Topping young tree

[Jack.P]

Another tree related question.

Recently did some jobs for someone and part of the work was to top a flimsy Birch as apparently the top was blowing onto there house window so said ok I’ll have a go  .the wood wasn’t  strong enough to climb /put a ladder onto it so I ended up going up on a step ladder with a telescopic pole saw and only just had enough length to take about 5ft off the top .it got the job done but seemed bit of an odd way to do it .on a small low paid job how would others do this if at all?

(i know it probably didn’t do the young tree any favours but did try and explain this before I did it )

many thanks 

[Jack.P]

Also only used this new Stihl ht133 for a few hours and finding its started cutting out when held upright.its not idle speed as fine on the ground.anyone had this problem with them ?

[Mick Dempsey]

The birch will be fine.

[Khriss]

No, not at all. Formative pruning is important in young trees and birch particularly can get ruined. K

[AHPP]

5 hours ago, Khriss said:

No, not at all. Formative pruning is important in young trees and birch particularly can get ruined. K

Bollocks. Trees know what they're doing. They grew fine for the hundreds of millions of years before we invented the arboricultural consultant. Formative pruning is important for doing three jobs to trees that probably need no jobs doing to them.

[Khriss]

......you've seen Our Birches then , Obvs K

[Mick Dempsey]

Bollocks was my word of choice as well.

[Chris at eden]

31 minutes ago, AHPP said:

Bollocks. Trees know what they're doing. They grew fine for the hundreds of millions of years before we invented the arboricultural consultant. Formative pruning is important for doing three jobs to trees that probably need no jobs doing to them.

We didn't have the HSE, the courts, and statutory legislation for millions of years saying that we need to manage risk at an appropriate level by removing defects in high target areas.  Its cheaper and more effective to remove defects through formative pruning than waiting for them to become an issue requiring major tree works.  Not that anyone actually does formative pruning (can't remember the last time I recommended it), or that the works described by the OP can be described as such.  I take your point about the trees being fine without it but as with most pruning works, its for the benefit of people not the trees.  

 

[Jack.P]

The tree described has fair chance at success but won’t know for a while.was recently looking at another one which had already been very heavily pollarded and seemed ok although very un natural looking.the lady did say she still thought it was too big even though it was already reduced by two thirds .

[Mick Dempsey]

 

19 minutes ago, Chris at eden said:

We didn't have the HSE, the courts, and statutory legislation for millions of years saying that we need to manage risk at an appropriate level by removing defects in high target areas.  Its cheaper and more effective to remove defects through formative pruning than waiting for them to become an issue requiring major tree works.  Not that anyone actually does formative pruning (can't remember the last time I recommended it), or that the works described by the OP can be described as such.  I take your point about the trees being fine without it but as with most pruning works, its for the benefit of people not the trees.  

 

Most, but not all.
 

An attenuated birch like the OP describes can become an extremely whippy, almost comically so, rocking and yawing in the slightest breeze.

A snip off the top and it’s much more stable.