A Dog’s Life of a Tree
ONE HUMAN’S YEAR EQUALS ABOUT ONE MONTH FOR A TREE
All living organisms have a life expectancy. For example: the life average expectancy of a dog is 11 years. The life expectancy of the average Australian male person is 80 years. Trees also have a range of average life expectancies. For example, some Wattles, and other pioneer species, only have a life expectancy of 15-25 years.
Sudden Limb Drop
NOTHING’S EVER SUDDEN IN TREES
During the early 1980’s, while working with Dr Alex Shigo on the reason for “Sudden Limb Drop”, we discovered that the cause was an association of brown rot decay and decay induced local moisture stress.
Brown rot is an opportunistic disease that enters natural and unnatural wound sites. When all the conditions are aligned it leads to “Sudden Limb Drop” as a result of the fungi’s ability to preferentially take moisture from adjacent uninfected tissue.
Tree Protection Zones
REVIEW OF TPZ ASSESSMENT FOR AUSTRALIAN TREES
Tree Protection Zones (TPZ) were invented in the USA, based on American Species and American units of measurement. For Australia they are, at best, an arbitrary guide structured around the American unit of measurement of 12 inches being 1 foot.
Visualising The Death Process
VISUALISING A TREE’S DEATH A SLOW PROCESS
The way a tree dies is through starvation. The tree / plant simply does not have enough energy to meet its energy demands of life. How do we know this is true?
Starving With Green Leaves
STARVING WITH GREEN LEAVES
Having a few green leaves on the end of a branch does not indicate health, prosperity or longevity. Such remnant green leaves are simply living on the residue of previously stored carbohydrates.
Soil Organic Layer
SOIL’S ORGANIC LAYER
Woodland Management, Agriculture, Gardening and Grounds Maintenance causes the thin layer of topical organics to be depleted through; the conversion to pasture or lawn, the regular grazing or mowing and removal of cattle, hay or clippings, gardening whereby litter is removed and the burning off of twigs and leaves, particularly in Fuel Reduction Burns.
Shigometry Decay, Decline & Vitality Assessment
SHIGOMETRY DECAY, DECLINE & VITALITY ASSESSMENT
All living organisms have an interplay with electricity. They use, transmit, absorb or generate electrical energy. All living cells have electrical potential that can be measured in one way or another. In the case of trees, there are two useful ways we can use this electrical potential; the determination of the decay state of the wood and the extent and activity of the cambium.
Roots the Plants Brains
ROOTS, THE PLANTS BRAINS
Roots are the brains of the tree. It’s the roots that drive all the processes within the tree. The root systems of trees are symbiotic with specialised fungi. These fungi, mycorrhizal roots, black arrow and the hair roots, Red Arrows connect with the soil colloid to absorb water and nutrients.
Planting Procedure
PLANTING ADVANCED TREES
The success of planting any plants and particularly advanced trees is substantially dependent of proper planting procedures being followed. Don’t spend $100s on the plant and only Cents on the planting site. In the Nursery Plants and Advanced trees are highly managed pampered plants, sticking them in poorly prepared and maintained planting sites will inevitable lead to poor establishment and/or growth rates at best, but to failure and death in many cases.
Compartmentalisation Of Wounded Tissue
COMPARTMENTALISATION OF WOUNDED TISSUE
Trees are generation organisms, generating new tissue on the outside of the old tissue with each growth increment – Growth Rings.
Managing The Supply And Demand Of Energy
MANAGING THE SUPPLY AND DEMAND OF ENERGY
Short-term stress management is manifested by the dieback of the less productive and vital crown sections or iterations. This may see the inner branches of the crown or larger crown iterations die, while the remaining sections of the tree apparently maintain normal leaf density, colour and vitality.
Leaves Have A Productive Life
LEAVES HAVE A PRODUCTIVE LIFE
Over an ideal growing season a stem may grow say 1 metre and have leaves every 50mm down the stem. These 200 leaves will thus vary in age according to the length of the season. However, over this time some of these leaves will become shaded by newer growth, damaged by pest, disease or mechanical abrasion. They will become old and less efficient. They will once again become parasitic on the tree just as growing foliage and twigs are. Green leaves but unproductive – taking and not giving.
Branch Attachment – Clamped Not Integral
BRANCH ATTACHMENT – CLAMPED NOT INTEGRAL
The outer current growth ring forms a “Cylinder” around the previous years of growth. Where the branch meets the trunk “Cylinder” the branch “Cylinder” unzips at the top and forms a “Branch Sheet” of tissue over the top of the last trunk “Cylinder”.
Included Bark – Structurally Very Poor Unions
INCLUDED BARK – STRUCTURALLY VERY POOR UNIONS
Read more >Planting Site Hygiene Following Tree Removal
PLANTING SITE HYGIENE FOLLOWING TREE REMOVAL
Seldom are healthy trees removed, but when they are the residue of the bole and root system are still alive but committed to death, when their starch reserves run out.
Roots – Structural and Feeding
ROOTS – STRUCTURAL AND FEEDING
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