Why Topping Hurts Trees

Tree Topping Permanently Damages Trees  

Unfortunately, tree topping and severe heading back has become a common practice in tree care industry. It is unacceptable practice performed by inexperienced workers. There must be a very compelling reason for it. Most ISA Certified arborists will not perform this service. They know the long-term repercussions from this practice.

Why is it so bad? 

Topping hurts trees

Stress-Shorter lifespan

Topping removes a large amount of energy-producing leaves and

energy-storing branches.

Trees need leaves and branches; without them, roots die. When roots die, trees die. With few exceptions, repeated topping will eventually kill a tree.

Severely headed back tree

Sunscald

Previously shaded bark tissue that has been protected from the sun is now fully exposed by these extreme heading cuts. This exposure can cause sunburn. Sunscald kills  important vascular system tissue, rendering it useless. Without a healthy vascular system, trees go into decline. They can become hazardous, and oftentimes die.

Potentially dangerous re-growth after topping cut (there is a home located just to the right)

Weak branch attachments and decay

 New branches form from dormant buds located just below the bark surface. Quite often, these new branches originate near the branch stub left from the topping incident. 

This subjects the new branches to failure caused by:

1. High wind events

2. Decay-When large cuts are made to large branches, the decay begins.

3. Weak branch attachments. New shoots are weakly attached and require frequent pruning to prevent them from failure.

Liability

Weakly attached branches are subject to failure. Depending on the target and extent of the damage; litigation could follow a catastrophic branch failure.

Beetles

Trees actually release a chemical signal when they are stressed. Beetles are attracted to stressed trees and can cause damage to the vascular system.

Beetles are attracted to stressed trees

More on why Topping hurts Trees

Root to shoot ratio

Roots, stems, and leaves are interdependent. In order for a plant to be healthy, leaves need to be present in sufficient numbers to harvest energy from sunlight, convert into carbohydrates which are sent to the roots. Roots bring resources (water, nutrients) to shoots. These ratios vary, depending on plant type and age.

The process

Roots produce exudates. Root exudates attract beneficial biology. Beneficial biology produces plant-available nutrients, antibiotics, trigger health defense mechanisms and much more. Once this symbiosis is interrupted, decline begins. 

Why do it then?

There are several reasons people justify tree topping. 

-better view

-tree is blocking my light

-a tree is too tall for its location

-it might fall down

-fear of branch failure

-branches are blocking sunlight from getting to solar panels

An alternative to Topping

Vista pruning. (a little excessive)

An alternative in many cases is Vista Pruning. Think windows. By carefully selecting branches for removal, two goals can be achieved at once. 

1.  tree health is maintained

2. a view corridor is produced. 

It's a win win!!

Final Considerations

Is cutting down or disfiguring a beautiful, well established tree which has been providing shade and habitat for seen and unseen life for a spot of light really necessary? 

Consider the habitat which was established and will forever be altered. Understory habitat is dependent on trees for their existence.

 -Statistics show that most California homeowners own their home for less than 5 years. Native trees can live for centuries. Unless we....

-Oxygen! Trees produce oxygen.