97′ Pin oaks Quercus palustris were reduced to 83′, with cuts <4″, 15%-20% 0ff.
It’s over a month away, but you might want to reserve some time for this event. 4 expert presenters will transfer technology on memorial planting, tree architecture, the Wood Wide Web, and reforesting urban neighborhoods:
Dr. Nina Bassuk helped develop CU-Stuctural Soil to avoid soil compaction under pavement, and The Scoop’n’Dump Method to mitigate soil compaction after construction.
Dr. Greg Dahle, a familiar face from Biomechanics Research Week, delves deeply into tree anatomy, describing different ways that tree parts connect together.
Dr. John Ball is well known for researching safe work practices, but here he pivots to ecology, where trees grow stronger by networking with each other.
I’ve learned a lot from these three professors over the years. The final presenter, Earl Eutsler, is new to me, but his subject is dear to my heart. The south side of Chicago would have benefited from efforts like his to green up our neighborhoods.
Somewhere in the middle, I will try to justify the specified reduction pruning inflicted upon some big old trees in 2016, and see if they survived.
At $5/talk/CEU, the Summit features some serious bang for the buck. We hope to see you there!
The ISA site is not ready to post references as background to talks at their conference next month, so I’m posting some here.
In the first column on this 2015 poster, surgery to repair included bark is demonstrated. I will have more on this next month after reviewing the response to our 2016 surgeries, and will show them at the conference. Come to Ohio August 7 to see for yourself!
The 2nd column answers the question about the usefulness of removing the compacted bark that girdles stems after girdling roots are removed. https://lnkd.in/eqCijFr Are there any questions that remain?
While attending the 4th celebration of tree care below the branches here at The Morton Arboretum, I put together this list of my publications and videos over the years. Feel free to warm up your winter nights by tuning into the bottom half of the tree.
Please offer any comments or constructive criticism that arise, and share if you like. Some of my views have changed over the past 15 years, but most have been consistent on one primary theme: Give Trees a Chance!
ROOT, FLARE AND TRUNK CARE RESOURCES: WINTER VIEWING LIST
Tomorrow is the last day for public comment, so if you care for trees, take a look at the new draft of the US Standard Part 2 and see how it can lead to new services to sell and new ways to care for the entire tree.
This draft is written in user-unfriendly language but it’s worth the effort. What do you see that confirms what you are doing already? What do you NOT see that belongs in there?
A300 standards are described as “performance parameters established by industry consensus as a rule for the measure of extent, quality, quantity, value or weight used to write specifications.” All treatments and materials that are reasonable to use on soil should get fair value and weight in this standard.
Terms used in the body that are unfamiliar or uncertain to many readers should be defined. Suggestions:
Auger: (ISA) tool that bores holes in wood or other materials while carrying cuttings away from the bored hole
Berm (A300 82.5) Soil added above grade for a specified purpose, such as a planting bed or a barrier.
Biological conrol: (ISA) method of managing plant pests or weeds through the use of natural predators, parasites, or pathogens….” *This applies to soil too: Add “biological control methods should be preferred.”
Biology: (Wikipedia) is the natural science that involves the study of life and living organisms, including their physical and chemical structure, function, development and evolution.
calcareous soil (OSU) soil that contains free calcium carbonate; requires substantial elemental sulfur to alter soil pH of calcareous soils on a field scale.
Mulch 20.24 mulch: A material applied to the soil surface to protect the soil surface, deter erosion, moderate soil temperature, conserve moisture, inhibit weeds and improve soil structure AND BIOLOGY. Soil requires life. This need is so basic that the need to manage it should be acknowledged. Adding compost is mentioned briefly, to improve structure only. There are other materials used.
Mycorrhiza: (ISA) symbiotic association between certain fungi and the roots of a plant….delete “symbiotic”, or define it, or change it to “mutual”: mutualism: association between organisms of two different species in which each benefits.
Using symbiosis would require Parasite: organism living in or on another living organism (host) from which it derives nourishment to the detriment of the host, sometimes killing the host. Contrast with epiphyte and saprophyte…
Root collar (A300 82.20) transition zone from the FLARE to the roots, where the buttress roots divide.
Change from “trunk” for clarity and to conform with Part 8.
Root curtain (ZTV) a material applied after excavation to prevent soil damage from drying and other damage
Soil: (Wikipedia) Soil is a mixture of minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids, and countless organisms that together support life on Earth. (ISA) surface layers of sand, clay, silt, and organic material on the surface of the earth that support LIVING plants…” Soil holds up dead trees too. “Living” is needed.
Soil aeration (ISA) improving soil structure to increase air movement.
Soil biology the living components of the soil, including fungus, bacteria, and animals.
