Article from Thame Out:
Four Seasons Tree Care are tree work specialists. The work requires a range and depth of experience. Company owner and Director, Matt Vaughan takes us through some recent jobs.
Ash Die-Back is now being found in and around The Chilterns. This devastating disease caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus will be more prevalent in woodland areas and is predicted to wipe out 95% of the UK Ash population.
There is some hope that individual trees in gardens and parks may escape infection. The disease has swept Eastwards across the Europe arriving on UK shores in 2012. We recently dismantled a large roadside Ash that had become infected and was becoming brittle and unsafe.
Ancient Yew trees are probably the oldest living beings we are likely to encounter. In Oxfordshire there are a several 1000 year old trees, mostly sitting quietly in Churchyards amongst the grave stones. We have provided management advice and pruning for one such tree, shown in the photos below. The main bole of the tree has a circumference of around 8 metres.
Over the centuries, as the heartwood has slowly decayed, the trunk has bulged outwards as if compressed by the weight of the crown above. We have, over the last 10 years or so, reduced the overall size of the crown to lessen the weight and lever effect of the main limbs preventing them breaking out from the trunk. The tree has responded well to our pruning with plenty of new growth over a more compact crown profile. This tree looks set to go on for centuries yet to come
The Black Poplar, Populus nigra is Britain’s rarest native tree. We are lucky enough to have a large number of this species dotted across The Vale of Aylesbury. This is a very large tree favouring wet, boggy copses and stream banks. We were called in to look at one such specimen last Autumn after a storm literally ripped the top of the tree out.
The tree was hidden away on the edge of a woodland and in line with ecological management objectives we pollarded the tree using techniques to maximise habitat and wildlife benefits. Much of the torn and damaged wood was retained and larger limbs were reduced using a technique called ‘coronet cutting’ which mimics storm damage rather than a clean chainsaw cut. This provides wonderful habitat and feeding opportunities for insects, bats and birds.
I hope you have enjoyed this brief look into the working life of Thame based tree specialists Four Seasons Tree Care. If we can help you to manage your trees, please do get in touch.
