Evergreen

46 EVERGREEN Autumn
(continued)
ancient and veteran trees from
failing mechanically. Reduction,
however, should be avoided unless
it’s absolutely necessary — in which
case it should be carried out over a
long period rather than quickly...to
avoid dysfunction.
“The majority of the trees that fall
under my jurisdiction, particularly at
Leigh Woods, are lapsed oak pollards.
(Pollarding is a pruning system in
which the upper branches of a tree
are removed, promoting a dense head
of foliage and branches. It has been
common in Europe since medieval
times and is practised primarily to
maintain trees at a predetermined
height.)
“These have decaying stems with
very big branches coming off that.
The threat is that the stem will split
apart and collapse — resulting in
the loss of the tree. So while I can
recommend a programme of end
weight reduction to stop trees from
splitting, the remedial work has to be
assessed on a tree-by-tree basis.
“Some rules have to be followed
but each case must be
assessed individually from
the standpoint of the health
and vitality of the tree.
Looking at the vitality of a
tree we have to ask several
questions. How much
growth is going on? How
much epicormic growth
is there? Are the leaves in
good condition? Are they
big, healthy and a good
colour? Survival is unlikely
unless there’s strong vitality.
“It’s better to leave a
tree alone if vitality is
low because any form of
cutting will cause damage.
In some circumstances,
of course, if you don’t do
anything you’ll definitely
Work that is needed is
assessed on the ground . . .