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Clarifying usage of grades and standards: lower branches
Frustrating issue: No significant branches are allowed in the lower 10' of the trunk.
What
grades and standards says: The document says on page 11 for Florida Fancy
and for Florida #1 that "No branches are greater than 2/3 the diameter
of the trunk measured directly above the branch."
Summary statement: The grades and standards document says that shade trees can have branches up to 2/3 the trunk diameter any place on the tree without those branches being considered trunks. If those branches are greater than 2/3 the trunk diameter then they are considered trunks and the tree is graded accordingly. If buyers want branches in the lower portion of the tree of a certain diameter, then they should specify that in the bid document. However, since keeping branches less than a specified diameter is not a grades and standards issue (other than keeping them less than 2/3 trunk diameter), it might be challenging to find tree growers producing trees with these specifications.
