Help with quercus suber

[dizz_ee]

Hi all first time posting here, i havent done anything to do with bonsai in about 6 years, and am trying to get back into it. i rescued this quercus suber from the side of the railway probably 7 years ago and has been left in this pot since then. i cannot move the pot at the moment in fear of it falling apart, so these are the best pictures i could get. it is about 1.6 m tall. I would like to give it a chop but am hesitant at the moment because i dont want to ruin it. i was thinking of cutting it right down to the first branches but not sure if it could take such a drastic cut.

[kcpoole]

I see no reason why you would not be able to cut back to the first branches.
Oaks will backbud readily.

Ken

[lackhand]

Well somebody has to say it so . . .

Why not air layer and get 2-3 nice trees out of it instead of just one? Probably not the best time of year right now, but if you're not in a hurry then you might as well.

[Dario]

I have some experience with Q suber and you can chop the trunk back to a short stump with no growth and it will throw stacks of buds/new growth.
You can also layer them and I think the the ideal time is the last month of spring...remove in Autumn or next spring depending if enough roots are present. Ring bark method with 3 or 4 full turns of 5ml wire (on thickest trunk sections), you will be unlucky if callous bridges over the wire, but it can happen from time to time.
Some think oaks are impossible to layer but with the correct technique they are fine.
In Europe some of the large collected Q suber are ground layered prior to collection as they have huge tap roots with feeders far too far away to otherwise collect.
Cheers, Dario.