Topping scotch pine?

[Steve Bullman]

i wouldnt personally top them...i guess it depends how much you need their custom!

[Mr Ed]

they look more like black pine than scots. they've not been topped before, thats just the growth pattern of Pinus nigra.

I would suggest felling the left hand multi stemmed tree.

[Anna]

It all depends on what type of person they are, if you explain, and give your professional advice I'd say 90% of our customers take our advice but if they are set on what they want we give them a price for thin and crown lift and a crown reduction and it's always more expensive to reduce a tree they usually end up going with the cheaper option anyway. If they go with someone else then so be it, it's our reputation on the line.

[Marc]

they look more like black pine than scots. they've not been topped before, thats just the growth pattern of Pinus nigra.

I would suggest felling the left hand multi stemmed tree.

 

Not the clearest picture, Pinus nigra is a good call, my Pinus ident is rubbish.

Black pine may grow like that, but the fact that both trees go multi-stemmed at the same point leads me to think they've been topped before.

 

Good alternative to fell the one on the right and crown raise/thin the other. May expose the other to wind more though, but should be okay.

[Anna]

I would have taken the two on outsides out and kept the nice single stemmed one in centre

[Dean Lofthouse]

I always tell the customer that if you are thinking of topping a tree then that tree is too big for that lacation and should be taken out and a smaller tree species planted.

 

That is of course, after explaining just has you have done, the alternatives, ie Crown lift / reduction / thin etc.

 

It's nice to see you have a conscence

 

I personally have never to date topped a tree I have taken new growth off topped trees and topped Leylandii, but I have lost many jobs because I have done as you have and explained the rights and wrongs.

 

All I say to the customer is that asking a Tree Surgeon to top a tree is akin to asking a Mechanic to cut and shut a car, some will do it but reputable ones won't

[Mr Ed]

I always tell the customer that if you are thinking of topping a tree then that tree is too big for that lacation and should be taken out and a smaller tree species planted.

 

I totally disagree. If topping extends the viable life of an old tree, why fell it and replant with something that will take many years to replace what you removed?

Many old trees were there before the damn house.

That is of course, after explaining just has you have done, the alternatives, ie Crown lift / reduction / thin etc.

 

The tree surgeons standard money maker:aetsch:

 

 

It's nice to see you have a conscence

 

I personally have never to date topped a tree I have taken new growth off topped trees and topped Leylandii, but I have lost many jobs because I have done as you have and explained the rights and wrongs.

 

Here we go again, this old chestnut that it is 'wrong' or 'immoral' or 'unethical' to top a tree. Why is it that you make an exception for Leylandii?

Do I have no conscience because I will top trees?

 

All I say to the customer is that asking a Tree Surgeon to top a tree is akin to asking a Mechanic to cut and shut a car, some will do it but reputable ones won't

 

Bad analogy. Trees are living things, and support an even bigger ecosystem. you have to look at the bigger picture, on how people percieve trees, on how we interact with our surroundings, on the long term effects of our actions.

 

Dont take what I say as a criticism. What you say is good practice, but I've come to believe that its wrong to make hard and fast rules.

[Dean Lofthouse]

I am talking domestic customers not commercail or park trees. We are also talking topping healthy trees not Tree Surgery on ailing or damaged trees. I have only ever done domestic work and topped trees in that enviroment are bad, ugly and serve no purpose. They need maintenance, which isn't always guaranteed, so it shouldn't be an option where there could be kids playing under it in years to come

 

You can do what you like to tree in the right enviroment provided you can justify that to yourself.

 

I personally will give up tree surgery before I top a tree, full stop.

 

If you would rather see a tree chopped in half with no branches at the bottom of your garden with the odd grub or two in the rotting stubs, than a nice Acer, then IMO you need treatment.

 

I haven't deadwooded any trees in my wood, only over the access road where public walk. That is the right enviroment to try to extend the life of a tree where there is no public access.

[skyhuck]

I totally disagree. If topping extends the viable life of an old tree, why fell it and replant with something that will take many years to replace what you removed?

Many old trees were there before the damn house.

 

 

The tree surgeons standard money maker:aetsch:

 

 

 

 

Here we go again, this old chestnut that it is 'wrong' or 'immoral' or 'unethical' to top a tree. Why is it that you make an exception for Leylandii?

Do I have no conscience because I will top trees?

 

 

 

Bad analogy. Trees are living things, and support an even bigger ecosystem. you have to look at the bigger picture, on how people percieve trees, on how we interact with our surroundings, on the long term effects of our actions.

 

Dont take what I say as a criticism. What you say is good practice, but I've come to believe that its wrong to make hard and fast rules.

 

:congrats:

[MasterBlaster]

Judging from the picture, topping will be the beginning of the end for those trees. There's not enough foliage left to sustain the tree.

 

Leave em be, or remove em.