Why does topping hurt trees!
Tree topping is poor arboriculture practice.
Tree topping is the removal of indiscriminate branches from the top of a tree.
The reasons for clients requesting tree topping usually include a tree that is too big and is creating too much shade, a tree blocking a view, or perhaps a tree that is in the power lines.
There are many potential risks and ongoing costs from this practice.
Where your tree has become too big for the space you have in the garden, removing branches from the top of a tree is unlikely to provide relief for any reasonable length of time. The natural survival response of the tree is to rapidly produce plenty of new growth. These shoots do not develop in the socket of overlapping wood as they normally do, but attach to the outermost layers. These shoots can grow rapidly and will be weak. All the extra growth will then need maintenance in the subsequent years.
Because the flush of new growth initiated by topping is weak, it is prone to breaking, especially in strong winds, and may present a significant safety risk to people and property.
Topping trees is very stressful for the tree. If more than 50% of the leaf-bearing crown is removed, a tree can be temporarily starved, compromising the tree’s ability to recover, causing decline and eventual death.
Topping can lead to decay if multiple cuts are made along lateral branches, leaving large stubs. The tree may struggle to “wall off” the wound site, restricting the healing process. If the tree is unable to heal or “wall off” the wound site, then it’s open for insects and pathogens to access the living tree and cause potentially fatal damage.
Topping a tree’s upper canopy suddenly exposes remaining foliage to high levels of sunlight previously shielded, leaving the foliage scorched and the tissue below the bark sunburnt.
Talk to us about an alternative solution that uses good arboriculture practices and keeps the health of the tree in mind, while achieving the desired result.
Other options may include:
#Crown thinning, where strategic branches are removed to reduce the canopy cover and allow light through, while maintaining the general shape.
#Crown lifting, where the lower canopy is removed. Often used to gain clearance over paths or provide a clear view.
#Reduction, where strategic and directional pruning is used to reduce the size of the canopy. For very large trees, these reductions can be done over several seasons to allow the tree time to recover.