Pruning the Son of a BEECH!

[Mad Professor]

I've got a Red/European? beech my mother planted years ago too close to the garden. Nice spreading tree but it's taking out too much sun from my vegetable garden, and lillacs on the other side.

Question is, can I take off the lower branches without doing grave harm to the tree? I'd take them off 2-3 feet from the trunk then trim the stubs back.

It would be the 3 or 4 lowest limbs, two are pretty large. Last two pictures are from opposite sides of the tree, from each other.

 

[lone wolf]

Sure you can .

 

[Raintree]

It's called a copper beech, when you say 2 are pretty large, what size are we talking about?

 

[TNTreeHugger]

I think I'd move the garden.

 

[Mad Professor]

I think I'd move the garden.

Gardens been there longer than the tree, I was there when Mom planted it. Top soil is ~ 4ft deep

 

[250R]

I don't think by removing any of the branches is going to give you more sunlight needed for a garden, without radically changing the trees appearance and health. I would start with properly pruning the Beech. And any other trees by the garden.

 

[Mad Professor]

It's called a copper beech, when you say 2 are pretty large, what size are we talking about?

~12". I'll take a tape and check tomorrow

The tree is ~ 27-28" DBH, the two biggest limbs I want to remove are ~ 10" and 12". Will this hurt tree much, cause future problems?

I don't think by removing any of the branches is going to give you more sunlight needed for a garden, without radically changing the trees appearance and health. I would start with properly pruning the Beech. And any other trees by the garden.

OK, what would be proper pruning on a mature tree?

You need prospective of the garden. I grow ~ 40 tomato, 40 peppers, 100 potatoes, 20-30 broccoli/cabbage each spring and fall crops, 200 onions, patch of garlic, beans, chard, spinach, summer/winter squashes, beets, lettuce, herbs,..........

My parents started this garden, I've farmed it since the 1960s. That tree is on the western edge. Removing those lower limbs will allow enough light (~6-7 hours) to grow crops that don't require full sunlight: broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, .............the soil there is also some of the richest. The loam is 4' deep.

A couple more pictures that show the tree in question. 1st has some of the branches in question on the left, looking east. The 2nd shows the whole tree from far east side of garden looking west.

I have the garden plowed/harrowed now. I need to deal with the limbs ASAP to get crops in.

 

[TNTreeHugger]

~12". I'll take a tape and check tomorrow

The tree is ~ 27-28" DBH, the two biggest limbs I want to remove are ~ 10" and 12". Will this hurt tree much, cause future problems?

View attachment 988983




OK, what would be proper pruning on a mature tree?

You need prospective of the garden. I grow ~ 40 tomato, 40 peppers, 100 potatoes, 20-30 broccoli/cabbage each spring and fall crops, 200 onions, patch of garlic, beans, chard, spinach, summer/winter squashes, beets, lettuce, herbs,..........

My parents started this garden, I've farmed it since the 1960s. That tree is on the western edge. Removing those lower limbs will allow enough light (~6-7 hours) to grow crops that don't require full sunlight: broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, .............the soil there is also some of the richest. The loam is 4' deep.

A couple more pictures that show the tree in question. 1st has some of the branches in question on the left, looking east. The 2nd shows the whole tree from far east side of garden looking west.

I have the garden plowed/harrowed now. I need to deal with the limbs ASAP to get crops in.

View attachment 988977

View attachment 988985

Nice garden spot! Moving it not an option.

Doesn't that tree, being on the west side of the garden, protect the garden from the hottest part of the day? Idk.

How old is the tree and how many more years, realistically, does it have left?
Would any potential fatal damage from pruning happen before the tree would naturally expire anyway?
I'm leaning more towards saving that garden spot now after seeing it.

 

[Raintree]

Yes those cuts will be harmful to your tree. The wounds will introduce decay fungi into the trunk. Beech trees are very slow healers. Hacking off one side of the crown will buy you little extra sunlight time on the garden. The beech will continue to increase in size as you have redirected growth energy to height. Your options, live with it, hack it for short term little gain or bite the bullet and remove it. Planting shortsightedness has always been good for the tree business. Hate to lose a nice tree but you can't feed the family on beech nuts.

 

[Mad Professor]

Nice garden spot! Moving it not an option.

Doesn't that tree, being on the west side of the garden, protect the garden from the hottest part of the day? Idk.

How old is the tree and how many more years, realistically, does it have left?
Would any potential fatal damage from pruning happen before the tree would naturally expire anyway?
I'm leaning more towards saving that garden spot now after seeing it.

The tree is ~55 years old. Let alone it will outlive me. But I don't want to kill it slowly by hacking it up.

Farther to the southwest there are white pines that are ~ 50" dbh, west northwest an oak ~ 35" dbh. They shade late in the day, and protect from wind/storms.

I also have issues with my orchard and trees on the woodland border blocking the sun, that's another larger project.

 

[Mad Professor]

Yes those cuts will be harmful to your tree. The wounds will introduce decay fungi into the trunk. Beech trees are very slow healers. Hacking off one side of the crown will buy you little extra sunlight time on the garden. The beech will continue to increase in size as you have redirected growth energy to height. Your options, live with it, hack it for short term little gain or bite the bullet and remove it. Planting shortsightedness has always been good for the tree business. Hate to lose a nice tree but you can't feed the family on beech nuts.

Next question, what is prognosis of taking part of the limbs off in question, farther up and leaving a few live shoots. Will limb die back to trunk any way?

Taking off the whole limb is certainly easier, part of the limbs will be a PITA I don't really have time for. Other option is think about until next year and not FU the tree being a butcher.

 

[Raintree]

If you can make multiple small cuts that is ideal. It may be hard to visualize the tree shadow before and after the pruning. My experience is tree height is the biggest factor for the shade issue.

 

[250R]

Those are some pretty big limbs to remove at one time. Have you considered crown thinning? This will allow more sunlight to reach the ground. The tree looks like it has never had any work done to it. Whatever you chose to do be careful. Older trees need special care and maintenance. This could be a multi year project. The best time to do pruning is when the tree is dormant. I believe you missed the window. IMO Light pruning is ok, mainly sucker growth. If you choose to remove the limbs, make sure the tree is healthy. A stressed tree will not be happy losing its food source. If you go radical do not remove more than 20% of the branches (only on a healthy tree).