Why Topping Hurts Trees

Topping, heading, stubbing or dehorning

Topping of a trees is still occurring even though with more than 50 years of studies and research that shows and explains the reasons why this practice of mutilating trees is not acceptable pruning technique. The evidence of this mutilation is just outside my door in Barker, NY where I can count from the front a total of four trees that have been topped. The last year there was five but since then I removed one due to the fact of the tree rotting from the top down becoming a hazard to the house, the last four trees are on the chopping block over the next few years for the same reasons. Its a shame that trees that should out last their owners are destroyed to save money, lack of knowledge, lack of public awareness, and greed. Tree topping can be corrected in the sense of improving the condition of the tree by selectively cutting weak connected branches (i.e: water sprouts and epicormic branches).

Tree topping causes:

• Decay (especially from the top down)
• Weakly connected Branches
• Stresses the tree
• Creates Hazards (due to weak branch connection)
• Decreases the value of your property
• Increases your liability ( Because topping is considered an unacceptable pruning practice, any damage caused by branch failure of a topped tree may lead to a finding of negligence in a court of law)
• Makes the tree(s) ugly 
• Expensive (due to the increase to maintenance)

Articles:
Tree Topping Hurts Trees
Stop Topping Trees! by Virgina Tech

Tree after being topped

Thanks to Forestry Images for the images.