Why Topping Hurts Arborists

[James Atkinson]

I don't really believe the narrative of log hungry tree surgeons misleading homeowners to fell trees.

 

Maybe very rarely, but "usually" ...no.

 

Perception of danger can be as good a reason for a fell as real danger, if every time the wind blows the client is worried it'll fall on the house, then removing the tree makes the client's life better.

 

If the tree was any great shakes it'd have a tpo (in the U.K.) anyway.

 

 

Probably log hungry was a bit strong but I honestly believe a lot of it is laziness on the tree surgeons part. Laziness to explain things and laziness in actually climbing around the tree correctly, after all it does require a lot of effort.

I'm not saying this is you and I apologise for directing it in this way, it's just seems that the quality in tree work in my area (lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire) is getting really bad again, maybe to do with the increase of young blood setting up on their own with no experience and also gangs who just care about speed more than quality, and partly to do with old guys stuck in their ways from 30 years ago. This thread got me on a bad day as I have spent the week quoting against idiots 😂 apologies for the agro.

[Mick Dempsey]

Don't apologise, (in fact I reject your apology!) it's your honest opinion.

 

 

 

The thread only got interesting when you piped up:thumbup:

 

 

I am a hack btw, you're right about that.

[Mick Dempsey]

A few weeks ago I spent all day driving round doing quotes.

 

So it's top this, top that, it was starting to annoy me a bit (not enough to reject the work of course, you'd go pretty hungry out here if you started selling 5% reductions) by the time I got to the last visit of the day (the furthest away) I was a bit short tempered.

 

The clients had 2 birch (maybe 10 mètres high max) previously topped that had come back nicely (rot pockets not too bad) they were worried they'd fall on the neighbour's garage (no reason at all why they should)

The man had a stick 4 mètres long he took it and held it up against each tree and said he wanted it cut to there, plus each branch to a meter long, a real "mug tree" look.

I told him I could do better than that, I could make a nice job of it, re reduce it leaving it looking natural, he was unmoved, just kept tapping his stick to where he wanted it cut to.

 

In a fit of pique i said I wouldn't do it, it was unprofessional I said, they were aghast, the wife got quite shirty and I thought to myself. "I've driven half an hour here for nothing"

So I changed my mind and said "€400 plus the vat, we'll do it Tuesday late afternoon"

 

They agreed (lot to be said for reverse psychology)

 

The strange part of it was when we did it the wife said she couldn't watch, she loved trees and hated to see them suffer!

[Stubby]

A few weeks ago I spent all day driving round doing quotes.

 

So it's top this, top that, it was starting to annoy me a bit (not enough to reject the work of course, you'd go pretty hungry out here if you started selling 5% reductions) by the time I got to the last visit of the day (the furthest away) I was a bit short tempered.

 

The clients had 2 birch (maybe 10 mètres high max) previously topped that had come back nicely (rot pockets not too bad) they were worried they'd fall on the neighbour's garage (no reason at all why they should)

The man had a stick 4 mètres long he took it and held it up against each tree and said he wanted it cut to there, plus each branch to a meter long, a real "mug tree" look.

I told him I could do better than that, I could make a nice job of it, re reduce it leaving it looking natural, he was unmoved, just kept tapping his stick to where he wanted it cut to.

 

In a fit of pique i said I wouldn't do it, it was unprofessional I said, they were aghast, the wife got quite shirty and I thought to myself. "I've driven half an hour here for nothing"

So I changed my mind and said "€400 plus the vat, we'll do it Tuesday late afternoon"

 

They agreed (lot to be said for reverse psychology)

 

The strange part of it was when we did it the wife said she couldn't watch, she loved trees and hated to see them suffer!

 

Sounds to me like they have been bullied by the neighbour ........

[Mick Dempsey]

No, not from what I could tell.

[skyhuck]

I quite often get the client to come out and tell me "when" as I move the saw up and down the stem.

[tree-fancier123]

something not right with this tree, maybe it would have worked if they'd have fed and watered it after halving it.

[kev7937]

"topping is bad unless your doing certain species, basically willows"

 

I've never really understood why it seems ok with willow, are they immune to decay and branch failure then?

[Mark Bolam]

It's because they grow quickly when you have to replace them Kev.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

[Mick Dempsey]

"topping is bad unless your doing certain species, basically willows"

 

I've never really understood why it seems ok with willow, are they immune to decay and branch failure then?

 

Do you not understand why it's ok or why it's perceived as ok?