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Please Don’t Top Your Trees
Topping is the senseless practice of indiscriminately removing a majority of a tree’s branches. Topping violates most commonly accepted methods of proper pruning; it is an assault on the health and beauty of your trees.
Five important facts to remember about tree topping:
- 1. Topping will not make trees safe; it actually creates hazardous trees. How?
- a. Starves
- b. Creates weak Limbs
- c. Increased Wind Resistance
- 2. Topping makes a tree more susceptible to storm damage
- 3. Topping makes a tree more prone to insect and disease problems
- 4. Topping is: abuse, vandalism, dangerous, expensive, mutilation, ugly
- 5. Topping is a waste of money
The goal of proper pruning is never to reduce the height of an ornamental (means not a fruit tree) tree
Good selective pruning will reduce the bulk of a tree, letting in more light and allowing wind to pass through the tree. Reducing wind resistance by “taking out the sail” will make your tree safer.
Good pruning does not stimulate regrowth and will “stay done” longer than topping or over-thinning.
A good arborist not only knows what kind of cuts to make (thinning cuts, not heading or topping cuts); he or she also knows when to quit. When it comes to trimming, sometimes, “Less is More”. Trees vary as to the degree of thinning they can take. A pine tree can be thinned out and layered dramatically; a cherry tree won’t take much. If you prune too heavily, the tree either succumbs to death in a drought or it suckers back like crazy the next year. Take care in selecting an arborist to find one that will do what he can to please the customer without damaging the tree.
The best time of year to trim is during the winter months. This is when trees are in a dormant state. Trimming during the summer months leaves trees susceptible to bugs and disease giving them no time to heal. We can meet with you at any time to evaluate your needs and then send you a reminder of the proper time to trim your trees. If you would like to set up a consultation please contact us: 478-755-TREE(8733)
BE AN ARBORPHILIAS (LOVER OF TREES)!
