Topping trees correctly and to standard?

Eric Frei

There's a misconception out there that topping and lopping is not on.

Some say it's an inappropriate pruning technique. Some say it violates standards.

But some say, in particular one arborist who pounds the pages of arborist publications and ISA street circuses (Guy Mullier), that you can do it if you cut to "nodes".

Yes, I am being provocative, why?

Because there's an increasing volume of rubbish like this being written into specifications that others have to perform.

Would you like to be the cutter who has to flat top trees to a specified height and then also be told that in doing so you have to adhere to a pruning standard?

Well, such tripe is being written, and by prominent people, (Shigo would roll in his grave).

Now cleverley in their defence they drag out the newly established "node" to prune to.

And this is where it gets real interesting, is a node on a stem the size of a pencil (like a rose stem) the same as a "node" on a trunk or branch? what if that trunk or branch is like 12" dia? Are those rings, lumps and bumps all over that branch and trunk nodes or something else?

Some clever terms are also used like these classics ....

... inter-nodal cuts, these are bad and regrowth will be epicormic.

... nodal cuts, these are good and regrowth is endocormic.

Some species have an abundance of lumps, bumps etc like ficus hillii, are they nodes?

There's been great debate between Guy and I about his peddling of nodal pruning, it certainly is not one size fits all and it certainly varies amongst tree species, locations and maturity.

The old saying of giving an inch and then losing a mile is what I see, an inch was given for restorative storm pruning using "nodal" cuts and re-establishing a crown .... and the mile taken is flat out topping using the same bogus criteria.

to expand even further please point out where or how hedge trimming is dealt with in pruning standards?

Can one actually hedge to AS4373-2007?

I kid you not, this is real world and the type of contradicting stuff that emanates from poisoned minds of people who have lost touch with reality. Apparently you can reduce trees to a nominated height to a standard, then maintain them as a hedge to a standard, it is written.

I have spoken in the past about consultants writing specifications that could not be adhered to, "reduce the tree 50% but all cuts to conform to AS4373-2007" .... but there's no targets to cut to at that height so then what? I'll tell you what, you just lop the stem/trunk/branch to an alleged "node".

Wella, the smart arborists have arrived, anything can be achieved with your tree today and conform to pruning standards..... APPARENTLY!

__________________

Apocalypsse

Can't you read minds? Its written right there in his mind man!

This whole thing doesn't really make sense for normal pruning. How about doing something useful like standards for how to prune for powerline clearance instead of trying to justify topping. Powerline clearance can take anywhere up to and more than 90% of the tree to clear it from the lines, spams out epicormics and you are back to square one again.

Dano

I hope the nodes on the maples along our street are 1.5m below the powerlines!

I can't believe the're still alive.

__________________
Cheer's

Dano

http://www.treelove.com.au

Eric Frei

From this post hedge trimming is specifically excluded from AS4373, you should visit that post to see what recommendations are being made:-

__________________

KevinE

I was initially "trained" to prune to "nodes". The training I undertook was not held at TAFE, but the trainer is/was also a lecturer at TAFE (not arb, but a related subject). The thing about being taught incorrectly is that is much harder to un-learn what you have been taught than it was to "learn" it! This guy "taught" me several other things that eventually proved to be incorrect as well.

KevinE

I just read our local paper & the gardening columnist has written an article on what he believes is "pollarding" native frangipani trees. But if you read the article, he is actually cutting to produce epicormics.

Weekly Times Messenger : October 26th 2011, Page 1

just use the navigation arrows at the bottom of the page to get to page 26.

Eric Frei

Here you go:-



Also, there's this, sad no-one in Sydney can take pics for us ....

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________

lukedunbar19

Although I am new to the industry and have much to learn i believe that in some circumstances you can top trees properly but in species like eucs, corymbia etc it doesnt work. With standards for powerline clearence, the standards for planting trees below powerlines should be looked at first. In the Origin energy handbook or website it says no tree sould be closer than 3 meters to the lines (lines vary from 5-8M) so nothing that grows over 2M should be planted directly under them, if planting near powerlines the tree should be the same distance away from the lines as the tree is tall.