As we drive around the Phoenix area, we have started to notice a disturbing trend: trees that have been badly disfigured by a practice known as “topping.” Topping a tree involves removing large portions of the trees primary branches or trunk, trimming the tree back the way you prune a rose bush. People do this because they want to reduce the size of the tree. As the leading provider of tree services in Phoenix, we want to be clear: We do not recommend “topping” any trees. We stand alongside the International Society of Arboriculture in their warnings against topping trees. In this post, we’ll cover 5 reasons to never top your tree. Let’s dive in.
Five Reasons to Never Top Your Tree
It is Bad for Tree Health
Removing the top portion of a tree is very bad for the tree’s health, and it may actually kill the tree. If the tree lives, it will have to survive an enormous amount of stress and is now more susceptible to disease, decay and even sunburn.
The Tree is Less Attractive
When a tree is pruned properly it makes the tree beautiful, full, and lush. Topped trees, on the other hand, are a collection of ugly stumps and poorly attached shoots. When the leaves are on the damaged tree, they hide the stumps, but instead grow in a dense clutter resembling more of a bush than a tree.
The Tree is More Dangerous
New shoots quickly form just below the place where the main trunk has been severed. These shoots can grow to be quite enormous in a relatively short time, but they lack strong attachments, and are much more prone to breakage than branches of a tree with healthy branch structure.
It Lowers Property Value
Rather than seeing the topped tree as an asset to a property to increase curb appeal, topped trees actually have the reverse effect. Potential home buyers area likely to see topped, disfigured trees as flaw within the property that will need to be dealt with over the long term…ultimately either choosing to place on offer on another property or to low-ball their offer on your property.
A Topped Tree Can’t Be Fixed
Once a tree is topped, it will never regain its natural beauty. This alone, in our opinion, is reason enough to never, ever, top a tree. After a tree is topped, it will remain a stumpy structure, full of spindly shoots popping out all over. Ultimately, while some people thing topping a tree is solving a problem, they are creating a much bigger problem and many topped trees end up being removed because of how hideous they look.
New Heights Tree: Phoenix Tree Removal Services
If, unfortunately, you have had a tree topped, then there’s really only one solution: tree removal. The expert tree removal service team at New Heights Tree will remove the eyesore from your property and help clean up. Hopefully, our tips and reasons why you should never top a tree will prevent you from taking such a drastic step in the first place, but should it be too late, don’t hesitate to contact our tree removal service team today.