Tree care experts call to look out for abandoned trees - The Arboricultural Association
#FreetheTree campaign launched
There could be tens of thousands of these strangled-on-stake trees across the UK, and probably many more, in multiple landownerships and urban locations: from local parks, business and public/private housing estates to large retail car parks and private front gardens.
Whether they have been abandoned or there is no understanding that these stakes and ties should have been removed after 3-5 years (once the trees have established) the result is still the same: these trees will die.
Please check for Strangling Tree-Ties
In the early years after planting, a tree is often staked and fastened with a tree-tie so that its root-ball is held firm until new roots can grow out into the surrounding soil to then stabilise the tree.
Once the tree is established usually after 3-5 years, these stakes and ties should be removed.
Why? As the trunk expands and grows, the pressure from a poor fitting tree-tie can crush the outer living tissue (just beneath the bark), restrict the flow of water and sap up and down the trunk, effectively killing the tree. Stems on affected trees can also snap.
Posted On: 18/02/2025
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