Cable guy changed my mind about topping trees

I was at a job site last month in Portland and a power line arborist named Dave started talking to me while I was taking a break. He said topping is basically giving a tree a slow death sentence because it creates weak attachment points that fail in storms. He showed me photos of a 60 year old oak he had to remove 5 years after someone topped it, and the rot went all the way down the trunk. That visual stuck with me, now I only recommend reduction cuts instead. Anyone else had a chat with a utility guy that made you rethink something?

2 comments

2 Comments

henderson.wesley13d ago

Dave is right that topping is rough on trees, but I think people go overboard demonizing it. I've seen plenty of topped maples and oaks that lived another 20-30 years just fine, no storm damage. The key is doing it RIGHT - making clean cuts close to a lateral branch, not just hacking the top off like a pine tree. I had a cherry tree topped by a neighbor's tree service after a windstorm ripped half of it off, and that thing has been thriving for 15 years now. Sometimes you need to top a tree that's hitting your roof or power lines, and reduction cuts won't buy you enough time. Dave's oak probably died from bad cuts, not from topping itself.

the_matthew13d ago

That thing about clean cuts near a lateral branch is huge... my neighbor had this silver maple that was topped all wrong, just stubs left everywhere. The regrowth was all weak and snapped off in the first heavy snow we got. I had to top a willow in my backyard that was scraping the gutter, made sure to cut back to a fork each time. It's been 8 years now and the new growth is solid, no cracking or rot showing up yet.