Pecans

The State Tree of Texas, Pecan (Carya illinoensis) trees are among the largest in our area. They make nice shade trees in addition to providing an edible nut. The natives tend to have small, bitter nuts that are mostly scavenged by wildlife. But planting the right cultivar will yield bushels of the things every couple of years once the tree is established.

As an arborist, I have mixed feelings about these trees. Of course, I love a big, nice tree, but working on them is a real challenge. First, their bark comes off in flaky plates. These plates are notorious for grabbing lines and not letting go. To ascend a tall tree, most climbers throw a sack of shot on a light cord through a nice crotch. When the bag comes back down, the climber ties on a rope pulls it into the crotch, then climbs it into the tree. Pecans often thwart this process. The small cord gets caught under a flake of bark and the bag won't drop. It sometimes takes several good throws before one finally returns to the ground.

Once the rope is in, the real work begins. Pecans are brittle trees that tend to sprawl out in every direction. They get really heavy with nuts in the fall. The older ones have often had at least one "tree trimmmer" strip them out at some point, so there is little interior growth and not much branch taper. What this all adds up to is, they often overreach and break large limbs. When a good arborist is at work, almost every Pecan job will include some crown reduction.

Crown reduction is more than just taking out weight, though it often gets called weight reduction. Taking a heavy branch from the inside of the canopy will not help much. If you imagine holding a dumbell, it's a lot easier to hold it close to your body than at arm's length. The same principle applies in trees. Removing interior growth does very little to reduce strain on weak limbs while contributing to weak taper development and exposing the entire crown to more wind stress. A proper crown reduction is better thought of as sail reduction. By shortening the longest limbs, we reduce the surface area that is hit by strong winds. This is the relief the tree really needs.

So, the climber has to get to the ends of branches. That's in a tree known to break easily. Often, it's a tree that has broken already in the past, so there is not always a nice, central tie-in point to allow for easy movement through the tree. The branches tend to be widely spaced, so the climbing is more difficult than in trees where it is possible to step from branch to branch like in a jungle gym. Once there, a climber has to cut branches and drop them 75 feet or more. In a suburban lawn, that's a big opportunity to break something; most branches have to be held until they can be tossed to a safe area.

These are things that get a real climber going. Some climbers are in it for the trees; some are in it for the money (such as it is). But, a few of us do it for the thrills. Pecans are for us. As much as I might complain, I really enjoy doing something that few people can. I get great views and, usually, nice breezes. These early spring jobs don't provide much shade, but in the summertime, I have shelter from the sun, as well. In late October and early November, pruning a pecan means all the nuts you can eat and a bag or two to take home for pie or pralines. And, since they like to grow near lakes and rivers, sometimes we get to see interesting birds and other wildlife.These crested something-or-others (the client told me what they were, but I'm a tree guy, not a birder) hung out all day near our last pecan job. There was also a red-tailed hawk in the area. I enjoyed watching and hearing it on and off for a few days.

I've been sitting on these photos a few weeks now--if anyone is actually following this blog, they may have noticed my long absence (sorry, I got down after that HEB mess). Today, the trees above are probably either covered in catkins, or fully leafed out, or both. I missed out on the shade on this job, but my sunburn is healed and I enjoyed the wide open skies while I was working.



UPDATE: If you've been wondering about the trees I reported on last time, I have learned more. I sent photos to the City Arborist, and he told me there will be penalties for the damage done. Austin has an ordinance requiring a certain number of trees per 'x' parking spaces. Even though the parking lot has been there for decades, they still have to comply with the ordinance. It is only slightly more consolation than before, since the trees are irrevocably damaged, but I hope the penalties will send a message to the property manager that this kind of shoddy work will not be tolerated. As much as I might like to see them paying top dollar for premium work, I will be satisfied knowing that at least they will be motivated to find a reasonably qualified company for future tree work.

Incidentally, the guys did go back to paint their wounds. They painted oaks, elms, and sweetgums. They managed to skip the sycamores. They painted everything they could reach from the ground (more or less) but didn't get the upper canopies. All things considered, this is not a big concern to me. But it's one more piece of evidence that these guys do not know what they are doing.