Abstract
Forking is one of the major stem deformities in ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.). Ash is prone to such damage because the terminal bud is flanked by a pair of lateral buds in the axils of the uppermost leaves of the shoot. If the terminal bud is lost or damaged and fails to elongate in the spring there are two possible successors which, if both develop, will form a fork. If production of quality timber is an important objective of management, forking is tolerable above 6 m in height as most of the timber value is in the lower part of the stem; below 6 m it is a major defect. Silviculturists have traditionally aimed to reduce the effects of forking on the final crop by planting many more trees than required and removing forked and other poorer trees by thinning. In some species, e.g. beech, production of forks is part of natural morphological The influence of spring frosts, ash bud moth (Prays fraxinella) and site factors on forking of young ash (Fraxinus excelsior) in southern Britain
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