Video Transcript
Hi, I am Neil from Beechwood Tree Care. Got a little job that I wanted to show you. Running along the edge of this field is a public footpath, and there are two dead oaks, one, two, and then there are three big oaks.
Our job is to work on these two dead oaks we are going to monolith, although they’re calling it something else now. If you’re a fancy tree consultant, you’re calling it a monolax because monolith means stone, but effectively monolith is where you take the tree down to a standing stem.
The standing stem is quite good for wildlife because you get invertebrates that live on the tree and help decay it but can’t live on the ground as mammals will eat them. So you leave a big standing stem for them to live in.
Obviously we can’t leave this tree as it is in situ because there’s a well-used footpath underneath it. Someone’s come along and done an assessment and said they can’t have a footpath under here with these dead trees. So we’re going to bring them down to a height where they’re safe and can’t reach the footpath. What we’re going to do as well is create a dead hedge. We’ll use the branches to create a small hedge around the base of these trees to divert the footpath away from them.
The second one, the smaller oak, there’s no work to that. The third one needs a reduction of 3 to 4 metres. And then the monster down there has got to be reduced by 3 metres. We’re going to try and be as sympathetic as we can and keep as much foliage as possible.
By doing that reduction, the consultant says that will lessen the chance of branch failure. You can hear in the background there’s a busy main road behind this. It’s a fairly new road. Beyond that there’s a new residential development. So what’s happened here is this was an infrequently used footpath on farmland, and now it’s become more frequently used and the trees present more of a threat.
We’ve got our big green tree cutting machine in. The reason we’re using this is because we can lift down sections of these trees and put them on the floor. The problem you come across with big old dead trees is they’re valuable wildlife habitat, but also a threat to people. It’s about compromise and making them safe while retaining habitat.
The other compromise is the potential they have bats in. Ideally we’d do this in October or November. However if you look around this field, those big tufts of grass are because this is boggy and wet. You can see where I’ve come in with the machine. We are in the middle of August and it’s been bone dry, and even then the machine has slightly sunk in places.
It’s a toss-up between the right thing for the tree, people, and wildlife. By leaving it this late, we can still get in on the land and bring the machine in. That means we can lift down sections and if there happen to be bats in these trees, they’ll be able to vacate.
We won’t clear these up for at least 24 hours and we’ll avoid cutting through cavities or hollows because we don’t want to disturb wildlife. But we also want to make the trees safe and do the job. If we’d left this until later in the year, we wouldn’t be able to get our kit in.
Later on when we do these trees here, we’ll post a video. We’ll probably anchor the climber off the crane so he can work around the tree and reduce it better. This tree is 25 metres tall and probably has a 40 metre spread.
That’s a huge effort. We’ll be using the best equipment and minimising wildlife impact. The dead hedge will keep people and livestock away and allow the trees an area for their roots. The dead hedge as it rots down will be good for wildlife too. Nothing is perfect, but we’re trying to do the best compromise for wildlife, people, and trees.
The first section is coming out of the tree, we are taking the top out of that leader and placing it on the floor. This machine can lift big sections of timber and put them down carefully to minimise disturbance to wildlife.
We’ll leave all this exactly where it is. Any wildlife hiding will be able to leave overnight. We are nicely monolithing this dead oak, two sections are already on the floor, and we are just now releasing this section here.
With a tree like this, a little cutting and grabbing creates some tears and some features in that tree as well. So far no signs of wildlife, nesting birds and no bats have come out which is great. If there were bats in a cavity in this section here, I am guessing they would fly out when it was cut or they would come out overnight. Another section safely down.
We’ll aim to bring this tree down to this point and have a standing stem and then we will divert the path slightly. If the whole tree does fail, which is fairly unlikely, it wouldn’t reach the path. Then we can safely retain that standing deadwood. We will probably leave this lower limb here in situ as it has some good features in it. So really just those two big spires or leaders to take out.
This really gives you a good view of the capabilities of our machine. We have cut that section off and lifted it clear, nice and gently. Instead of two or three hours in a cherry picker, taking it off piece by piece, it’s 10 minutes with our roto.
Here it comes. If there is any wildlife in that there’s minimal disturbance, by doing it this way. Second Tree. We have managed to take out pretty much the whole top of it in one go. There will be two more pieces to come out which are those two sections there.
It is a beautiful morning. We are starting this morning with the reduction on this big oak. We have got Flynn up there today, working the tree, using the roto which can easily work around the tree and give it the 4 metre reduction that’s been specified. At the moment he has started off with that section there and is reducing that bracket heavily. We’re looking to keep this tree looking like a tree, with a lovely 4 metre reduction.
So we are progressing nicely. Great use of machinery and climbing techniques. Flynn’s on two lines. He’s taken out deadwood and reduced the limb. That’s the top already reduced. This was spec’d out by a consultant, to be reduced by 4 metres.
So we are just working our way round and ideally what we will have at the end of it is a tree which retains as much foliage as we can. By utilising the roto we can get right out on the ends. You can see a really nice step cut there from Flynn. Working nice and controlled he is going to reduce that limb nice and level.
The stem is a metre and a half to 2 metres across. Although we didn’t spec this, the reduction is likely because of this hollowing which can mean the tree is likely to fail.
Day three. Two monoliths done, both taken down to standing stems so they shouldn’t fall apart. If they do, we have started to build the dead hedge which is this structure which will guide the footpath around which means pedestrians won’t be walking in the target area. Good job by the guys.
We’ve done the first oak with a 4 metre reduction. Heavy but retains form. It has a lot of good low growth. So we are really pleased with that. Today we’ll finish this mighty beast. 3 metre reduction and deadwood reduction. Leaving some deadwood but making it shorter so it is less likely to fail.
This tree is in poor condition but a big old beast, hopefully it survives. By finishing this dead hedge we are giving it some rooting space. So the grass will be less of a competition. At some point we will try to put some mulch in there.
End of the job. Two monoliths and a dead hedge around the outside. 4 metre reduction on one and a 3 metre reduction and dead wood reduction on the massive oak.
The footpath is guided away by the creation of the dead hedge. No wildlife was found and precautions were taken. If the monolith does collapse, it won’t reach any pedestrians. So the dead hedge can be safely left there to rot down. This tree is hollow, prone to dropping limbs. Now they can be safely retained. I am hoping it hangs in there.
This tree I am pretty sure is going to do quite well. It has a healthy lower canopy, sparse upper canopy which is retrenching naturally into the lower canopy, which is natural for a tree that’s hollowing out. Hopefully these trees remain for years to come. It is a really cool job to do. So there you go, some work on some veteran trees and a dead hedge.
Why Choose Beechwood Tree Care?
At Beechwood Tree Care, we are not just skilled in the work we do but extremely passionate about it too. This encourages us to go above and beyond for our clients, delivering the best possible care for their trees and landscapes.
We are highly experienced and certified arborists who operate across the region, delivering precise care and expert insights into your tree management.
Contact Us Today
If you are looking for local arborists to bring out the best in your landscape, Beechwood Tree Care is here to help. Contact the team today to request a consultation and to learn more about our services.
