Butchering of trees.

[giddyup]

We hired a guy to come and prune 3 trees at the front of the house. I suppose they were about 8 metres high but we want to keep them below the wires for internet, cable etc. None of the branches and limbs were neatly sawn off, they were all just broken and splintered. Obviously the guy didn't have a sharp saw, so it was just easier to break the branches.

My question is, will this cause any kind of detriment to the trees, like allowing diseases to enter etc?

[PJ71]

Likely he / they just used a bush knife.

 

If the trees are mature they should be fine.

[Crossy]

I would certainly clean up any splintered ends with a nice sharp saw.

 

Madam has some mysterious stuff she paints on the cut ends which apparently prevents fungus. I'll try and find out what it is.

 

[billd766]

The biggest problem that I have with these butchers is that having hacked the tree almost to death, they simply walk away leaving all the dead bits of tree where they fell.

[JAFO]

21 minutes ago, billd766 said:

The biggest problem that I have with these butchers is that having hacked the tree almost to death, they simply walk away leaving all the dead bits of tree where they fell.

Amen to that.  I regularly see them rake the trimmings or leaves all up against the trunk so they rot and termites and bugs attack the tree and usually either kill it or it creates fungus and diseases that cause it to grow poorly. Proper arborists are very hard to come by here. Not a bad thing, Just what it is.

 

 

[giddyup]

27 minutes ago, billd766 said:

The biggest problem that I have with these butchers is that having hacked the tree almost to death, they simply walk away leaving all the dead bits of tree where they fell.

No, he did clean up all the fallen leaves and branches.

[drtreelove]

My question is, will this cause any kind of detriment to the trees, like allowing diseases to enter etc?

 

Yes. see attachments

Why Topping Hurts Trees.pdf Why Topping Hurts Trees_thai.pdf

[Lucky Bones]

Seems to be the accepted way here.

Just hack.

Trees regenerate.

Give it time to judge and report back.????????

[KhunLA]

On 10/20/2022 at 5:32 PM, billd766 said:

The biggest problem that I have with these butchers is that having hacked the tree almost to death, they simply walk away leaving all the dead bits of tree where they fell.

Obviously you hired the wrong contractor, or didn't ask or express your concerns beforehand.  

 

Usually pay a bit more for a bit more professional results.  If said contractor shows up on his/her/it's MB with handsaw, you may want to just give them 100 baht for petrol & good will, along with sending them on their way.

 

Usually when paying for skilled worker, you may get one.

[drtreelove]

On 10/20/2022 at 5:10 PM, Crossy said:

I would certainly clean up any splintered ends with a nice sharp saw.

 

Madam has some mysterious stuff she paints on the cut ends which apparently prevents fungus. I'll try and find out what it is.

 

Topical fungicide, biological or chemical may may provide some short term barrier effect if applied immediately after the cut is made, before infections occur, but they degrade within a few weeks and do not provide much residual effectiveness unless reappied monthly. There are many substances that have been used and tested for this purpose, from folk remedies to highly researched science based alternatives. The most common conclusion is not to paint, it is more important to make a clean cut with a sanitized tool, and to make the cut at  the branch collar or at a proper angle to the branch bark ridge, in order to promote rapid wound closure.  

[drtreelove]

On 10/20/2022 at 5:58 PM, JAFO said:

Amen to that.  I regularly see them rake the trimmings or leaves all up against the trunk so they rot and termites and bugs attack the tree and usually either kill it or it creates fungus and diseases that cause it to grow poorly. Proper arborists are very hard to come by here. Not a bad thing, Just what it is.

 

 

Certified arborists and tree workers are becoming possible to find in Thailand with the development of the Thai Arboriculture Association (on Facebook) and their certification program.  TAA member tree services are available in Bangkok and Chiang Mai at this time, no members in Pattaya, but some Bangkok tree services will go there.  

Most local tree cutters don't have a clue about proper pruning cuts and tree health care.  You will get what you pay for. 

[Photoguy21]

Maybe you should contact the local branch office for this.

[drtreelove]

The core problem it appears, is wrong tree, wrong place. The planting of large growing trees under utility lines requires crown reduction pruning.  Deferred maintenance necessitates extreme reduction cuts (topping) to achieve the line-clearance. 

 

There are alternatives in pruning style and standards of workmanship.

 

https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/prunetree.pdf

 

https://www.treesaregood.org/treeowner

 

 

THAI_-_PRUNING_GUIDE.pdf