Roundup or What?

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Spamlet" saying something like:

I paid particular attention to this 'cos I was out and about at the time. Many (probably the majority) were previously inner trees that had their surrounding shelter trees cut down for development areas/gardens.

Shelter trees on the outskirts of a woodland (even a small one of a handful of trees) develop much greater and stable root systems than the ones inside the group. As a result, when a giant blow comes along and the shelter trees have gone, the inner trees are more prone to being blown over than the shelter trees ever were.

[PeterC]

There's an alternative product that's biodegradable and 'non-toxic', but ir's not concentrated so a bit silly for agri. use

that site has quite a few interesting chemicals (not all of them under 'Pure Chemicals' but I've no idea how prices compare.

[Spamlet]

There is no point in arguing with you, but if anyone sensible is following this, then they should know that fast growth - especially when assisted with fertilisers - is weak and sappy growth. You can read about this in numerous publications and of particular relevance are Oliver Rackham's excellent books on trees, woodland and countryside history and management. But you will know this anyway from trying to find decent timber in the shops. Forestry stuff is sappy and soft: old growth stuff is strong and hard wearing - which is why so many conservation organisations are having to fight to save old growth forests.

Hornbeam is normally a fairly slow-growing and dense wood which gives out a lot of energy for its volume. If you simply want a barrier and are not concerned about the quality of the wood then it is probably fine to use a bit of fertiliser, but if you want a strong specimen tree, slow growth gives you more rings per inch and a sturdier tree.

And trees get a lot more severely retarded by grazing than by anything else - which is why the Caledonian pine forest is suffering, and one of the reasons they have tried to reintroduce wolves into parts of the US where new growth never gets the chance without the predators to keep the grazing animals on the move.

S

[chris French]

In message , Grimly Curmudgeon writes

Even if more planted trees did blow down, that wouldn't mean it was because they were planted, it's likely that planted trees are growing in different situations - parks, street trees, gardens. These are open and unprotected, unlike 'natural' trees, which are more likley to have been in woodlands copses etc.

(Though,IIRC lots of the trees like the Elms in the middle of Brighton where I lived at the time lost a lot of their tops rather than blowing over)

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember chris French saying something like:

Yep. A planted tree that's grown up through several storms develops a strong root system and it takes a helluva blow to knock it over - mind you, that was such a blow. Of course, some of the trees knocked down were getting on a bit and ready to go.