Tuesday 20 November 2012

Oak Tree Pruning at Brewood Hall

Events of Tuesday, September 25th, 2012

The most famous oak tree in this part of the country is the Royal Oak at Boscobel House, just a few miles from Brewood. The Royal Oak is a descendant of the tree in which King Charles II hid to avoid capture following his defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

The trees in the rear garden at Brewood Hall are somewhat younger and were planted in 1972 as saplings around four feet tall. My Uncle Eric (now deceased) had grown the saplings from acorns.

The oak trees at Brewood Hall before pruning.

The trees were first pruned a few years ago and the trees were pruned again in September, 2012. Attending to mature trees requires a number of trained men with various vehicles, including a wood chipper.

A Land Rover and two lorries (one towing a wood chipper) at Brewood Hall.

The actual cutting was carried out by two 'climbers' equipped with chain saws, under the direction of the senior forester on the ground.

A 'climber' in the crown of one of the oaks.

The removed branches were carried or dragged to the wood chipper and converted into small chips which were taken away by one of the lorries.

Branches being converted to chips. Ear defenders were very necessary when the wood chipper was in operation.

The job was completed in a few hours. Fallen leaves and twigs were cleared away, leaving little trace of the work carried out other than the pruned and reshaped trees themselves.

View of one of the re-shaped trees.

Photographs:

Oak Tree Pruning at Brewood.