San Fran Tree Dept

[Darin]

Here is some pix I got around Pier 39. The trees are like this all over the place. What do you think?

 

[Darin]

Here is a close up if you need it!! You would think the city would at least hire qualified people!!!!

 

[treeclimber165]

I believe the term is 'pollarding'. It's basically topping every year, kinda like we do crepe myrtles. Believe it or not, it is an accepted practice in certain situations. Better than not having trees at all, I guess. I still think of them as 'trees in a can'.

 

[Darin]

So in your opinion is this (in these pics) acceptable? Looks like crap to me.

 

[treeclimber165]

IMHO, it stinks. But in certain situations, such as city trees in confined areas it is acceptable to pollard the trees annually. This is popular in Europe, or so I recall from the seminar where I learned about it.

 

[Nickrosis]

That is NOT POLLARDING! I hope no one does that kind of tree trimming thinking they are pollarding. Pollarding is a perfectly acceptable form of tree care that does not damage tree unnecessarily. Topping kills trees. Pollarding limits their size.

Pollarding must be done first when the tree is very young and <i>must</i> be continued <i>every single year ad infinitum</i>. To top a tree, make a cut through a branch away from a branch collar or other union. To pollard a tree, trim the last year's growth back to the branch union, no more and no less.

I was just talking to Dr. Miller about a picture he saw advertising a particular journal and made sure that the students in the SSA office were very clear on the difference. In my opinion, pollarding is cool, and I enjoy doing it. Right now, I've been pollarding a sargent crab (<i>Malus</i> sp.) with great success.

I agree, you would certainly think a large municipality would know better than to take a large tree and turn it into an eyesore.

Nickrosis

 

[Treeman14]

It looks like someone's misguided attempt at pollarding.

 

[DDM]

That looks like the trees the Big green trucks just visited 2 streets over from me
line clearance?

 

[Ghivelder]

As Nickrosis said, pollarding must be carried out every year. What happens is that the trees are abandoned and then when one gets back to it the cuts have become too big. The tree isn't able any longer to compartimentalize and the "head" starts to rotten.
Pollarding is very common in France. Here in Italy, trees are lucky when they are abandoned, or otherwhise topped. Of course there are also a few people around (myself included) doing high quality work.

Sergio


http://www.tree-climbing.com

 

[treeclimber165]

Those trees in the pics still look like they need a good Basal pruning!
At about 1 inch high!

 

[Ghivelder]

For those interested in lurning more about proper pollarding, there is an article by Kim Coder in the august 96 issue of Arborist News.

Sergio

 

[Darin]

I was thinking line clearance but by Pier 39 there are no lines. They used motorized trollies down there. I think I counted over 50 trees just like this. It wasn't a pretty sight. It was just plain ugly. I agree with Brian. BASIL PRUNE. When people see the city do this, they get the idea in their head it is ok. They will go home and do it themselves. There are only a few million visitors a year.

 

[treeclimber165]

Originally posted by TreeCo

We drape a tarp over our company name on the boom truck when doing this job

Dan Nelson

I admit that I have pulled the magnetic signs off my truck when doing certain jobs in the past, but have come to believe that there is NO EXCUSE for doing a job that I'm not willing to put my name on. I've walked from many jobs where the customer insisted on butchery, and sleep much better for it. All it takes is ONE person to associate you with that job, and it will cost you thousands in future work. People will believe (and rightfully so) that YOU are 'one of those tree butchers'!!

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Pollarding is best done on an annual cycle, but many say that a three year cycle is acceptable.

I have been told that tru pollardy is cyclical pruning of sprouts from the head using proper colar cuts. The cycle is not part of the deffinition.

I have seen a number of singal head pollarded trees.

I read an article that it was used in olden times to form specific shaped timber for rafters, joists, ship frames and all sorts of neat stuff.

I used to have a couple Amur maples and burnning bushes that I maintained that way.

lots of common mulberry in our area like that.

 

[Ghivelder]

Originally posted by John Paul Sanborn
Pollarding is best done on an annual cycle, but many say that a three year cycle is acceptable.

Who is many?
I've never heard that...
Personally I don't like pollarding, but whether we like it or not, it is an acceptable arboricultural practice. The problem is that we almost never see it done properly and many people try to disguise topping as if it was pollarding. There are lake towns in Italy where rows of tree must be constrained to a very small size and pollarding is (I repeat, if done properly) a possible solution. As TreeCo said, it's high maintenance.
I'll try to find some pictures...

Sergio

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

While searching for new info on pallarding, I found this interesting article.

Hedgerow Oak Trees: Their Potential and Future
© 1987 Robert I. Bradshaw


http://www.robibrad.demon.co.uk/oak_abstr.htm#contents

 

[Jumper]

Amputation

People that trim trees like this remind me of a hand with all the fingers amputated. You see a lot of trees like this around here on private property that have been lopped off by homeowners, but
this really is ugly. Sort of looks like the jobs a BIG company around here does on trees under hydro poles. Maybe the guy that did this admires the skinhead look in trees.:angel:

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Properly done they realy dont look bad in a formal setting.

Like Scotch, an aquired taste

 

[Greg]

I have always said that I do not and will not top trees. But in cases where someone has started "pollarding" and the customer actually does keep up with it, what do you do, offer to only cut it down? I dealt with this about 2 weeks ago, I did the job --With my truck way out of sight. I then told the customer my thoughts on that type of tree care and to make sure that if anyone asked, that I was not the first one to top the tree and I was only doing it to help a customer and avoid the hazards that could result.

Trees guys in my town still advertise "topping" in the yellow pages and I have seen one with the catchy slogan "we top them all" on the side of his truck.
Greg