Hazard Tree Treatments
All trees represent some degree of hazard, so the only way to completely
eliminate hazard is to remove all trees. This solution, of course, is not
acceptable to either the public or recreation site manager. A balance must be
found between esthetics and hazard reduction. The cost of treatments and
availability of trained personnel also influence the intensity and type of
treatment used.
TREE REMOVAL
All dead trees within the range of a target are hazardous and should be
removed. These and other designated hazard trees should be removed in a manner
that will cause the least amount of damage to the remaining trees. Limbing or
topping a tree before felling it can reduce wounding of nearby trees. Wounding
the lower trunk and roots of residual trees during skidding should be avoided.
Trees are especially prone to such wounds in spring when bark is most easily
knocked off. Opening up a stand by removing hazard trees can make the remaining
trees more liable to windthrow, sunscald, and dieback. All these side effects
of tree removal should be considered when recommending hazard tree treatments.
PRUNING, CABLING AND BRACING
Several treatments can be used to reduce hazard and still retain the tree. They
generally require more specialized equipment and training than tree removal,
but saving the tree may warrant the extra investment.
Broken, dead, or split branches should be pruned if they are located near a
target area. Artificial support of weak or split V-shaped forks by cabling with
wire or bracing with metal rods can prolong the life of a tree while reducing
the risk of tree failure. Several recent publications describe the proper
methods for pruning, cabling, and bracing trees( Shigo 1980; Shigo and Felix
1980). They provide up-to-date information for anyone performing tree
maintenance or evaluating work done by others.
PREVENTION
The best way to deal with most problems is to prevent them. This can be done by
properly selecting and designing new recreation sites and by maintaining
healthy, vigorous trees in established sites. -- Soil compaction and tree
wounding can be reduced by proper placement and construction of roads, parking
lots, trails, and campsites. Educating campers about the harm that knife and
hatchet wounds can cause trees is as important as enforcing rules against such
vandalism.
Sometimes hazard trees become so numerous in an area that the best way to deal
with the problem is to remove the target rather than the trees. Occasionally,
this may simply involve moving a picnic table or outhouse to a safer location,
but in other cases it may require closing a campsite or entire campground.
For further information or training on hazard trees, contact your State forest
pest specialist, extension forester, or Forest Pest Management of the USDA
Forest Service. |
|
