by Treeation » Sun Aug 17, 2014 9:33 pm
Yes, the discussion was about Ivy.
Again, theres is definitely good ecological reason to leave ivy to do its thing in an woodland ecosystem. Ecologically it does provide an awesome habitat for many. Im still not 100% convinced that ivy only dominates stressed trees, I see many examples of very healthy trees such as mature sycamores caked in the stuff. BUT The real factors for intervention in my eyes are as follows.....
Veteran trees----It may be a good management decision to manage heavily infestations of ivy if the primary objective is tree survival. In some cases keeping a veteran tree alive will outweigh the habitat potential of favouring ivy. Ivy will supress any inner bud activation in a veteran tree crown which an old tree needs to do as it reaches the stage of retrenchment (stag heading).
Safety------ It is in impossible to survey any tree for safety covered in ivy this may apply to trees near to buildings, footpaths, roads, picninc areas etc
High value timber trees----They do need that little bit of extra care, anyone who has felled a timber tree caked in ivy will know how much time it takes to remove ivy which can even tip the balance of wether that tree is commercially viable to process. Yes, there is an argument that species prone to epicormic growth (oak) may not be so greatly affected with ivy cover as light cannot activate buds on tree bole that would decrease timber value.
Tree surgery---------Any trees in your woodland that may require tree surgery for safety or aesthetic reasons should be considered for ivy management. You will be adding money to your tree surgery bill if you don't. Climbing trees with ivy is very difficult. This means more time taken do complete a job which means your bill will be bigger.
