Woodland Management
The management of woodlands, parks and forests not only takes into account the management of trees but also the wildlife within them. Native NZ insects such as Weta and Huhu grubs live amongst the decaying wood within trees, and various birds and wildlife live throughout the treetops. Therefore when managing such environments, Arb Innovations endeavours to sustain these eco-environments within the trees.
Veteranisation
Veteranisation is a relatively new management technique designed to preserve large trees where safety may be an issue. Pruning is performed over several years to mimic the natural dieback and branch shedding of aging trees, resulting in the low-risk compact canopy associated with veteran trees. Carried out correctly, veteranisation can preserve large aging trees, manage risk where safety is a consideration and create important habitat features for insects and wildlife, sustaining the natural ecosystem present within the veteran tree.
Natural Fracture and Coronet Pruning
Natural fracture techniques involve pruning methods that are used to mimic the way that tears and fractured ends naturally occur on trunks and branches. A coronet cut is a type of natural fracture technique that is particularly intended to mimic jagged edges characteristically seen on broken branches following storm damage or static limb failure.
In the eyes of environmental arborists, pruning cuts result in an unnatural flat plane-surface that is not found in natural environments. Apart from the concern about replicating ‘naturalness of form’, there are further ecological considerations that have promoted work to develop natural fracture pruning methods.
Natural fracture pruning mimics branch breakage from mechanical weakness or storm damage resulting in an array of effects on wood tissue at branch and trunk ends. This includes fibre separation along the branch and splintering in various planes such as linear, radial and circumferential. This occurrence creates microhabitats that are colonised by microorganisms and succession species such as insects and fungi. These fractures also create areas for bird life to nest in.
Habitat Creation
Creating habitats from declining and dead trees within forests and woodlands is an alternative to removing them completely. This can be seen throughout forests naturally, however, Arb Innovations can create these habitats to encourage more wildlife and insects to the area.