Pruning works to oil palm trees

Oil palm trees and cut branches seen at foreground
Zone E

A long pruning pole and cut base.

 One of the toughest job at the nature park is the pruning works involving the oil palm trees. Since three months ago some of the oil palm trees weren't fruiting well due to excessive rain, haze and later the extreme dry weather .  All these conditions happened continuously over 3-4 months period (since December)  and it would seem that the dry conditions will persist till May. The extreme temperatures stressed the plants while the haze drove away useful insects especially bees and weevils that help pollinate the oil palm flowers.  These matrix of factors resulted in undeveloped flowering and fruiting sets thereby thwarting production of fresh fruit bunches for sale. In this respect it is no wonder that the prices of oil palm fruit bunches is at their best this month compared with last year average  i.e. RM 440 per ton at ramp price (i.e.  middleman's collection centre  price).   With some of the undeveloped flowers and spoilt fruit bunches  on trees, it is necessary to remove them to divert food to new and  upcoming inflorescenes or young fruit bunches.  Below are examples of the pruning works done to majority of the trees at Zone E.

Zone E

Note the cut bases
Zone E

Zone E as seen from inside the Botanic Island Two.