Three Reasons Property Owners Should Avoid Tree Topping

Regular and correct pruning of trees brings a myriad of safety and aesthetic benefits. However, if you decide to prune trees by yourself, you must avoid tree topping at all costs. Tree topping refers to cutting down vertical branches while leaving behind lateral twigs. It is a practice that professional arborists believe should be banned. However, it has not stopped homeowners who want to reduce the height of their trees from topping them off. This article highlights the reasons you should avoid tree topping. Read on.

Large Slowly-Healing Wounds — Trees are living organisms, and any cuts often cause wounds that must heal for the plants to grow healthy. Correct pruning only targets small lateral twigs and creates minor wounds that heal fast. Most importantly, it lessens the chances of fungi or insect infections that stunt healthy growth. However, tree topping targets some of the largest branches, leading to big open wounds that can take months to heal. Notably, large tree wounds are susceptible to extensive infections that require the intervention of an arborist to save a plant. Therefore, the only way to protect the trees in your compound is to avoid pruning them from the top.

Lose Aesthetic Value — One of the main reasons properties with trees cost more is that the plants come with various benefits, especially if they are well-pruned. Therefore, you will be doing your property a disservice by topping the trees and leaving them with a broom-like appearance that sticks out like a sore thumb. Moreover, the scars from the large wounds add to the eyesore, and a potential property buyer might ask you to remove the tree as a precondition to buying your house. Although topped trees eventually heal — usually after years — the plants cannot regain their natural appeal.

It is Expensive — If you know nothing about tree topping, the chances are high that you will know its consequences after the act. Unfortunately, topped trees are expensive to maintain because you need to manage the wounds closely to ensure they heal properly. Additionally, it can take a professional arborist several years to try and restructure a tree to its pre-topping appearance. Thus, a single act can make you spend thousands of dollars on tree services to repair damages done. Therefore, homeowners that prefer DIY pruning should avoid tree topping at all costs since it saves them money and unnecessary effort.

For more information on tree pruning, contact a professional near you.

Share