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Re: Arbutus reduction

Subject: Re: Arbutus reduction
From: Richard Fletcher
Date: Aug 02 2012 15:29:09
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Thanks a lot for all comments, in this case over-mature means past its best.
 
Richard

Jerry Ross <trees@xxxxxxxxxx.co.uk> 02/08/2012 13:25 >>>
______________________________________________________________________
ArborCAD & ArborTRAIL software programs are now BS5837:2012 compatible.

ARB CAD Service - For Tree Constraint Plans (TCP), Tree Protection Plans
(TPP), Proposed Overlays, Tree location Plans and Shadow Layouts from your
own survey data. Speedy turnaround. Very competitive fees. No job too
small!
                   Visit: www.chrisskellern.co.uk 
______________________________________________________________________

Well my experience is with younger specimens (not with 'over-mature' 
ones anyway - whatever that phrase actually means...);  But  I would 
suggest that they generally react quite well to being cut back. The 
multi-stemmed bush I can see from my window is regrowth after a young 
plant was knocked back by frosts a couple of winters ago* and from 
pretty well nothing it's now getting on for a metre high. And other, 
more mature plants have recovered well from various forms of reduction, 
whether through pruning or as a result of wind or other mechanical damage.
Also, the Arbutus scrub you get in Mediterranean countries grows back 
like no-one's business after being cut back. (I spent a couple of weeks 
in Corfu many years ago brush-cutting hectares of the stuff!)

But to get another opinion I've turned to George E. Brown's old book, 
Pruning of Trees Shrubs & Conifers, and he says that "one feature common 
to all Arbutus is that they regenerate freely if cut back quite hard, 
provided the root system and the plant as a whole are in good condition" 
- John Mallins (The Pruner's Handbook) says much the same: "all species 
regenerate freely" But they both say not to cut back storm or 
frost-damaged material until new shoots are showing.
So I'd suggest that as long as you can retain a fair bit of existing 
growth, or if you can reduce it progressively to encourage new shoots to 
break  further back, you should be OK.

Unless, of course, the true meaning of 'over-mature' is clapped out, .


(*They don't like having snow covering their foliage for any length of 
time...  get out and give 'em a shake if snow settles on them.).





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