Crown reduction

[ropensaddle]

I recently did some drastic crown reduction to a large dying white oak
and a large dying water oak. I actually hate this type work because it
looks sort of ugly it had a severe case of crown die back and took only
the dead and damaged limbs out but laterals were hard to come by and
not true laterals as in, not one third the diameter of parent branch. It
would have been a long way down to get it to a good lateral so just
left all the green possible made the best cuts I could. I would rather
take a tree like this down and plant a new one but they wanted to try
and save it! I told him I can't promise anything and it would need monitored
for dead wood for many years to come.

 

[Nailsbeats]

I have had to do the same many times. Do what you gotta do, like you said you aren't promising anything. As long as the homeowner is made aware, that's the main thing.

 

[treemandan]

I have had to do the same many times. Do what you gotta do, like you said you aren't promising anything. As long as the homeowner is made aware, that's the main thing.

I took 20 feet out of a huge oak once. It was standing in a pool of water with a lean. It towwerd over everything and a good chance to blow over. I just did what they guy really wanted but suggested it come down AND one day it will.
I topped the hell out of this tree in live limbs, you are just cutting out the dead on a dying tree. be thankful you have a bucket and don't have to use a pole saw.
Trust me the guy who wanted that red oak topped knew all the options, that's why he wanted it topped. I didn't make him do it, he made me.
I just finished up 3 crown reductions on some maples, pretty big trees, I made cuts at great laterals and cut at around 3 to 4 inches. At a glance you might not tell. I got to the tips using my rope ladder so not to break any good limbs and be secure when notching out the tops. One of the most expensive forms of pruning but in these instances to climb is just as effective as the bucket.

 

[Blakesmaster]

Yup. Just put a bid on deadwooding 11 trees by a lake. Some have over half of the tree dead. One of them is a 15 inch dbh Sugar Maple with a few one inch diameter sprouts coming out of it no more than 10 ft off the ground with everything else dead. I told him there is no way this tree is going to survive. Didn't care, wants it cut just above the sprouts. I really don't want my company's name on these hack jobs but I seriously need the work. I guess I'll just write a disclaimer in the contract.

 

[kennertree]

I recently did some drastic crown reduction to a large dying white oak
and a large dying water oak. I actually hate this type work because it
looks sort of ugly it had a severe case of crown die back and took only
the dead and damaged limbs out but laterals were hard to come by and
not true laterals as in, not one third the diameter of parent branch. It
would have been a long way down to get it to a good lateral so just
left all the green possible made the best cuts I could. I would rather
take a tree like this down and plant a new one but they wanted to try
and save it! I told him I can't promise anything and it would need monitored
for dead wood for many years to come.

Dead wooding is only treating the symptom. Are you going to do anything to help turn the health of these trees around? If he is interested in keeping them it will be an easy sale.

 

[ropensaddle]

Dead wooding is only treating the symptom. Are you going to do anything to help turn the health of these trees around? If he is interested in keeping them it will be an easy sale.

They are on a yearly budget the other three dead trees and 20 stumps burned the budget up. This is why I hate this, as the rest of care it takes to preserve is not performed. I suggested mulching the root zone to help with soil compaction, complicated by new golf course construction practice prior to them becoming my client. Fairway trees getting more compaction daily golf carts etc. I explained and also put in writing the need of monitoring for dead wood and needs for the tree. We will be coming back yearly to do more care but more likely removals, at least they have
been planting many new trees to replace the dying trees. I watched them build this course dozer's, excavators and trenchers dump trucks etc. No mulch was brought in to help the trees survive this, so now they are many with dieback mechanical damage and more. Oh well, I guess it gives me something to do and they did mulch but mulched up to the bark and I showed them in the book why that is incorrect. They moved it back so maybe next year I can help more.

I also suggested aeration of the compacted soil as they
do have those tools and may help with transpiration
issues, I am always in market for other suggestions to
pass on so give me your opinions!