Tree Topping, why not?

“Tree Topping: What You Should Avoid Doing”

Introduction:

As arborists, landscapers, and tree enthusiasts will tell you, maintaining the health and aesthetics of your trees is an essential part of responsible yard care. However, when it comes to pruning, there’s one practice that often sparks controversy and concern: tree topping. While there may be valid reasons for pruning your trees, it’s crucial to approach the idea of tree topping with caution. In this article, we’ll explore the reasons why tree topping is a practice you might want to reconsider, and why there are better alternatives for preserving the vitality of your trees. 

The book Tree & Shrub Gardening for Northern California by Bob Tanem and Don Williamson offers some good advice on this topic of tree pruning and specifically topping the trees. The quote below from page 39 states: 

“One pruning practice that should never be used is tree topping.Trees have been topped to control their height or size.  To prevent them from going into overhead power lines, to allow more light onto a property, or to prevent a tall tree from toppling onto a building.Topped trees are ugly and create a hazard.  A tree may be killed by the stress of losing half its live growth or by the gaping slow to heal wound  .That makes the tree vulnerable to insects, and wood rotting fungi.  The heartwood of Topped trees rots out.Quickly.Resulting in a weak trunk. The crotches on new growth that sprouts from the area of the cut also tend to be weak.Topped trees, therefore, are very susceptible to storm damage and blow down.  Hazards aside, topped trees can ruin these aesthetic values of a landscape.

It is much better to completely remove a tree and start again with one that will grow to a more appropriate size than to attempt to control the growth of a mature specimen that is too large.

  Pollarded trees, Are the ones that look like Tootsie Pops. Pollarding is a high maintenance practice that must begin when the plants are very young and there are very few plant species that lend themselves to this practice. Some people may top mature trees to get a pollarding effect. Which is highly detrimental to the health of the tree.”