Arboricultural
Terms & Abbreviations |
Commonly used
Arboricultural abbreviations. |
| AA |
Arboricultural Association |
| AAIS |
Arboricultural Advisory and
Information Service. |
| AIS |
Arboricultural Implication
Study |
| AMIUG |
Arboricultural Mortgage and Insurance
Users Group |
| AONB |
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty |
| Appellant |
A person who appeals to a higher court. |
| Arisings |
Product of the tree works. Brushwood,
woodchips, logs, debris etc. |
|
| Bark Wounds |
Damaged or missing bark. |
| Basal Area |
Area of tree around stem base, including
visible buttress roots. |
| Bifurcated |
A tree with two main stems. |
| BLS |
Better Land Supplement - Forestry
Commission |
| Branch Bark Ridge |
An external physical feature resembling
a raised ridge of bark and located on the upper-side of the branch to stem union. An area
where branch and stem vessels are separated. |
| Branch Collar |
An external physical feature resembling
a raised bulge or thickening of the branch diameter and located at the base of the branch
where it meets its parent stem. An area where branch and stem vessels overlap. |
| BRE |
Building Research Establishment |
| BS |
British
Standard |
| Buttress Roots |
Angled roots at base of stem. |
|
| Cable Brace |
Aerial branch or stem supporting system
designed to reduce mechanical stresses and usually constructed from flexible wire or rope. |
| Callus |
Reactive cell growth usually found
around bark wounds and old pruning wounds. |
| Cambium |
A layer of cells located between the
bark and sapwood which are able to divide and thus produce further cells as growth rings. |
| Cavity |
Hole located within the branch or stem
and extending into the wood beyond the bark layer. |
| CCF |
Continuous
Cover Forestry. |
| Clean out |
Removal process where dead, dying and
diseased branches are removed from the trees crown and stem. Can also include the removal
of epicormic shoots, Ivy and rubbish. |
| Clear Services |
To prune branches clear of services such
as street lamps or aerial service cables (i.e. telephone & electricity wires). The
actual clearance can be specified as a distance. (e.g. clear aerial service wires by
3m). |
| Compaction |
Compacted soil. Soil which has become
compressed to leave little or no air gaps between the soil particles. Compacted soil
prevents proper root growth due to oxygen and water starvation. |
| Coppicing |
Where the tree stem's are pruned close
to ground level to leave a cluster of low stump's (stool), with each stump being
approximately 200mm in height, with the intention being to encourage the production of new
growth shoots from these stumps. Final cuts on the stumps should be made with a slight
angle to assist the shedding of rain water. A tree which has not been previously coppiced
and has
only a single stem follows the same procedure. |
| Cordate |
Heart shape. Normally used to describe
leaf type. |
| CPO |
Chief Planning Officer |
| Crown |
The part of the tree comprising of
limbs, branches and foliage. |
| Crown clean |
See Clean out. |
| Crown Lifting |
Operation where the branches of the
lower crown are either completely removed or pruned to increase the ground to tree
clearance. A clearance height is normally specified (e.g. crown lift to 3m over footpath). |
| Crown Reduction |
Reduce the overall size of the crown by
a given specification. The operation should be carried out by pruning the tips of each
branch back to a suitable branch union in a manner to create a balanced shape and outline.
The reduction specification can be specified as a percentage (e.g. reduce crown by 30%) or
as an absolute amount (e.g. reduce crown by 3m) or as an absolute height & spread
specification (e.g. reduce crown to leave the tree with an overall height of 18m and a
crown radius of 5.5m). |
| Crown Shaping |
To balance the crown by reducing its
spread in certain places to achieve a more desirable shape which is more consistent with
the trees habit. The reshape specification can be specified as an absolute amount (e.g.
reduce eastern crown spread by 3m). |
| Crown Spread |
Distance from stem to crown edge.
