by carefully pruning and tying branches. This creates a two-dimensional living sculpture, showcasing intricate patterns like fans, cordons, or candelabras. Far from simply trimming excess growth, espalier requires a keen eye for design and a deep understanding of the plant's growth habit. It demands patience and precision, as branches are meticulously guided along predetermined lines, gradually creating the desired form.


While crown thinning and raising focus on practical benefits, espalier prioritizes aesthetics and space optimization. It's particularly useful in smaller gardens or urban environments, where vertical space is at a premium. Espaliered fruit trees, for instance, can produce abundant yields while occupying minimal ground space, adding both beauty and bounty to a compact setting. This specialized pruning technique allows gardeners to blend functionality with artistry, transforming plants into living works of art.

Citations and other links

Pruning for Fruit Tree Production

Pruning is a vital practice in fruit tree production, influencing not only the tree's shape and size but also its overall health, productivity, and the quality of the fruit it bears. Different pruning techniques target specific objectives, and understanding these is crucial for any fruit grower. Two common types of pruning are crown thinning and crown raising.


Crown thinning involves selectively removing branches from within the tree's canopy. Imagine it like decluttering a room; you're not changing the overall size of the room, but you are creating more space and improving airflow. In a tree, this allows more sunlight to penetrate to the inner branches and developing fruit, promoting even ripening and reducing the risk of fungal diseases. It also encourages better air circulation, further deterring disease and pests. Thinning out weak, crossing, or diseased branches also redirects energy to the healthier, more productive parts of the tree. This results in larger, higher-quality fruit and a stronger, more resilient tree overall.


Crown raising, on the other hand, focuses on removing lower branches to increase the clear space beneath the tree. This is particularly useful in orchards or gardens where access is needed for mowing, spraying, or harvesting. Raising the crown also improves air circulation around the base of the tree, reducing humidity and the likelihood of soil-borne diseases. While crown raising is practical, it's important not to remove too many lower branches at once, as this can weaken the tree and make it more susceptible to sunscald. A gradual approach over several years is usually best.


While both crown thinning and crown raising are valuable pruning techniques, their applications differ. Thinning focuses on improving light penetration and air circulation within the canopy, primarily influencing fruit quality and disease prevention. Raising, however, prioritizes access and airflow around the base of the tree, impacting maintenance practices and reducing the risk of certain diseases. By understanding the distinct purposes and methods of these pruning types, fruit growers can effectively shape their trees for optimal health, productivity, and ease of management.

Pruning for Fruit Tree Production

Tools and Safety Practices for Pruning

Pruning, whether it's crown thinning to improve light penetration or crown raising to provide clearance, is a vital practice for tree health and aesthetics. But like any interaction with nature, it requires the right tools and a respect for safety. Choosing the correct tools for the job not only makes the task easier but also minimizes the risk of injury to both the tree and the pruner.


For smaller branches and twigs, hand pruners or secateurs are the go-to. Bypass pruners, with their scissor-like action, create a clean cut ideal for live wood. Anvil pruners, on the other hand, are better suited for deadwood removal as their crushing action can damage living tissues. Loppers, with their longer handles, provide extra leverage for thicker branches, making the cut less strenuous. For larger limbs, pruning saws come into play. These range from curved hand saws for smaller branches to pole saws that extend reach for higher cuts. Chainsaws are reserved for the thickest branches and require specialized training and safety precautions.


Safety should always be the top priority. This begins with a thorough assessment of the pruning task. Consider the height and location of the branches, the surrounding environment, and potential hazards like power lines. Wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is crucial. This includes safety glasses to protect eyes from flying debris, gloves to prevent cuts and blisters, and sturdy footwear for a secure footing. When working at heights, a helmet and harness are essential. Knowing how to use each tool correctly is also vital. Incorrect cutting techniques can damage the tree and increase the risk of the tool slipping and causing injury. Finally, regular maintenance of tools, including sharpening and cleaning, ensures they perform optimally and reduces the chance of accidents. Proper pruning practices, combined with a focus on safety, will lead to healthier, more beautiful trees and a safer working environment.

This article is about the pruning of plants in general. For the pruning of fruit bearing trees, see Fruit tree pruning. For other uses, see Pruning (disambiguation).
(Learn how and when to remove this message)
Two workers pruning street trees in London during World War I

Pruning is a horticultural, arboricultural, and silvicultural practice involving the selective removal of certain parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots.

