Redwood topping.

[Mike Hill]

As soon as you top redwood you pretty much reduce the lifespan of these incredible trees to 20-30 years. It also starts a costly cycle of future maintenance.

As much as I don't like it I,ve done a few myself, certainly would never reccomend it and would always strongly advise against it.

 

Really?

 

Why is that?

[Marc]

Really?

 

Why is that?

 

Your no fool Mike:sneaky2:

[not for sale sorry]

As soon as you top redwood you pretty much reduce the lifespan of these incredible trees to 20-30 years. It also starts a costly cycle of future maintenance.

As much as I don't like it I,ve done a few myself, certainly would never reccomend it and would always strongly advise against it.

 

Can you please expand?

 

 

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[Marc]

Can you please expand?

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

 

Redwoods are not susceptible to windthrow at the root plate this is a very rare occurance, they are far more susceptible to failure at the stem through high winds or lightning. Topping out and the subsequent adventitious leaders that will grow from this point will be on poor attachments these will be high up in the crown and far more exposed to the wind leading to a much greater risk of future failure, after about 20-30 years easily you could have multiple heavy leaders over 30ft and greater sail area.

Not only this it will encourage laterals to over develop again leading to a much higher chance of failure.

 

Here is a thread of one we did earlier, this tree was topped out as a knee jerk reaction after the 87 storms in 2009 it lost one of its leaders narrowly missing the property, on inspection of the topping point we felt further collapse likely, other possible management options was going to be costly and would have to be repeated at great cost indefinitely over the life of the tree, so fell and replant was the best option.

 

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/picture-forum/7524-seqouia-takedown.html

 

You may be able to see the failure in the pic where Qtip is sat on the topping point, also notice how much larger the laterals have gotten some of these had also failed over the years.

 

We have done plenty of Sequoiadendron and Sequoia semps. over the years.

Edited June 2, 2013 by Marc

[Old Mill Tree Care]

I would not take the top off a Redwood. Think of a Poplar that's been topped and then has vigorous competitive regrowth. The attachment points will always be weak and the wind effects on the tree could be worrysome.

I'm sure you've been up a Lawson Cypress that was topped 5-15 years ago. Same thing will happen to those Redwoods.

 

The final decision could be based around the trees locality but these are next to houses. Oh dear.

 

 

Sent with my iPhone from me, to you!

[Old Mill Tree Care]

Oops, just read the thread and see that Marc had covered it well already.

Don't mind me😳.

 

 

Sent with my iPhone from me, to you!

[treeseer]

As soon as you top redwood you pretty much reduce the lifespan of these incredible trees to 20-30 years. It also starts a costly cycle of future maintenance.

As much as I don't like it I,ve done a few myself, certainly would never reccomend it and would always strongly advise against it.

That sounds like more than 1/7 of the height was removed, to force oversprouting. Nothing strange about a spec that signals a tree to start rounding over/going decurrent. ahead of schedule maybe but it's ok to change the schedule, slightly.

[Mike Hill]

Quite a few Redwoods I have seen,have lost their tops and grown new ones.

 

Maybe that does no harm when they are in stands of their own kind and sheltered from the wind?The largest one I have seen had mutliple tops after the first one had probably blown out.

 

How long do Redwoods live for in the UK?

[Marc]

Quite a few Redwoods I have seen,have lost their tops and grown new ones.

 

Maybe that does no harm when they are in stands of their own kind and sheltered from the wind?The largest one I have seen had mutliple tops after the first one had probably blown out.

 

How long do Redwoods live for in the UK?

 

So many variables, seen plenty of large multi leader ones to, I think maybe what I said earlier was wrong and misleading. It should be more along the lines of could lead to multiple leaders over developing laterals and lessen the trees safe life in the Urban setting.

I've climbed so many sometimes is easy to forget the ones that didn't alarm me that had been topped out.

 

How long do they live? how big will they get? I don't think we have any mature trees yet to find this out.

[Jack Price]

So many variables, seen plenty of large multi leader ones to, I think maybe what I said earlier was wrong and misleading. It should be more along the lines of could lead to multiple leaders over developing laterals and lessen the trees safe life in the Urban setting.

I've climbed so many sometimes is easy to forget the ones that didn't alarm me that had been topped out.

 

How long do they live? how big will they get? I don't think we have any mature trees yet to find this out.

 

I'm sure I read an article a while ago saying redwoods react well to the tops being blown out, il try and find it. Not exactly the trees you want to build a house under , awesome trees none the less