Arborist guidance
Why Topping Kills Trees
Topping is the most damaging thing you can do to a mature tree. Here is what it does and what to do instead.
Topping is cutting a tree’s main branches back to stubs. It is common in the local market and it is harmful. It is not the same as structural pruning or crown reduction, which remove branches at proper points.
What topping does
Topping removes a large share of the leaves a tree needs to feed itself, starving and stressing it. The stubs decay, and the weak new shoots that sprout are poorly attached and break easily. A topped tree is more hazardous within a few years, not less.
Topping also destroys the natural form of the tree, and the cost of managing the weak regrowth over time is far higher than proper pruning would have been.
What to do instead
If a tree is too large for its space, a certified arborist can perform a proper crown reduction, shortening limbs back to appropriate lateral branches. If a tree genuinely cannot be kept at a safe size, removal and replacement with a better-suited species is more honest than topping it every few years.
This guidance is general. For a recommendation on your specific tree, request a free on-site estimate or call 786-942-0189.
Keep Reading