TOPPING:

There is a pruning technique that looks like topping, called  pollarding. It works only on certain trees, and it requires frequent and consistent pruning. Pollarding consists of cutting back branches to a selected point of fixed height, but continuing to cut the branches every year or every other year to create a compact canopy.

• Common, but inappropriate;

• Stem diameter and age not considered;

• Practiced on any trees of any age;

• Return pruning may not happen;

• Causes decay in cut branches;

• Creates weak attachments that may become dangerous;

• Can decrease the tree life span.

Topping is the removal of vertical leader stems on large trees and usually made between nodes or at internodes. Tipping is the internodal cut on large lateral branches.

No matter how we make the cuts tipping and topping cause serious injury to the tree. A very big misconception is that if we top the tree it will be safer. Topping greatly increases the tree of being a risk of a hazard. Topping is the biggest money wasting practice in the world. It also is illegal in some places. It is a crime against nature. Topping is a worldwide tree mutilation practice. The main reason is that people do not understand how trees function.

Some effected parts of the system are the non-woody roots, the woody roots, and many microorganisms within the soil. The food for the woody and non-woody roots come from the top. Many microorganisms also get their food from the tree. So when the roots begin to starve the tree can suffer from problems such as wilts, plane tree canker (Ceratocystis fimbriata) and root rots. Also topping affects the stem because this often leads to top rot and long cracks. Often lightening gets blamed. What we have seen is wounds from topping weaken tissues from the trunk to the roots. Then pathogens infect the weakened wood. In these cases the primary pathogen is the person that removed the tree top. Excessive sprouting is a sign of low energy reserves. When a tree is topped, it stimulates excessive sprouting. When a tree needs to be topped, it is time for a new tree.