Impact of heavy pruning on development and photosynthesis of Tilia cordata Mill. trees

Abstract

Tree pruning is carried out to reduce conflict with infrastructure, buildings, and any other human activity. However, heavy pruning may result in a diminished tree crown capacity for sugar production and exposure to fungal infection. This risk leads to a decrease in tree stability or vigour. In this work, we analysed the effect of heavy pruning of roadside trees on the photosynthetic performance process compared to neighbouring unpruned trees. Four years of tree crown growth was studied by terrestrial imaging. Tree vitality (Roloff’s classification) and risk (Visual Tree Assessment) were evaluated. Over-pruned trees showed intensified photosynthetic efficiency during the growing season following pruning. Particularly ET0/TR0 and PIABS tended to increase in pruned trees while higher Fv/Fm was noted only in late October, suggesting delayed leaf senescence. After four years, pruned trees rebuilt their crowns, however not in their entirety. Results obtained from biometric, vitality, and risk assessment showed high differentiation in pruned tree crown recovery. Our results revealed that despite the intensified efforts of trees to recover from wounding effects, severe pruning evokes dieback occurrence and a higher risk of failure in mature trees.

Tomographic images of tree trunks generated using ultrasound and post-processed images: Influence of the number of measurement points

“…are, in general, aggressive to living beings, making them more susceptible to falls (Czaja et al 2020). This condition is further aggravated in some countries due to the lack of planning in the choice of species, lack of care in the planting bed, and in silvicultural treatments, such as inadequate pruning that favor the action of rotting fungi due to the occurrence of necrosis in the trunks (Suchocka et al 2021). To avoid falls, especially from the action of winds, inspections are important.…”

Ground-Level Pruning at Right Time Improves Flower Yield of Old Plantation of Rosa damascena Without Compromising the Quality of Essential Oil

“…The sprouting ability in pruned plants may be clarified as compensatory growth capacity due to the “coordination theory” (Génard et al, 2008 ). Pruning intensifies leafy shoot growth by altering the shoot/root ratio (Suchocka et al, 2021 ). The difference in yield parameters might be because of stored metabolic food in the basal portion and rapid physiologically fresh buds growing vigorously in hard pruned plants resulting in more flowers (Jiao and Grodzinski, 1998 ; Saffari et al, 2004 ).…”

Potential hazard characteristics of trees with hollows, cavities and fruiting bodies growing along pedestrian routes

“…The appearance of a cavity may indicate that the tree does not have enough healthy wood to remain standing. Nevertheless, most hollow trees are not dangerous 35 , 87 , 91 . Two facts can explain this.…”

“…Locations along pedestrian paths with varying degrees of tree cover and occupancy 6 reduce the level of safety perceived by urban residents 24 . Failure potential applies, at some level, to all trees 25 , 26 and depends on various factors, including tree health 27 , presence of decay 28 – 32 , and maintenance histor 33 – 35 . Improper maintenance, such as heavy pruning, may result in not only a diminished tree crown capacity but also exposure to fungal infection, dieback occurrence and a higher risk of failure in mature trees 35 – 38 .…”