To top or not to top.

David Humphries · July 20, 2008

Now (given recent threads) this is a pertinent question.

Here's a Fagus full of vitality, but handicapped by previous storm damage and currently Ganoderma'd up to the eyeballs.

The decay pockets are at mid trunk and butress levels.

Tree is situated next to, but leaning away from a path, and in towards woodland.

My concern was not allowing this hunk of timber to fail at the trunk and come crashing down on to the target zone.

Hence the major .........."reduction"

The madness behind my method is not only my penchant for retaining monoliths, but also the fact that this Tree is appearing to retrench naturally even to the extent that it is suckering from roots, (5th picture) which in my experience is almost unheard of for this species.

So here's the befores and the following post is the during and after bits.

enjoy, deride, agree, criticise.

Whatever takes your fancy.