Retrenching Hollow Trees: An International Practice

Summary

As trees age, outer branches are shed as inner crowns emerge. We will examine this phenomenon in many trees around the world.  Sustained routing after pruning overextended branches  results in retrenched and rejuvenated landscape trees. Even clients with low risk tolerance are willing to retain hollow trees when reasonable specifications are communicated and carried out. Hollowness occurs naturally, as taproots and heartwood are shed. Buttresses and adaptive growth provide needed support. The TRAQ form will be used with several species to document response growth, specify mitigation options, assessing and managing residual risk. Vital parts include the flare, the forks, and the vascular pathways in the living tree. Dr. Kevin Smith’s review of the US version.