EDITORIALUnderstanding the trees to manage the woods...

摘要

Relating research to practitioners and professional management is not always easy. In volume 34(4) of the Arboricultural Journal we have a collection of significant papers which spans the broad spectrum of arboriculture. For example, Duncan Slater andcolleagues address fundamental issues of tree form and growth in a particular cultivar. Their research considers how this affects potential tree failure, thus relating tree biology theory to practical management. From their evidence, they observed treefailures at branch junctions, and they find that part of the explanation for failure of Platanus x acerifolia is their tendency to develop more "V-shaped" junctions. These in turn lead to greater stress concentrations on the inside of the fork as in windy conditions branches from the bifurcation sway apart. The authors present a straightforward recommendation from the research such that in selecting and planting London Plane stock arboriculturists and landscapers should assess branch junction and fork shape to minimise or avoid this problem.