Current opinion within the UK arboricultural industry on the management of bark-included junctions in trees. Issue 1 (2nd January 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Slater, Duncan
• Is Part Of: Arboricultural journal. Volume 41:Issue 1(2019)
• Page Start: 10
• Page End: 34
• Publication Date: 2019-01-02
• Subjects: Bark inclusions -- branch attachment -- branch junction -- natural braces -- risk management; Arboriculture -- Periodicals; Trees -- Periodicals; Trees -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; 634.9
• DOI: 10.1080/03071375.2019.1567037
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0307-1375

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Sharing practice amongst arboriculturists is potentially a very valuable process for identifying commonalities in approaches to tree management and to identify where further research is needed. In the particular case of bark-included junctions (a common structural flaw occurring in a wide range of tree species), a questionnaire was launched at eleven UK-based training workshops in 2016. The questionnaire covered theories and practices in relation to how bark-included junctions and natural braces are managed in the UK. The questionnaire received 348 responses, with a total of 6, 635 years of arboricultural experience. Respondents consistently identified that normally formed branch junctions are rarely seen to fail but bark-included junctions do so frequently; that failure of bark-included junctions is more commonly caused by tension over torsion; and that most UK practitioners prefer to prune to lessen the likelihood of failure of a bark-included junction rather than installing an artificial brace. Responses highlighted areas of uncertainty, including the main cause of bark-inclusion failures and the importance of natural braces to the structural integrity of trees. It also highlighted the need for further practical experimentation upon bark-included junctions at various stages of bulging and is considered a key research area to better inform risk management decisions.