Re: Re: Re: Back to the Fundamentals
treepers@msn.com
Wed, 21 Aug 1996 23:43:12 -0500
Sorry to not leave my name but this forum is new to me and I have yet to learn the proper etiquette. One species that seems to benefit from periodic crown thinning and cleaning in my area is green ash(fraxinus pennsylvanica). These trees, especially when mature and over mature, create such a dense canopy that no light can penetrate to the lower and interior branches. This causes a mass accumulation of deadwood. The limbs then grow excessiveley long and get tremendously heavy, especially when seeds are borne. I have found that by penetrating this thick canopy even slightly, considerable weight is taken off these heavy branches and light is allowed to other branches lower in the tree. This seems to cut down on the accumulation of an airborne fungus called cytospora that attacks ash and other species in my area. The removal of live wood in the crown is often compensated with the production of epicormic shoots. Although these are weak branches they still benefit the tree. I have had great
luck in reducing storm
damage in my clients trees by practicing this method. Another case where I might find this practice beneficial is in trees prone to fireblight and other high humidity pathogens, by light crown thinning air flow and drying sun is increased to the interior thus creating a less favorable environment for spread. I really think that these techniques can be valuable in many situations and I think that their introduction is, as you put it, "challenging the dominant paradigm". I have all to often seen a nice tree have everything completley cleaned out of its interior by a supposedley competent arborist follwing all of the traditional rules. It is honestly much more challenging to crown thin properley and takes a great deal of time and skill. The ultimate effect is that less is taken out of the tree overall, and live branches are more evenly distributed. Are my reasons acceptable to your school of thought? I hope to hear from you if you disagree or find fault.Thanks for your response.
Sincerely,
Jason D Jones, Practicing certified arborist, Alpine-Hill Pruning Company, Fort Collins Co.