Why Topping Hurts Arborists

[GazN]

If people keep doing it, Customers will keep seeing it and wanting it and it does appear to have become a common trend... I do wonder if some of it is lack of education from the person carrying out the work as well as the customer?

 

I refused to top a mature tree the other week as it was perfectly healthy, I said enjoy the tree and I'll do some pruning on it for now. they were happy with this and all is well! some will listen!

[Khriss]

I think its hideous , bad practice and more cost down the line , the tree is stressed and never does as well as a good sensitive prune - by Hey !! Local Authority can't be wrong now - can they !! K

[WesD]

IMO dead wooding or thinning is the best we can do for a tree, most tree work is the beginning of the end and we can all follow best practice but let's not get all high and mighty we all harm trees everyday. Any pruning cut = harming tree and a lot of us do it for a living.

 

Just saying.

[Mick Dempsey]

Depends on the type of tree.

 

For some it's perfectly acceptable.

[Mark Bolam]

Depends on the type of arborist.

 

For some it's perfectly acceptable.

 

 

Your spelling is getting worse with age Mick.

 

 

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[Joe Newton]

Judge a tree in its individual merits. I have and will continue to heavily reduce small trees of suitable species in small back gardens. I'd rather do that then fell every tree that got too big for its garden.

 

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[Mesterh]

Hmmm, im not convinced its that dangerous.

 

When the wind blows what does more damage, trees wind thrown due to lack of roots be it disease or direct damage/poorly positioned or some regrowth from topped trees?

 

I would have walked away from far too many jobs if I didnt top trees. Most of the time it is better than felling the thing which is usually the only other option.

[oldwoodcutter]

As a professional company we strive to carry out the customers wishes combined with a little bit of advice.

So we do an enormous amount of lopping and topping

[Gary Prentice]

I'm simply amazed that people think the arb association, ISA, other national arboricultural associations across the world, researchers, Alex Shigo and everyone since, the arboriculturists who work to write BS3998 are all wrong!

 

Who'd have thought it?

[mdvaden]

'New, young, small cuts, planned long term managemen'. This comes across more as pollarding, not effectively cutting a sixty foot, semi-mature/mature tree in half.

 

 

I take the tops out of trees all the time. Beech, Pine, etc.. Almost never is my approach close to pollarding.

 

Actually, now that I think back, I've never started pollarding.

 

It's something I'd prefer to do when cuts are 6 inches or small, and preferably more like 2 inches or less.

 

A couple of times, it was essential and saved trees.