We have several trees that need attention. “Demontage or reduction en hauteur”. We have received and accepted a devis a month ago, for the work, from a recommended Elagagiste. My concern is that I have just been reading a report in our local news paper saying that cutting down trees and hedges cannot be done after 15th March for environmental reasons. I understand that but how does it leave us with our commitment to the devis.? We haven’t been given a date as yet. Any advice please? Thank you in advance.
Well if he is a good artisan, he should know the rules and regs and inform you so. Personally I would err onthe side of caution because if you do wrong, the fines could be enormous. Also ask at the mairie for their advice too.
It is a recommendation not an absolute requirement. The only law applies to farmers.
However a good arboriculturalist will not do hedges - ours get done in November. And depending on where you are it may already be too late for trees as they are in leaf.
C’est l’[arrêté du 24 avril 2015 relatif aux règles de bonnes conditions agricoles et environnementales , il y est dit : « En application du dernier alinéa de l’article D. 615-50-1 du code rural et de la pêche maritime, pour la métropole, il est interdit de tailler les haies et les arbres entre le 1er avril et le 31 juillet ». Cet arrêté ne s’applique que pour les agriculteurs.
Donc en dehors des agriculteurs, chacun est libre de tailler sa haie, néanmoins des organismes, et associations, préconisent pour les particuliers, et collectivités locales, de ne pas couper les couper entre le 16 mars et 15 aout.
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They are booked up a long time in advance usually so I’d expect the work to be agreed now but carried out when the trees are dormant especially if they are deciduous, unless they are a clear and present nuisance for power lines or your roof or suchlike. Elagueurs are usually clued-up about the rules, just ask them to clarify 
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Except prunus which should be done in April to July - prune them in winter and they can get silver leaf. Also apple and pear trees can be pruned in summer to tidy them up - winter pruning is more vigorous.
It’s a good idea to look up pruning on somewhere like the RHS website as it varies from species to species.
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Yes you’re right - and if you don’t prune your prunus it will probably collapse as mine did this winter, it had several trunks as they often do and is spreadeagled now.
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God yes. The MS I bought in 2008 had a huge damson that hadn’t been pruned in a long time, if ever. A few years later it collapsed under the weight of fruit, damaging it beyond survival. To make matters worse my neighbour reversed his tractor into my peach tree also damaging it beyond survival. Sad as I absolutely love damson. I planted a plum tree last year and am going to religiously prune it. it’s 3 years old i think and has been well looked after. It got a trim a few weeks ago.
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Walnut trees are pruned when in leaf albeit later in the year. Having collected and sold our walnuts for the last 12 years, average 500 kilos, we have really struggled to find a buyer the last couple of years. We also shell them and a local mill turns them into delicious oil but it is extremely time consuming and we have around 40 bottles in the cave so good for a while yet.
We have 7 enormous trees that really are getting too big so we now have signed a devis with our local tree man who will be significantly reducing them in September/October time as at any other time the trees ‘bleed’ and may not recover.
I had to remove a large dangerous walnut branch last sumner and can confirm they do infact bleed for a long time, like a dripping tap.
The firewood generated from the pruning should be ready for the 2024/25 season.
Walnut trees are very resilient when looked after correctly and we should see an increasing walnut harvest cone 2025/26 by which time we might find a renewed market demand.
It seems that unless you belong to a cooperative selling nuts privately is becoming increasingly difficult.
Last years harvest is now in a big heap at the bottom of the garden being enjoyed by numerous forms of wildlife.
do you advertise locally…???
and/or perhaps you could have an “open day” inviting folk to come and harvest the nuts for themselves…
(a bit like strawberry picking back in UK… everyone’s basket was weighed on leaving the growing area… but of course they didn’t weigh the pickers 
… I know the kids and I eat a lot, so delicious )
Tried most things but an open day would be a step too far, thanks for the thought.
We have had great fun with our walnut harvests and
learnt a great deal but time marches on and its one enjoyment that has become a task.
Similarly with our veg patch, we now buy fresh and enjoy are new found time touring thus wonderful country in our campung car at every opportunity.
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Fair comment… it just seems a shame when stuff rots away…
The local school benefits from the glut of figs every year… but I’m thankful that volunteers come and pick 'em nowadays… it used to be my task (phew…).
Pickled walnuts? Eau de noix?
I’ve seen sacks of them sold on Amazon.fr seasonally and I’d guess ebay/leboncoin might be an avenue as well?
Thank you Jane. I can wait now and see if the work will get done without worrying about the law.
I was and am still shocked at the amount of citrus fruits just left to rot on the trees here or fall onto the pavements. The lemons are gorgeous, I will never buy those tiny wax covered supermarket ones again. I suppose the locals treat them like we did apples up north if we did not use them but after the explosive prices this last winter for oranges etc, it seems criminal to me.
Perhaps folk just need a helping-hand to harvest… ???