Acute Oak Decline (AOD) is a serious condition affecting oak trees, predominantly in the United Kingdom. It is characterized by the presence of dark, weeping patches on the trunk and branches, accompanied by significant decay and dieback. AOD is caused by a complex interaction between bacteria and insects, which weaken the tree's defences.

Prevention of AOD primarily involves good woodland management practices. Implementing measures like maintaining tree vitality, avoiding unnecessary wounds, and promoting biodiversity can help minimise the risk of infection. Timely detection and reporting of affected trees, followed by appropriate tree care and management, are crucial for mitigating the impact of AOD and preserving these majestic trees!

Generally, the best time to prune or trim trees is from November to March. Most trees are dormant in the winter months which makes them less susceptible to disease and insects and the lack of leaves also means it’s easier to carry out the work.

Thinning trees offers several benefits. Firstly, it promotes their overall health and vitality. By thinning the canopy, you provide better air circulation and sunlight, reducing the risk of fungal diseases and promoting even growth of the tree. This allows it to thrive and develop a strong structure.

It also enhances the aesthetics of your garden. By removing excess branches and foliage, you create an open and balanced appearance, allowing more light to reach the lower parts of the tree. This not only benefits the tree itself but also allows other plants and flowers to flourish beneath it.

Another crucial reason to thin trees is to mitigate potential safety hazards. UK weather is known for its variability, and strong winds can pose a risk of falling tree branches. Thinning helps to reduce the weight and wind resistance of the tree, making it less susceptible to damage during storms. This is particularly important if your garden is in close proximity to structures, pathways, or utility lines.

We spent a morning in Bideford, North Devon removing dead or damaged limbs from a mature Holm Oak. It certainly feel nice to be working in a t shirt again. 

We spent a few days in Bideford felling trees in preperataion for the development of a new care home, this Large Beech was removed due to severe decay making it unsafe. 

After a night of strong North Westerly winds we spent the day on clean up duties dealing with storm damaged trees. The tracked chipper proved very handy at this job dragging branches and timber out of the lake!

We always love deliveries with a view, here we are dropping two bags of hardwood logs of to a customer in Lynmouth. We have now sold out of Barn seasoned logs but do have outdoor seasoned stock still for sale. 

We have been carrying out more line thinning in Barnstaple, Shirwell. Line thinning promotes sunlight to neighbouring trees. After felling the trees, all timber is extracted and then chipped for biomass. 

Establishing tracks is the first step of any Forestry work, good tracks are the key for efficient timber extraction. This site in Barnstaple required 2 weeks of assisted fells using the digger before the tracks could be installed. 

It was another day of Ash Dieback work for Xtremetrees, here we are removing a few large limbs that were posing a threat to the property.

Ash dieback is a widespread disease but particulary bad in the Southwest. The disease is caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus which causes leaf loss and crown dieback in affected trees and can lead to the death of the tree.

Our team was called in to carry out some selective thinning on a small woodland in Ilfracombe.

The aim was to thin the tree canopy in order to maximise the amount of sunlight hitting the forest floor. This would then aid the growth of plants at ground level.

An effective management plan is key to the long-term health of any woodland, no matter how big or small.

It not only improves the quality of the timber but also promotes the growth of a wide variety of ferns, grasses and woodland flowers, whilst also encouraging a wider range of wildlife. 

We were called in to dismantle this large Monterey Pine tree on the outskirts of Barnstaple.

We started by climbing the tree in order to remove all the branch wood which we then chipped and disposed of at local allotments.

The next stage was to install a pull line to enable us to fell the trunk itself, which we calculated to weigh 4000KG. Once on the ground, we cut the trunk into four sections and took them back to the yard using our crane trailer.

The timber was then cut, split into logs and used to fill 15 dumpy bags!