The practice entails the targeted removal of diseased, damaged, dead, non-productive, structurally unsound, or otherwise unwanted plant material from crop and landscape plants. In general, the smaller the branch that is cut, the easier it is for a woody plant to compartmentalize the wound and thus limit the potential for pathogen intrusion and decay. It is therefore preferable to make any necessary formative structural pruning cuts to young plants, rather than removing large, poorly placed branches from mature plants.

Woody plants may undergo a process referred to as "self-pruning", where they will drop twigs or branches which are no longer producing more energy than they require. It is theorized that this process can also occur in response to lack of water, in order to reduce the surface area where water can be lost.[1] This natural shedding of branches is called cladoptosis.

Specialized pruning practices may be applied to certain plants, such as roses, fruit trees, and grapevines. Different pruning techniques may be used on herbaceous plants than those used on perennial woody plants.

Reasons to prune plants include deadwood removal, shaping (by controlling or redirecting growth), improving or sustaining health, reducing risk from falling branches, preparing nursery specimens for transplanting, and both harvesting and increasing the yield or quality of flowers and fruits.

Pruning terms

[edit]
Branch wood, trunk wood, branch collar, branch bark ridge clearly identified on a tree.
 

Branch wood

[edit]

Branch wood is an individual stem that grows off of another stem.

Trunk wood

[edit]

Trunk wood is the main stem of a tree which individual stems grow out of.

Branch collar

[edit]

This refers to the area below the union of where branch wood attaches with the trunk/stem wood. This can often appear raised.

Branch bark ridge

[edit]

This refers to the junction between branch wood and trunk/stem wood. It usually looks raised. [2]

Types of Pruning

[edit]
An arborist pruning a tree near the Statue of Liberty

Pruning in an urban setting is crucial due to the tree being in drastically different conditions than where it naturally grows.[3]

Arborists, orchardists, and gardeners use various garden tools and tree cutting tools designed for the purpose, such as secateurs, loppers, handsaws, or chainsaws.[4] Additionally in forestry, pole pruners (averruncators in British English) and pole saws are commonly used, and these are often attached to poles that reach up to 5–6 m (16–20 ft). This is a more efficient and safer way of pruning than with ladders. These bush saws on polls have also been motorized as chainsaws which is even more efficient. Older technology used Billhooks, Kaiser blades, and pruning knives. Although still used in some coppicing, they are not used so much in commercial forestry due to the difficulty of cutting flush with the stem. Flush cuts happen when a pruner cuts into the cambium layer of the main trunk, which can happen when a pruner is not precise with pruning cuts, and removes a portion of the branch collar, which can put the tree at risk of entry cords from forest pathogens.

Although there are several different types of pruning, they can be simplified into two categories. One of which is cutting the branch back to a specific and intermediate point, called a "reduction cut", and the other of which is completely removing a branch back to the union where the branch connects which the main trunk, called "removal cut".[5]

Dense growth results after shearing

A "reduction cut" is when one removes a portion of a growing stem down to a set of desirable buds or side-branching stems. This is commonly performed in well trained plants for a variety of reasons, for example to stimulate growth of flowers, fruit or branches, as a preventive measure to wind and snow damage on long stems and branches, and finally to encourage growth of the stems in a desirable direction.

  • Thinning: A more drastic form of pruning, a thinning out cut, is the removal of an entire shoot, limb, or branch at its point of origin.[5] This is usually employed to revitalize a plant by removing over-mature, weak, problematic, and excessive growths. When performed correctly, thinning encourages the formation of new growth that will more readily bear fruit and flowers. This is a common technique in pruning roses and for amplifying and "opening-up" the branching of neglected trees, or for renewing shrubs with multiple branches.
  • Topping: Topping is a very severe form of pruning which involves removing all branches and growths down to a few large branches or to the trunk of the tree. When performed correctly it is used on very young trees, and can be used to begin training younger trees for pollarding or for trellising to form an espalier.
  • Raising removes the lower branches from a tree in order to provide clearance for buildings, vehicles, pedestrians, and vistas. [6]
  • Reduction reduces the size of a tree, often for clearance for utility lines. Reducing the height or spread of a tree is best accomplished by pruning back the leaders and branch terminals to lateral branches that are large enough to assume the terminal roles (at least one-third the diameter of the cut stem). Compared to topping, reduction helps maintain the form and structural integrity of the tree.[7]

In orchards, fruit trees are often lopped to encourage regrowth and to maintain a smaller tree for ease of picking fruit. The pruning regime in orchards is more planned, and the productivity of each tree is an important factor.

