Preparation & Pruning
Blog Post by Kerry Norman
Preparation
Removing a major portion of the root system during the boxing process effectively induces drought stress. Although not a generally accepted practice, I’m convinced that drought stress in trees to be relocated can be significantly reduced by thoroughly irrigating them 2-3 times within a two to three-week period prior to any root pruning or excavation. This allows the tree to take up ample water for storage, which will help maintain normal life-processes, allowing roots to regenerate.
This important step should be especially helpful during periods of drought. The use of pesticides to prevent insect attack or disease development may also be beneficial in preparation and is discussed later in this article. Marking the trees orientation is also an important reference when replanting. It is preferable to replant a tree in its original orientation; primarily to reduce the risk of sunscald to the bark and to minimize the expenditure of stored energy to re-acclimate to the new orientation.
Pruning
The negative response in trees to pruning prior to relocation has been very clear to me. When I first began working in this field, it was common practice to prune heavily, often I would see more than 50 percent of canopy removed prior to boxing. At the time, I had just become a Certified Arborist and was anxious to improve on the process. I knew from basic tree biology that heavy foliage removal, which has a negative impact on tree health, would only add to the stress of severe root loss. Provided they receive adequate care, trees will respond naturally to root loss by shedding leaves (abscission) and/or branches as needed.
Foliage is necessary for energy production (photosynthesis) and the manufacture of hormones; both of which are critical for root regeneration. It didn’t take long to convince company managers to reduce pruning to a minimum, only dead, dying, diseased or structurally weak branches. Prior to this procedural change, relocated trees typically took several years or more to recover.
With the new pruning practices in place, I noticed a remarkable change in how the trees responded to boxing and relocation. It appeared that defoliation was significantly reduced and that roots regenerated more quickly. Other advancements have been made in tree relocation over the past few years, but none I’ve seen have been as significant as minimizing pruning.
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