The ISA definitions below should be added here and in the body, so all users can understand what soil assessment requires.
soil auger
(1) device for removing cores of soil for inspecting or testing. SEE PROBE (2) device (drill bit) used to drill holes in the soil for vertical mulching or for the drill-hole method of fertilizing. See earth aug…
soil horizon
layer or zone of the soil profile with physical, chemical, and biological characteristics that differ from adjacent layers….
soil particle
smallest grains of soil categorized by size into clay, silt, or sand….
soil probe
any one of a number of instruments used to take soil cores or samples. Usually some variation of a metal tube with a sharpened or serrated point and a T-shaped handle….SEE AUGER
soil profile
vertical section through the soil and all of the soil horizons….
soil reaction
pH (acidity or alkalinity) of a soil….
Soil replacement (ZTV) removing and replacing soil to improve growing conditions. **A300 does not currently acknowledge the practice of soil replacement.**
Soil structure Soil classification characteristic of how soil particles bind together (aggregate), creating voids between the aggregates. **Particles bind together as the result of biological activity.**
If changes are not made, this standard will ignore the biological essence of the soil, and devalue the work of those who aim to build soil biology!
The door on public comment slams shut September 25. Soil is not dead. Speak out for the life in the soil that gives life to the trees!
See the instructions at the bottom of the current projects page on how to make comments. The instructions include a notice that the commenter needs to be logged into the TCIA website in order to make comments.
Click the button to log in (or click “Create a New Account” to register for a TCIA account), go to the web form, and make comments.
Please note: You may provide comments directly to your A300 Committee representative if you do not need an official response from the ANSI-accredited A300 Committee. Visit the A300 Committee roster on the TCIA website for a list of your representatives.
After recent trainings in Singapore and Queensland, I was asked to share one of the presentations. This 2014 webinar contains the same basic information, though the references to the US standard (recently revised with no incorporation of international standards and practices) are anachronistic.
A CEU test on the material is also available.
“In the third session of The Canopy webinar series, consulting arborist Guy Meilleur discusses how decay in older trees can be managed by inspection, treatment and monitoring by following the German ZTV, TRAQ, and the ANSI A300 tree inspection standards. Meilleur also addresses techniques for advancing compartmentalization and documenting strength gain over time as trees adapt to their environment and management adapts to the trees.”
Do you care about the value of trees, and how it is calculated? Then you need to read this.
Tree value has been appraised in the US for over 100 years. In my 25 years of performing this service for tree owners, I’ve found it difficult, but satisfying, to calculate the cost of repairing tree damage and replacing lost trees for tree owners who have suffered a loss.
Now comes a draft of the Guide that would change the industry, at the expense of veteran arborists and of tree owners. Coincidentally, an effort is underway to certify tree appraisers, at the same time that the Guide is being rewritten to allow unqualified people to gain this certification.
11 of my peers and superiors in tree appraisal (list at the end) are unanimous that the current draft of the 10th edition lowers tree values unreasonably and forces appraisers to pretend they know about forestry and real estate and the law. If this draft is approved, experienced appraisers with competence will be pushed down to the level of wannabes. Tree owners will suffer the most.
Please listen to the concerns of these veteran arborists, and let these groups know that you do not want tree valuation to be trashed by the lust to dumb down the practice just to make money: AmericanHort,
• American Society of Consulting Arborists
• American Society of Landscape Architects
• Association of Consulting Foresters of America
• International Society of Arboriculture
• National Association of Landscape Professionals
• Tree Care Industry Association
If you value the contributions that trees provide to our world, this matters to you!
biologymechanicsandtreecare Summer Camp, with a Purpose! At the ISA Conference 4 p.m. on Monday I’ll be looking back at 4 weeks of research in the past 10 years.
This was recently published in Tree Care Industry magazine, November 2016, here: http://tcia.org/TCI-publications/tci-magazine/2016/11/index.html
British and German standards have long recognized crown regeneration by reduction pruning. The US standard started including this practice in 2017.
The UK’s tree care standard BS3998 has been in force since 1966. Germany’s ZTV since 1981, and the US’s A300 Part 1 since 1991. British and German cultures have a longer history of managing mature trees than the US. The regions and legal systems and the trees themselves are similar, and the tree care standards also have some similarities. A brief comparison on pruning mature trees might indicate more opportunities for harmonization:
US:ANSI A300 Part 1
Germany: ZTV
UK: BS3998
Informative text (not normative/’standard’) included for clarity
Excluded from the body; in annexes or saved for ISA BMP
Included in the body, italicized
Included in the body, italicized
Guidance on reduction pruning
6 lines
Several pages (example below)
Several pages (example below)
“Regeneration” aka
“Retrenchment” ?