Deadwooding

[edit]

Branches die off for a number of reasons including sunlight deficiency, pest and disease damage, and root structure damage. A dead branch will at some point decay back to the parent stem and fall off. This is normally a slow process but can be hastened by high winds or extreme temperatures. The main reason deadwooding is performed is safety. Situations that usually demand removal of deadwood include trees that overhang public roads, houses, public areas, power lines, telephone cables and gardens. Trees located in wooded areas are usually assessed as lower risk but assessments consider the number of visitors. Trees adjacent to footpaths and access roads are often considered for deadwood removal.[8]

Another reason for deadwooding is amenity value, i.e. a tree with a large amount of deadwood throughout the crown will look more aesthetically pleasing with the deadwood removed. The physical practice of deadwooding can be carried out most of the year though should be avoided when the tree is coming into leaf. The deadwooding process speeds up the tree's natural abscission process. It also reduces unwanted weight and wind resistance and can help overall balance.

Preventive structural pruning

[edit]

Preventative and structural pruning can be done to mitigate several issues young trees may have in the future. The structural pruning can reduce tree stress, increase the lifespan of trees, and promotes resistance to damage due to natural weather events. Attributes of trees with good structure include excurrent growth by having a single dominant leader, branch unions without included bark, and a balanced canopy. Structural pruning does this by developing or maintaining a dominant leader, identify the lowest branches in the canopy, prevent branches below the permanent canopy from growing too large, keeping all branches less than one half the trunk diameter, space main branches along one dominant trunk, and suppress growth on branches with included bark. [9]

Subordination pruning

[edit]

Subordination pruning is done on limbs that will exceed 50% percent of the stem diameter. A reduction cut may be performed while still allowing about 50% of the branch. This is done to help maintain form and deter the formation of co-dominant leaders. Temporary branches may be too large for a removal cut so subordination pruning should be done to slowly reduce a limb by 50% each year to allow the tree to properly heal from the cut. As a tree becomes larger the slower it grows. Reducing the larger limbs for eventual removal will allow for the tree to promote new growth rather than using energy in encouraging unwanted limbs to continue to grow. Removing a large branch increases the likelihood of the cut to not heal properly which also may attract insects, diseases and fungus. [9][10]

Crown thinning

[edit]

Crown thinning is the removal of live healthy branches which increases light penetration, air circulation and reduces wind resistance which reduces risks from damage and the possibility of pest infestation. [11]

Crown raising

[edit]

Crown raising involves the removal of the lower branches to a given height. The height is achieved by the removal of whole branches or removing the parts of branches which extend below the desired height. The branches are normally not lifted to more than one third of the tree's total height.

Crown lifting is done for access; these being pedestrian, vehicle or space for buildings and street furniture. Lifting the crown will allow traffic and pedestrians to pass underneath safely. This pruning technique is usually used in the urban environment as it is for public safety and aesthetics rather than tree form and timber value.

Crown lifting introduces light to the lower part of the trunk; this, in some species can encourage epicormic growth from dormant buds. To reduce this sometimes smaller branches are left on the lower part of the trunk. Excessive removal of the lower branches can displace the canopy weight, this will make the tree top heavy, therefore adding stress to the tree. When a branch is removed from the trunk, it creates a large wound. This wound is susceptible to disease and decay, and could lead to reduced trunk stability. Therefore, much time and consideration must be taken when choosing the height the crown is to be lifted to.

This would be an inappropriate operation if the tree species’ form was of a shrubby nature. This would therefore remove most of the foliage and would also largely unbalance the tree. This procedure should not be carried out if the tree is in decline, poor health or dead, dying or dangerous (DDD) as the operation will remove some of the photosynthetic area the tree uses. This will increase the decline rate of the tree and could lead to death.

If the tree is of great importance to an area or town, (i.e. veteran or ancient) then an alternative solution to crown lifting would be to move the target or object so it is not in range. For example, diverting a footpath around a tree's drip line so the crown lift is not needed. Another solution would be to prop up or cable-brace the low hanging branch. This is a non-invasive solution which in some situations may be more economical and environmentally friendly. [12]

Vista pruning

[edit]

Selectively pruning a window of view in a tree.

Crown reduction

[edit]

Reducing the height and or spread of a tree by selectively cutting back to smaller branches and in fruit trees for increasing of light interception and enhancing fruit quality.

