Tree Maintenance

Every tree that we live in close proximity to needs some form of maintenance at some point. Pruning is the biggest part of my work, and takes up most of my year. Whether it is a 200-year old beech tree in a park or a young roadside sapling, I can encounter both in one day and can adjust my methods to what the tree needs in order to maintain a balance with its surroundings

Adult trees

Adult trees

Working for the Council, I prune trees according to international arboricultural standards. This is in keeping with the research of Dr. Alex L Shigo and the CODIT principle. Pruning in a heavily urban developed area, city trees need to be kept clear of the driving profile, dead branches hanging above roads and paths need to be removed, branches growing too close to buildings or structures need to be pruned back. I have experienced pruning for every conceivable reason, but wounding of trees always falls in to the same rules set out in international guidelines in the arboricultrual industry. The pollarding of trees is definitely not something i would recommend to any customer, however there are some circumstances I have come across through the years where some trees are just unmanageable for their location.

I trim trees using climbing techniques or with a cherry picker, whichever fits the location or budget

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Pruning of young/DEVELOPING trees

The pruning of young trees is probably the most important type of pruning. Properly trained young trees will develop a strong structure that requires less corrective pruning as they mature. Again, there are recognised guidelines for pruning these young trees.  In my work I am sometimes set to work in a newly established area of the city where there are upwards of a thousand young trees all in need of pruning.  I take a lot of pleasure from 'guiding' young trees as it gives me a feeling that I am helping trees to co-exist with their surroundings for the foreseeable future.

Root system treatment

Trees that live in the city have all kinds of problems to deal with. Often they are planted with not enough nutrition in the surrounding earth to see them through their adult life or the soil gets compacted around the root system. City administrators often come to me with the problems that the roots are pushing up parts of the pavement. In these cases I advise customers and city administrators a number of different options to help the tree further.

Often I replace the surrounding soil. I  do this together with a suction system mounted on truck. The soil is replaced with a nutrition enriched version.  I also install a system of special pipes to help with the oxygen regulation under the root system.