No
“Promote secondary (reiterative) crown” …
“Main solution to prevent failure”…
“Heading cut” used?
Yes, with 3 definitions
No
No
Size of reduction cuts: Required, recommended, or suggested?
Suggested:Small cuts “should be preferred”
Recommended
Should not exceed 4”
Required with exceptions; exceed 4” only under specialcircumstances
German Normative Guidance www.fll.de/shop/baume-und-geholze/ztv-baumpflege.html
“On young trees, the goal of pruning is to direct their outward growth and development. On mature trees, pruning preserves health, safety, and function for as long as possible.
To regenerate a tree’s crown, trees that are showing dieback should be cut back to an inner crown. Individual branches should be reduced. When reducing the entire crown don’t go over 20%. Heavy sprouting after damage should be thinned or reduced. Make the cuts above the old pruning wounds. Develop a secondary crown using reiterations.
Maintain features that are characteristic to the individual tree.
Branches greater than 4 inch diameter should not be removed. Large cuts less than 4 inches on poorly compartmentalizing species should also be avoided. Consider reducing the limb.
British Normative Guidance BS3998
After crown reduction, there should be a strong framework of healthy small-diameter branches and twigs (leaf-bearing structure), capable of producing dense leaf cover during the following growing season. Each tree should first be assessed to decide how much and where to cut
A crown should normally be reduced in proportion to its original shape, so as to avoid altering the balance of the tree as a whole… The shape of the crown can be changed if there is a specific need to do so, e.g. for biomechanical integrity. During crown reduction, unlike topping, the cuts should not exceed 4” diameter except on very large trees. Etc…
According to the ISA, the ANSI A300 standard fits with its “special companion Best Management Practices booklets. The ANSI A300 standards represent the industry consensus on performing tree care operations.” A300 may be the dominant standard for the US industry, but it seems to leave out common practices in the international industry.
ANSI directs the A300 group to incorporate an international perspective: “Standards… Developers are encouraged to consult any relevant international or regional guides that may impact the proposed standard.”
The A300 group only agreed “To review and incorporate changes in industry standard practices, as appropriate, since the approval of the current standard. Harmonization with related industry standards will be considered.”
This wording does not align with A300’s assigned responsibility to be a global partner, and limits A300’s usefulness as a reference for an international BMP.
ANSI does not encourage the A300 group to consider harmonization, but to actively harmonize.
Are operations other than pruning incorporated?
No, 10 other Parts are separated into different publications
Support, Contracting, Habitat, Diagnosis, Root and Soil Care…
Support, Contracting, Habitat, Diagnosis, Root and Soil Care…
The 11 separate-but-overlapping volumes of A300 make this difficult, and the need for combining these should be acted upon sooner rather than later. But with the deadline for comment October 2nd, the more urgent action is to comment on the draft and encourage A300 to consult and harmonize with relevant international standards.
“Scope summary: A300 (Part 1) Pruning standards provide acceptable industry performance parameters and an industry standard specification writing guide for pruning of trees, shrubs, and other woody plants. ..”
By consulting international standards, the A300 group can “provide acceptable industry performance parameters and an industry standard specification writing guide.” Without a wider perspective, Part 1’s parameters restrict the performance and competitiveness of a growing number of experienced arborists in the US.
Practices that are proven by long experience to be acceptable elsewhere in the world and compatible with tree health, value and stability are put at a significant disadvantage in the US. This disadvantage is worsened when they are omitted from the ISA BMP.
Tree workers and managers who communicate or travel between the US and other countries lose time and effectiveness while adapting to different tree care standards. Technology transfer across borders is inhibited. With more consistency among tree care standards and practices, the international arboricultural industry can advance.
If the A300 group chooses not to harmonize with international guidance, the wording in their standard should reflect that limitation, such as: 1 ANSI A300 standards 1.1 Scope ANSI A300 performance standards cover the care and management of trees, shrubs, palms and other woody landscape plants **in the USA**. 1.2 Purpose ANSI A300 standards are intended for the development of work practices, written specifications, best practices, regulations and other measures of performance **in the USA**. ..
1.3 Application ANSI A300 standards shall apply to any person or entity engaged in the management of trees, shrubs, palms, or other woody plants **in the USA**, including federal, state or local agencies, utilities, arborists, consultants, arboricultural or landscape firms, and managers or owners of property.”
Added language to the next draft that includes common practices like mature tree reduction, vine and shrub care, etc. is not only possible, but necessary to meet A300’s aspirations to represent industry consensus. So comment today to Bob Rouse, rrouse@tcia.org
Here are the draft copies of the US Pruning and Tree Risk Standards. Lots of good in there, but less comprehensive than the more traditional English and German Standards. Only 35 days left to comment, or forever hold your peace!