Pollarding

[edit]
Main article: Pollarding

A regular form of pruning where certain deciduous species are pruned back to pollard heads every year in the dormant period. This practice is usually commenced on juvenile trees so they can adapt to the harshness of the practice. This practice can be used for tree shaping but is also used in specific species which young branches can be sold for floral arrangements.

Deadheading

[edit]

Deadheading is the act of removing spent flowers or flowerheads for aesthetics, to prolong bloom for up to several weeks or promote rebloom, or to prevent seeding.

Time period

[edit]
Pruning of trees in Chandigarh

In general, pruning deadwood and small branches can be done at any time of year. Depending on the species, many temperate plants can be pruned either during dormancy in winter, or, for species where winter frost can harm a recently pruned plant, after flowering is completed. In the temperate areas of the northern hemisphere autumn pruning should be avoided, as the spores of disease and decay fungi are abundant at this time of year.

Some woody plants tend to bleed profusely from cuts, such as mesquite and maple. Some callus over slowly, such as magnolia. In this case, they are better pruned during active growth when they can more readily heal. Woody plants that flower early in the season, on spurs that form on wood that has matured the year before, such as apples, should be pruned right after flowering as later pruning will sacrifice flowers the following season. Forsythia, azaleas and lilacs all fall into this category.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ BCMA, Jeremiah_Sandler (2021-02-01). "On Removing Deadwood, Part 1". Tree Care Industry Magazine. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  2. ^ McKenzie, Rita; Holt, Harvey. "Trees Need a Proper Start – Prune Them Right" (PDF). Urban Forestry Specialists, Forestry and Natural Resources. Purdue University.
  3. ^ Fraedrich, Bruce. “Structural Pruning of Young Trees.” Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories Technical Report.
  4. ^ Encyclopedia of gardening (3rd U.S., rev. and updated ed.). London: DK Pub. 2012. pp. 554–556. ISBN 9780756698287.
  5. ^ a b "Tree Fruit Production Guide". tfpg.cas.psu.edu. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  6. ^ "Raising - Pruning - Landscape plants - Edward F. Gilman - UF/IFAS". hort.ifas.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  7. ^ "Reducing - Pruning - Landscape plants - Edward F. Gilman - UF/IFAS". hort.ifas.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  8. ^ "Removal of dead wood - Nelson's Tree Services". Archived from the original on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  9. ^ a b Gilman, Edward F.; Bisson, Amanda (2008-01-24). "Chapter 12 — Developing a Preventative Pruning Program: Young Trees". EDIS. 2008 (1). doi:10.32473/edis-ep315-2007. ISSN 2576-0009.
  10. ^ Gilman, Edward F. (2012). An illustrated guide to pruning (3rd ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar. ISBN 978-1-111-30730-1.
  11. ^ "Crown Reduction - Nelson's Tree Services". Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  12. ^ Smiley, E, and Bruce Fraedrich. “Pruning Standard to Maintain Landscape Trees.” Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories Technical Report.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Sunset Editors, (1995) Western Garden Book, Sunset Books Inc, ISBN 978-0-376-03851-7
  • James, N. D. G, The arboriculturalist's companion, second edition 1990, Blackwell Publishers Ltd, Great Britain.
  • Shigo, A, 1991, Modern arboriculture, third printing, Durham, New Hampshire, USA, Shirwin Dodge Printers.
  • Shigo, A, 1989, A New Tree Biology. Shigo & trees Associates.
  • J.M. Dunn, C.J. Atkinson, N.A. Hipps, 2002, Effects of two different canopy manipulations on leaf water use and photosynthesis as determined by gas exchange and stable isotope discrimination, East Malling, University of Cambridge.
  • Shigo. A. L, 1998, Modern Arboriculture, third printing (2003), USA, Sherwin Dodge Printers
  • British standards 3998:1989, Recommendations for Tree Work.
  • Lonsdale. D, 1999, Principles of tree hazard assessment and management, 6th impression 2008, forestry commission, Great Britain.
[edit]
Wikiversity has learning resources about Arboriculture/Pruning
 
 

 

See also: Tree care and Urban forestry
An arborist practicing tree care: using a chainsaw to fell a eucalyptus tree in a park at Kallista, Victoria.

Arboriculture (/ˈɑːrbərɪˌkʌltʃər, ɑːrˈbɔːr-/)[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.

Overview

[edit]

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

[edit]
Main article: Urban forestry § Benefits

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.

