The One-Third Rule

See that tool in the vise.

That is my lopper.

And I am about to put a very sharp edge to its cutting blade.

You see, it has been in almost continuous use for the past month so it needs a sharpening every couple of days or so.

It is a wonderful tool as far as tools go. Forged carbon steel cutting head, aluminum handles and shock-absorbing dampers. Ergonomically designed to lop-off a branch up to two inches in diameter. All in one continuous motion of the lever.

It comes from a European tool manufacturer - Bahco Pradines.

In keeping with my generally politically incorrect nature I have committed the ultimate sin.

I have purchased a horticultural tool that was made in France.

Gasp!

If the keepers of the culture wars find out about this they will (at a minimum) call me names like tool snob.

Worse yet, they may call me un-American and demand that I purchase only a freedom lopper.

Then I will have no choice but to sit them down and patiently explain the intricacies of global commerce, foreign trade, and high quality arborist tools. Then their eyes will glaze-over and they will look at me with an empty and vacuous stare.

It is all quite predictable you know.

You know what I mean.

This is the same look you get if you ask a Governor from Alaska if she reads the Wall Street Journal.

That is their nature.

But I digress.


The tree that you see here is a Swamp White Oak.

Quercus bicolor

Aside from the Tamarack (Larix laricina) this happens to be one of my favorite species of trees.

Both are found in swamp land.

I live on what was an ancestral Wisconsin swamp.

Of course that would date back to pre-settlement days and before modern agricultural practices altered the landscape.

Nonetheless, both of these species co-exist rather nicely.

This tree you see here was planted in 1998 from two-year-old bare-root stock. When it was planted the stem of this tree (disregarding the root system) was about a foot in length and slightly thicker than a pencil. Today, it towers about 20 feet in height and has a trunk diameter of about 4 inches. It has superior genetics compared to other oaks plants planted at the same time.

Anyway, it's destiny is probably veneer so it is in need of a trim. Just a bit off of the sides and none off the top so to speak.

Lop

Lop

Lop

Off with the lower branches and the oak is neatly limbed-up.

Here's the rule.

Never take more than a third. Never. More than that and you'll hurt the tree.

Now it can direct its resources into the remaining branches and continue a tall and straight reach for the sky.

This tree was easy.

Sometimes you come across a specimen with an errant branch or a bad fork. Remediation with the lopper or a sharp pruning saw usually sets it straight. The best time to prune-out defects in a tree is when it is very young. Early intervention allows the plant to develop the proper scaffolding so to speak - a good solid infrastructure.

As the twig is bent you know.

It will be years before this tree finds its way to the mill. Until then, this specimen and its brethren will provide a leafy canopy to serve as a place for cedar wax wings and gold finches to nest. Acorns will feed the deer, squirrels and turkeys.

Ultimately I hope to have cultivated an acorn factory and hunting opportunities will grow exponentially.

Some trees may not make it at all. Lightening may take one or two. Porcupines might girdle a handful. Gypsy moth will try to defoliate them and when successful the weakened tree may succumb to an ordinary disease.

Yet most will persist.

So why are you doing all this work in the late winter and early spring? Wouldn't it be better to do this when the weather is nicer? Are you nuts?

I may be nuts but Swamp is not stupid.

First-off the weather is fantastic. Sunny, temperatures in the mid-forties to low-fifties. The snow pack is shrinking and it is only partly muddy.

Oaks should only be pruned when they are dormant. After the hard frosts have penetrated the ground and before the sap begins to run. And never dress the wounds. That would delay the self-healing process.

When I was out today with my dog and my thoughts I got to thinking.

Wouldn't it be terrific if there was a One-Third Rule for modern politics.

Just think of the possibilities if you could prune-off a third of your representatives every couple of years or so. I wouldn't want to run the risk of killing the system so I would only suggest removing a third at a time. If the errant and defective could be lopped-off so as to improve the over-all health of the system we might actually cultivate some original thinking.

Wishful thinking, eh?