Usually specified as a single averaged distance or as four separate measurements for
north, south, east and west. |
| Crown Thinning |
To reduce the foliage and outer-branch
density of the whole trees crown or just part of the trees crown. This operation would
normally be achieved by removing damaged, crossing, rubbing limbs and by removing smaller
secondary branches but leaving the main branch structure intact. The thinning
specification can be specified as a percentage (e.g. thin crown by 10%). |
| Cultivar |
A plant which has been developed (bred)
in cultivation rather than in the wild. |
| CWS |
Community Woodland Supplement - Forestry
Commission |
|
| DBH |
Diameter at Breast Height (DBH). The
tree diameter is measured at breast height (approximately 1.3m above ground level). |
| Dead-wood |
Dead branches and stubs. |
| Defendant |
A person sued or accused in a court of
law. |
| Dismantle |
Safe and controlled removal of the tree
in small sections. The remaining stump would normally be cut as low as practically
possible (usually just above ground level). |
|
| Epicormic |
Growth shoot growing from a
dormant or adventitious bud located on stem and/or branches. |
|
| FASTCo |
Forestry and Arboriculture
Safety Training Council |
| Fastigiate |
Conical or tapering outline with upswept
branches. |
| Fell |
The removal of the tree in one
operation. The direction of the fell can be determined and relatively controlled. The
remaining stump would normally be cut as low as practically possible (usually just above
ground level). |
| Fluted |
Used to describe vertical grooves found
on some tree trunks. |
| Formative Pruning |
Selective pruning of a young tree so as
to promote good future shape and habit typical of that tree species. Would normally
include the removal of multiple leaders and crossing/rubbing branches. |
| FSC |
Forestry
Stewardship Council |
| FWPS |
Farm Woodland Premium Scheme - Forestry
Commission |
|
| Glabrous |
Not pubescent, not hairy. |
|
| Heave |
Expansion and movement of shrinkable
clay soil due to rehydration by water. |
| Honeydew |
Sugary secretion produced by sap sucking
insects such as aphids. |
| Hybrid |
The resulting offspring obtained from
parents of different species or types of species. |
| Hyphae |
Fine threads composing of the actual
fungus. |
|
| Included Bark |
Bark which is trapped between a stem
union as the two stems press together. In some situations the edges of the two stems fuse
together to form a single stem with a single growth ring. However, parts of the stems
remain separated inside by the trapped bark. |
| ISA |
International Society of Arboriculture |
|
| Lenticel |
A pore on a shoot. Usually visible,
elliptical and slightly raised. |
| LPA |
Local Planning Authority |
|
| Major Dead-wood |
Dead-wood exceeding 50-75mm in diameter. |
| Minor Dead-wood |
Dead-wood up to 50-75mm in diameter. |
| Multiple stemmed |
A tree with many main stems. |
| Mycelium |
Network of threads (hyphae) which form
the normally unseen part of the fungus. |
|
| NAA |
National Arborist Association |
| Natural Regeneration |
New young tree stock established by
natural means (i.e. seed dispersal). |
| NGO |
Non-Governmental Organisation |
| NHBC |
National House Building
Council |
| NJUG |
National Joint
Utilities Group |
| NNR |
National Nature Reserve |
| Node |
Position on a shoot where a leaf or
another shoot grows. |
| NPTC |
National Proficiency
Tests Council |
|
| Occlusion |
Term used to describe a wound which has
become closed by callus growth. |
|
| Pathogen |
A disease causing organism. |
| PAWS |
Plantation on Ancient Woodland Site |
| PEFC |
Pan-European
Forest Certification |
| Petiole |
The stalk of a leaf but not the shoot
that the leaf stalk is fixed. |
| Pollarding |
Maintaining a tree by regularly pruning
back the whole trees crown to previous pruning points located on its main stem. Similar to
the coppicing procedure except that subsequent shoot rejuvenation forms on the trunk.
Final cuts should be angled to assist the run-off of rainwater. |
| Plaintiff |
A person who brings a case of law
against another in court. |
| PPE |
Personal Protective Equipment |
| PPG |
Planning Policy Guidance |
| Planting Circle |
An area located around the trees stem
which is clear of other vegetation (competition). Would normally incorporate a form of
soil protection such as mulch. |
| Pubescent |
Hairy. Normally describes smaller, soft
hairs. |
|
| Reshape Crown |
See Crown Shaping |
| Respondent |
A defendant (esp. in an appeal case). |
| RFS |
Royal Forestry Society |
| Rhizomorphs |
Black, root like threads formed from
Hyphae and normally associated with Honey Fungus. |
| Rod Brace |
Similar operation to Cable Bracing. A
non-flexible rod of metal is inserted physically into the tree branch or stem and would
incorporate threaded ends so it can be bolted tight. Normally used to reinforce a weak
fork or to prevent the movement of crossing/rubbing branches. |
| Root Plate |
The base of the tree stem incorporating
the major root structure. |
|
| SAC |
Special Areas of Conservation |
| Saprophyte |
An organism which feeds on dead plant
matter. |
| Sessile |
Stalkless. Normally used to describe
leaves which have no stalks. |
| Slime Flux |
Liquid exudation from the tree,
bacterial based. |
| Soil Compaction |
See Compaction |
| Soil Heave |
See Heave |
| SNCO |
Statutory Nature Conservation
Organisation |
| SPA |
Special Protection Areas |
| SPG |
Supplementary Planning Guidelines |
| SRA |
Subsidence Risk Assessment |
| SSSI |
Site of Special Scientific Interest |
| SSTS |
Scottish Skills Testing Service |
| Stool |
A stump(s) which has been allowed to
produce new shoots. See Coppicing. |
| Stump |
The remainder of the trunk which is left
in the ground after a tree has been removed. The stump is still attached to the root and
is normally cut close to ground level. |
| Stump Grinding |
Removal of the stump to a specified
depth below soil level by way of a specialised machine. |
| Sucker Growth |
Growth from stem base and/or exposed
roots. |
| SULE |
Safe Useful Life Expectancy |
|
| Tomentose |
Having dense, pubescence. |
| Topping |
The indiscriminate reduction of a trees
height by removing the upper crown. A poor practice. |
| TPO |
Tree Preservation
Order |
| Tree Circle |
See Planting Circle |
| Trifurcated |
A tree with 3 main stems. |
| TROBI |
The Tree Register of the British Isles |
|
| UDP |
Unitary Development Plan |
| UKWAS |
United Kingdom Woodland Assurance Scheme |
|
| VTA |
Visual Tree Assessment |
|
| Weak Fork |
A stem or branch union which is
exhibiting signs of a potential structural weakness through its growth habit (i.e.
included bark). |
| WIG |
Woodland Improvement Grant - Forestry
Commission |
| Witch’s Broom |
Foliage disorder resulting in clustered
and dense area of twigs. |
| WGS |
Woodland Grant Scheme - (Forestry
Commission) |