Environmental Benefits

[edit]
  • Erosion control and soil retention
  • Improved water infiltration and percolation
  • Protection from exposure: windbreak, shade, impact from hail/rainfall
  • Air humidification
  • Modulates environmental conditions in a given microclimate: shields wind, humidifies, provides shade
  • Carbon sequestration and oxygen production

Ecological Benefits

[edit]
  • Attracting pollinators
  • Increased biodiversity
  • Food for decomposers, consumers, and pollinators
  • Soil health: organic matter accumulation from leaf litter and root exudates (symbiotic microbes)
  • Ecological habitat

Socioeconomic Benefits

[edit]
  • Increases employment: forestry, education, tourism
  • Run-off and flood control (e.g. bioswales, plantings on slopes)
  • Aesthetic beauty: parks, gatherings, social events, tourism, senses (fragrance, visual), focal point
  • Adds character and prestige to the landscape, creating a "natural" feel
  • Climate control (e.g shade): can reduce energy consumption of buildings
  • Privacy and protection: from noise, wind
  • Cultural benefits: eg. memorials for a loved one
  • Medical benefits: eg. Taxus chemotherapy
  • Materials: wood for building, paper pulp
  • Fodder for livestock
  • Property value: trees can increase by 10–20%[citation needed]
  • Increases the amount of time customers will spend in a mall, strip mall, shopping district[citation needed]

Tree Defects

[edit]

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.

  • common with decurrent growth habits
  • occurs in excurrent trees only after the leader is killed and multiple leaders compete for dominance

Included bark: bark is incorporated in the joint between two limbs, creating a weak attachment

  • occurs in branch unions with a high attachment angle (i.e. v-shaped unions)
  • common in many columnar/fastigiate growing deciduous trees

Dead, diseased, or broken branches:

  • woundwood cannot grow over stubs or dead branches to seal off decay
  • symptoms/signs of disease: e.g. oozing through the bark, sunken areas in the bark, and bark with abnormal patterns or colours, stunted new growth, discolouration of the foliage

Cracks

  • longitudinal cracks result from interior decay, bark rips/tears, or torsion from wind load
  • transverse cracks result from buckled wood, often caused by unnatural loading on branches, such as lion's tailing.
  • Seams: bark edges meet at a crack or wound
  • Ribs: bulges, indicating interior 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:

  • girdling roots compress the trunk, leading to poor trunk taper, and restrict vascular flow
  • kinked roots provide poor structural support; the kink is a site of potential root failure
  • circling roots occurs when roots encounter obstructions/limitations such as a small tree well or being grown too long in a nursery pot; these cannot provide adequate structural support and are limited in accessing nutrients and water
  • healthy soil texture and depth, drainage, water availability, makes for healthy roots

Tree Installation

[edit]
See also: Tree planting

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:

  • Silva cells: suspended pavement over modular cells containing soil for root development
  • Structural soils: growing medium composed of 80% crushed rock and 20% loam, which supports surface load without it leading to soil compaction

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.

UK

[edit]

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.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "arboriculture". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
  2. ^ "Amenity landscapes • Environment Guide". www.environmentguide.org.nz. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  3. ^ "Town and Country Planning Association". Town and Country Planning Association. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  • Harris, Richard W. (1983). Arboriculture: Care of Trees, Shrubs, and Vines in the Landscape. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. pp. 2–3. ISBN 0-13-043935-5.
  • "arboriculture". Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition. Merriam-Webster.
  • "arboriculture". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2007.
  • "arboriculture". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Online. Houghton Mifflin Company. 2000.
[edit]
Wikisource has the text of the 1905 New International Encyclopedia article "Arboriculture".
 
 

 

Check our other pages :

Frequently Asked Questions

Crown thinning removes a portion of smaller branches throughout the crown to reduce density and allow more light penetration, while crown raising removes lower branches to increase clearance beneath the tree.
It depends on the tree species and the type of pruning. Generally, dormant season (late fall to early spring) is best for most pruning, but some trees bleed sap if pruned then. Summer pruning can be used to slow growth or remove dead branches.
Crown reduction reduces the overall size of the trees crown, making it less susceptible to wind damage and reducing the risk of limb failure. It can also improve the trees shape and balance.
If the pruning involves large branches, working at heights, or specialized equipment, its best to hire a certified arborist. They have the knowledge and experience to prune safely and effectively, minimizing risk to both the tree and surrounding property.