Article Figures & Data
Tables
Species Count Corymbia citriodora 48 Platanus × acerifolia 104 Pyrus calleryana 79 Quercus palustris 65 Ulmus parvifolia 52 Total 348 Rating Definition Excellent A clear, strong, and straight leader firmly rooted in the ground.
A good level of taper up the stem, and a wide-angled branching structure with even arrangement vertically and radially.Good A clear leader, possibly slightly crooked or weakened by laterals, even spaced branches, and no major faults in the canopy. Fair A clear leader, with a possible lean or kink. Asymmetries in the canopy or branch arrangement and possible a slight lean. Poor No clear leader, with possibly multiple leaders, leaning or a lost leader. Heavy canopy asymmetry. Very poor No leader or multiple leaders. A heavy lean possibly with very strong canopy asymmetry. Tree may have been vandalized.
Candidate for replacement.Fault Definition Codominant stems Stems “Equal in size and relative importance, usually associated with either the trunks or stems or scaffold limbs....” (Harris et al. 1999) Recorded if it occurred anywhere in the main stem, either low or high on the stem. Included bark Where bark is turned inwards at branch junctions instead of being pushed out (Harris et al. 1999), resulting in the branch or stem being weakly attached and prone to fracturing (Shigo 1991; Smiley 2003). This may occur anywhere in the canopy from small branches to codominant stems and stem should be pruned back or the whole tree removed. Low branching Canopy lift required. Branches low on the stem of a tree that has established or branches encroaching on the road or pathway. The removal of low branches earlier rather than later reduces the wound on the trunk. If branches were encroaching on paths or roads, they were also canopy lifted. These were listed as a fault to be pruned. Epicormic shoots “Sprouts upon the trunk” (Shigo 1991). They are not well attached to the trunk or stem and can present a hazard by breaking when they get larger. Suckers Normally arise from roots at or below the soil surface. They are often shoots from rootstock to which the tree was grafted. Suckers can be vigorous and are not the desired cultivar. Broken branches Branch may not completely break off and continue to grow with a weak point becoming a danger. Broken branches were pruned. Broken stems Main stem is broken. Most of these trees needed replacement due to the structural defect that existed. Deadwood Deadwood in the canopy requiring removal. Usually coincides with a low health rating. Rubbing or crossing Branches rubbing against each other wound, which not only weakens the branch but provides an open wound for entry of pathogens. Removal eliminates the weak point; the tree can heal over quickly and the integrity of the tree is not compromised. Rubbing branches were pruned. - Table 4.
Average price for arboricultural labor. Currency is represented in Australian dollars.
Business Price Company A $65/hour per person Company B $71.50/hour per person Average $68.25/hour per person - Table 5.
Height, caliper, structural defects, and the average number of pruning cuts required for all trees.
Mean height (m) Mean caliper (mm) Mean number of pruning cut Secateurs Handsaw Pole pruner All species 4.3 102.9 0.9 1.9 2.2 Structural defects as a percentage of tree sample Codominant stems Included bark Low branching Broken branches Rubbing branches All species 68.4 40.2 18.1 14.4 12.4 Structural defects as a percentage of tree sample Epicormic Shoots Broken Stem Dead Wood No structural defects All species 2.9 2.3 1.1 22 - Table 6.
Height, caliper, structural defects, and the average number of pruning cuts required for each species.
Species Corymbia citriodora Platanus × acerifolia Pyrus calleryana Quercus palustris Ulmus parvifolia Number of trees sampled 48 104 79 65 52 Dimensions Mean height (m) 4.3 4.6 3.7 5.2 3.8 Mean caliper (mm) 71.1 124.7 70.9 132.6 100.1 Number of pruning cuts Mean secateurs 0.6 0.7 1.5 0.4 1.4 Mean handsaw 0.3 2.9 1.9 0.4 3.2 Mean pole pruner 0.2 4.0 1.9 1.4 1.7 Total average cuts 1.0 7.6 5.3 2.2 6.3 Structural defects as a percentage of species sample number Codominant stems 18.75 44.2 60.8 66.2 92.3 Included bark 16.7 43.3 36.7 3.1 34.6 Low branching 8.3 10.6 23.1 41.3 17.3 Rubbing branches 2.1 2.9 16.5 20.0 13.5 Broken branch(es) 4.2 16.3 5.1 10.8 9.6 Broken stem 2.1 3.8 0.0 0.0 3.8 Epicormic shoots 0.0 1.9 3.8 1.5 3.8 Deadwood 2.1 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 No structural defects 60.4 3.8 25.3 21.5 3.8 Type Number of cuts made Branch size range (mm) Average branch size (mm) Time taken to prune (s) Average time of pruning (s) Secateurs 10 9–16 12.8 5–13 8.0 Hand saw 26 19–93 36.5 11–90 24.8 Pole pruning 25 9–48 17.68 16–53 26.12 Time average per tree (seconds) Species Secateurs Handsaw Pole pruner Travel and inspection time (s) Total time (s) Total time per tree (hr) Corymbia citriodora 4.6664 6.25 5.4158 36 52.3322 0.0145 Platanus × acerifolia 5.9232 72.355 103.7504 36 218.0286 0.0606 Pyrus calleryana 11.9496 48.1025 49.3662 36 145.4183 0.0404 Quercus palustris 3.4464 9.23 36.8004 36 85.4768 0.0237 Ulmus parvifolia 11.0768 79.3275 45.0008 36 171.4051 0.0476 Repetition Time taken (s) Average time (s) 1 60 6 2 58 5.8 Total 5.9 - Table 10.
Total cost for each tree species. Currency is represented in Australian dollars.
Species Total time (hr) Cost per tree ($) Corymbia citriodora 0.0145 $0.99 Platanus × acerifolia 0.0606 $4.13 Pyrus calleryana 0.0404 $2.76 Quercus palustris 0.0237 $1.62 Ulmus parvifolia 0.0476 $3.25 Average Cost $2.79 - Table 11.
Ninety-five percent confidence interval for the cost of pruning each species. Currency is represented in Australian dollars.
Species Count Mean cost SE mean 95% CI Corymbia citriodora 48 $0.99 0.0808 $0.83, $1.15 Platanus × acerifolia 104 $4.13 0.185 $3.77, $4.49 Pyrus calleryana 79 $2.76 0.224 $2.32, $3.20 Quercus palustris 65 $1.62 0.091 $1.44, $1.80 Ulmus parvifolia 52 $3.25 0.248 $2.76, $3.74 - Table 12.
Projected costs assuming an inflation rate of 3%–5%. Currency is represented in Australian dollars.
Year 3% 4% 5% 1 $44.59 $44.59 $44.59 20 $78.19 $93.94 $112.68 - Table 13.
Total cost for two formative pruning cycles for trees that have been formatively pruned prior to delivery from the nursery. Currency is represented in Australian dollars.
Year 3% 4% 5% 1 - - - 4 $3.05 $3.14 $3.23 7 $3.33 $3.53 $3.74 Total $6.38 $6.67 $6.97
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