Title: Pruned to Death

Summary: “Pruned to Death” revisits a 2003 presentation which used a case study involving European beech to illustrate the physiological consequences of remedial pruning of mature trees. The subject tree in this study has subsequently been felled, cut up, and examined. The premature death of this tree is used to evaluate the role of pruning as an ‘inciting’ agent of decline within a tree’s mortality spiral. Using a carbon source-sink model, the consequences of excessive pruning on the allocation of a tree’s carbohydrate budget to growth and defense are analyzed. Subsequent host vulnerability to pests, disease, and decay, and the negative impact on tree vitality are expanded upon.

David Evans, F Arbor A, BA (Hons), GI Biol, Student, Arbor Centre, Head Office, Bath, United Kingdom

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