Rant: I used to think topping was fine for quick height control

A client in Springfield had two maples topped five years ago, and now they're full of weak, crowded sprouts that break in every storm. Seeing those trees fail over time, compared to proper crown reductions I've done, made it clear. The stress response is just not worth it. How do you guys talk clients out of topping when they're set on it?

3 comments

3 Comments

ericb661mo ago

Yeah, "the stress response is just not worth it" is the perfect way to put it. I've spent more time fixing topped trees than I ever did doing the bad cuts in the first place. It just creates a way bigger problem down the road.

hugo_nelson1mo ago

Honestly, it's like kicking the can down the road but with a chainsaw. Tbh a proper thinning cut is way less work in the long run.

benk2611d ago

You know, I have to admit I used to be in the "just chop it back and be done with it" camp. Thought my customers just wanted a quick fix and didn't want to pay for the long term work. But after spending a few summers patching up trees that were butchered years earlier, I saw the light. All those water sprouts and weak branch unions are a nightmare to clean up later, and the tree never really recovers its shape.