Date: Thursday, February 15th, 2024
Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm (noon)
Location: Lombard Village Hall: Community Room – 255 E Wilson Ave, Lombard, IL 60148
Speaker: Dr. Jake Miesbauer, The Morton Arboretum
Topic: Pruning Trees to Reduce Likelihood of Failure
Description: Will this tree fail? Recognizing and mitigating conditions of concern in urban trees. Trees are built to withstand the forces they have grown to endure. Given enough time, however, all trees will develop structural defects. Many defects pose negligible risk to the surrounding environment or to the tree itself. On the other end of the spectrum, severe defects can lead to catastrophic failure. While many defects such as large cavities or broken branches are easy to recognize, others can be more subtle. This presentation will discuss some common, and not so common, defects found it trees, and why they can be a problem from a bio-mechanical perspective. We will also explore management practices that can be used to mitigate risk caused by these problems.
Tree pruning is one of the most common practices employed by tree care professionals. Proper pruning can improve tree structure, remove or mitigate defects, and help to enhance tree health and aesthetics. It is important to keep in mind, however, that each pruning cut is an injury that the tree must respond to, and if done improperly can be counterproductive. This presentation will help the audience better understand how proper tree pruning can achieve targeted goals of reducing the likelihood of trees being damaged in storms.
Thank you sponsors!
