Recycling and Bio Diversity

We fell and prune trees for many different reasons, however the environmental impact may not be as you initially believe. We work to a specification, we want to maintain your tree by mitigating structural failure. Our specifications are designed to benefit the structure and form of trees within the urban setting.

Occasionally we are asked to prune a tree which has been part of a hedge or topped or tipped (see fig 1+4), is excessively crown raised (see fig 2) or crown thinned (see fig 3) (lions tailing). Left to grow out of control its limbs are normally over extended with weak branch unions.

Snapped out over extended re growth caused by topping cut on poplar	Figure 1
Excessive crown raise with stubs and rips	Figure 2
Lions tailing	Figure 3
Topping, tipping	Figure 4

Trees in this condition may be suitable for what is called crown restoration. We climb through out the tree inspecting and pruning out weak branch unions reducing and thinning over extended limbs. Always ensuring no more than 30% of the foliage is removed at any growing season.

However not all trees are suitable for such treatment some are in such a bad state that all we can recommend is felling monolith or create a chainsaw carving. (see fig 6) We would prefer not to fell your trees and monolith is bad for trees and is considered ugly. If you live in a close urban environment with few trees then I would recommend felling and re planting with a more suitable species. However if your tree has no targets (Nothing in its proximity should it fail) and your tree has limited public view monolith may be an answer.

To monolith a tree with over extended limbs we reduce back to the stem all the limbs. If the tree does not die it will have to be maintained on a 3 year cycle cutting back to new wood.

We have found in our experience this process creates cavities and rot throughout the tree, from crown to stem. This becomes habitat for birds mammals insects and fungi.

We would like to create a diverse environment. By maintaining safe standing dead wood and hedgerow stumps. Monolith can be a way of achieving this satisfying the customers needs and increasing bio diversity within the urban environment.

Monolith ash

Figure 5

Chainsaw carving

Figure 6

Figure 7 shows an old heading cut on beech within a large beech hedge. The resulting rot from the heading cut has degraded. Insect larvae have inhabited the resulting rot, birds then feed on the insects and the cycle continues.

Old heading cut in Beech hedge	Figure 7
Ground Beetles are common under logs and hedgerows	Figure 8

Often you find self seeded ash sycamore and the like growing through your hedge, to maintain uniformity you may wish to fell these, by controlling re growth with a plant protection product leaving the stumps within your hedge you promote such insects as the staghorn beetle whose larvae live in decaying tree stumps.

Nitrogen cycle	Figure 9
Effects of mulch on fibrous roots	Figure 10

We can feed your hedge with the wood chip from your own garden and as this degrades it creates not only a nitrogen source for your plants but habitat for fungi and soil microbes etc.
Mulch applied to the base of your trees within the drip area greatly increases the fibrous root system of your trees. (See fig 10)

In conclusion, we try to maintain trees; "That is we try to keep trees in your garden" by pruning them to meet any concerns you may have. The strategy set out here is controversial as it is of no benefit to individual trees in fact it is detrimental to tree condition and requires a maintenance strategy to mitigate hazard. However standing dead wood is a rarity which is why we prune out dead wood only over targets and recommend in some circumstances brutal heading cuts.