Oak Deadwooding in the Wellfield
Further down the site, in the area known as the Wellfield, we carried out deadwooding works on two mature oak trees.
Both trees were showing signs of oak decline or dieback. Oak decline can be a complex condition involving several interacting factors, including environmental stress, insect activity, pathogens, and in some cases organisms such as Phytophthora species. Oak decline is generally considered a broad syndrome rather than a single simple disease.
One of the oak trees was growing over a public access road at an intersection, so we set up cones and signage to create a safe work zone. Naturally, after a year of no one working directly under that tree, the day we arrived and climbed into it, a team of carpenters turned up with timber to rebuild one of the nearby festival structures.
That meant we had to work around freshly placed materials directly below the drop zone, but with communication and careful lowering/removal, the job still went smoothly.
Access was again achieved using a Big Shot and SRT systems. On one rope we used an ISC Reflex system, and on another we used a drill-powered ascender setup to assist with rope access. The drill-powered ascender allows the climber to move up the rope efficiently, while the primary climbing system remains part of the overall support and work positioning setup.
Once in the canopy, we moved throughout the oak, removing deadwood and any branches considered hazardous over the access route. Deadwood removal is a key part of professional tree care, especially in public spaces, gardens, estates, schools, commercial properties, and event sites.
The following day, we worked on a second heavily leaning oak. This was a beautiful tree to climb, despite also showing signs of decline. For this tree, we used a Petzl ASAP as a backup fall-arrest device on one rope, while also climbing on a separate working system. This two-rope approach gave us a strong level of redundancy while working throughout the canopy.
The job went well, and the tree was left safer while retaining its natural form and presence within the Wellfield.