Have an ecologist from Three Psilos, Inc. “Bottom Trim” your large, Scrub or Running Oak on the Lake Wales Ridge.

Oak islands tends to be more common, and much smaller, in areas where fires are regular. In fire suppressed areas, however, scrub oaks and running oaks can tend to dominate large areas. Over time, this can lead to oaks generating too much shade and too much leaf litter for scrub and sandhill species to exist. Three Psilos, Inc. has the solution: Bottom Trimming older, larger oaks.

Oaks such as the Sand Live Oak (quercus geminata) are truly a dwarf species. Therefore, a large Sand Live Oak tends to be many centuries old. Further, larger trees such as these tend to live through fire, losing only the bottom-most branches, if any. Fire would also kill any smaller Sand Live Oaks that are competing under and around the large dwarf. That’s what led to the idea of a “Bottom Trim”.

A Bottom Trim removes any of the large oak’s lower branches that are already dead, or nearly so. A Bottom Trim also cuts or removes any small oaks growing under, or growing into, the large oak. These branches are broken down and scattered on the floor under the large oak to act as a natural fertilizer.

Branches available for Bottom Trim must be less than 14 feet above the ground.