Why Not to Top Trees Video

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Why Not to Top Trees

Hi! My name is Blair Glenn. I am an ISA certified Arborist. Just the other day, I was asked by a client to come out and look at his trees and he paused a question to me that I have heard so many times, why I cannot I tap my trees? His concern was that his trees were too tall. My mind flashed back immediately to a situation where there was a tree, it was a Blue Atlas Cedar that I have been taking care off for over 25 years, absolutely beautiful tree. Every year, I told the client, it is fine, leave it alone, it is okay, maybe a little bit of dead wood, maybe a little bit of crossover limbs, but it was perfect. Unfortunately, the old gentleman passed away. The house was sold. I drove by and this is what I saw. The tree had been cut in half. It broke my heart. This tree that was in such perfect shape did not require anything. Apparently, it was too tall to the new home owners. Around the corner from the same property was another set of three beautiful trees. They were Pin Oaks. These trees were gorgeous. They did not need a thing. They were tall, they had a perfect shape to them, did not require much maintenance at all. Apparently, the same company got a hold of these as well because they are not as tall as they use to be. Everywhere I drive, I see evidence of improper tree trimming and butchery, I am just in sense by it and I do not understand why people do not get it. So what is wrong with tapping a tree? Why is it so hard on the tree and why are so many professionals irritated by this practice when it is done so frequently? This is a difficult subject to briefly discuss but here is a prime example of a central leader tree that was apparently too tall. Someone came along and lap it off and cut it in half. That continuing leader that would have brought this tree up to a grand stature and a very nice balanced shape has been permanently altered. Now sadly, there are reasons why some trees have to be harshly pruned and obviously, the electric company needs to keep their wires clear. But for the average tree, we should respect the integrity of the structure that the tree is trying to achieve. We have limited growing space with all the hard scaping. Roads, houses structure, wires, and everything that we have to deal with, but we have to choose the appropriate tree for the appropriate location. Tapping trees just causes’ long-term decay, long-term problems, increases the maintenance requirements and often times, kills the tree. Even in fast growing species that are taller in to the view such as this Eucalyptus Tree which wind up creating is a massive bush of suckers that requires more frequent pruning. So your single motion of cutting a tree harshly creates a permanent long-term maintenance issue, and it is much more expensive. Now, this is ever so common at a sight. People just do not want a big tree, so they come along, they just whack it back. Some people do this every single year and certainly, many-many species of trees will survive and tolerate this abuse. But what happens when you do this sort of treatment to a tree? The new growth that comes out, comes in long small sprouts, and you create a structural imbalance that unless you continually go in there and cut it back harshly, you will end up with the tree that self destructs, falls apart, as an increases crop or seed production, long term problems. I can go and on and on but just do not it! And from the perspective of trying maintained these trees that have harsh treatment done to them in the past, all I end up doing is trying to reconstruct the tree and repair mistakes and repairs are not easy to do. When you have to decay pockets, basically, I end up keeping the tree as safe as possible and cutting them back and watching the tree go down hill. It becomes a long-term decline in health. I am showing this image of a Birch Tree because this type of tree that when they get tapped, the wood decays rapidly. In three to four years after tapping a Birch Tree, you can have a tree that hallows out and rots all the way down. So when you tap a tree that is a very sensitive

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Hi! My name is Blair Glenn. I am an ISA certified Arborist.

Just the other day, I was asked by a client to come out and look at his trees and he paused a question to me that I have heard so many times, why I cannot I tap my trees? His concern was that his trees were too tall.

My mind flashed back immediately to a situation where there was a tree, it was a Blue Atlas Cedar that I have been taking care off for over 25 years, absolutely beautiful tree.

Every year, I told the client, it is fine, leave it alone, it is okay, maybe a little bit of dead wood, maybe a little bit of crossover limbs, but it was perfect.

Unfortunately, the old gentleman passed away. The house was sold. I drove by and this is what I saw. The tree had been cut in half.

It broke my heart.

This tree that was in such perfect shape did not require anything. Apparently, it was too tall to the new home owners.

Around the corner from the same property was another set of three beautiful trees. They were Pin Oaks. These trees were gorgeous. They did not need a thing. They were tall, they had a perfect shape to them, did not require much maintenance at all.

Apparently, the same company got a hold of these as well because they are not as tall as they use to be.

Everywhere I drive, I see evidence of improper tree trimming and butchery, I am just in sense by it and I do not understand why people do not get it.

So what is wrong with tapping a tree? Why is it so hard on the tree and why are so many professionals irritated by this practice when it is done so frequently?

This is a difficult subject to briefly discuss but here is a prime example of a central leader tree that was apparently too tall. Someone came along and lap it off and cut it in half. That continuing leader that would have brought this tree up to a grand stature and a very nice balanced shape has been permanently altered.

Now sadly, there are reasons why some trees have to be harshly pruned and obviously, the electric company needs to keep their wires clear. But for the average tree, we should respect the integrity of the structure that the tree is trying to achieve.

We have limited growing space with all the hard scaping. Roads, houses structure, wires, and everything that we have to deal with, but we have to choose the appropriate tree for the appropriate location.

Tapping trees just causes’ long-term decay, long-term problems, increases the maintenance requirements and often times, kills the tree.

Even in fast growing species that are taller in to the view such as this Eucalyptus Tree which wind up creating is a massive bush of suckers that requires more frequent pruning. So your single motion of cutting a tree harshly creates a permanent long-term maintenance issue, and it is much more expensive.

Now, this is ever so common at a sight. People just do not want a big tree, so they come along, they just whack it back. Some people do this every single year and certainly, many-many species of trees will survive and tolerate this abuse. But what happens when you do this sort of treatment to a tree?

The new growth that comes out, comes in long small sprouts, and you create a structural imbalance that unless you continually go in there and cut it back harshly, you will end up with the tree that self destructs, falls apart, as an increases crop or seed production, long term problems. I can go and on and on but just do not it!

And from the perspective of trying maintained these trees that have harsh treatment done to them in the past, all I end up doing is trying to reconstruct the tree and repair mistakes and repairs are not easy to do. When you have to decay pockets, basically, I end up keeping the tree as safe as possible and cutting them back and watching the tree go down hill. It becomes a long-term decline in health.

I am showing this image of a Birch Tree because this type of tree that when they get tapped, the wood decays rapidly. In three to four years after tapping a Birch Tree, you can have a tree that hallows out and rots all the way down.

So when you tap a tree that is a very sensitive

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