Tree Topping: The Damage Done Before and After

Tree topping – the controversial practice of drastically cutting back a tree’s canopy – continues to be an all-too-common sight in many neighborhoods. While some view tree topping as an easy fix for overgrown trees, the reality is that it does far more harm than good. Let’s take a closer look at what tree topping involves, the extensive damage it causes, and better alternatives for managing tree height.

What is Tree Topping?

Tree topping refers to the removal of a tree’s main upright branches, known as leaders. The most common version involves cutting the central leader and primary side branches back to stubs often several feet down from the original height.

This radical pruning leaves just a few branches with foliage at the very top of the tree, creating a disfigured, mounded canopy reminiscent of a mushroom cap. The practice is also called “heading,” “tipping,” “hat-racking,” and “rounding over.”

Proponents of tree topping argue that it helps control a tree’s size without removing it completely. Some also believe it will make the tree safer by removing large branches that could potentially fall in storms. However research clearly shows that the drawbacks of tree topping far outweigh any perceived benefits.

The Damage Done By Tree Topping

While tree topping may seem to “reset” an overgrown tree back to a smaller size, the opposite is actually true. The tree responds to the trauma by rapidly shooting up numerous tall, weakly attached branches called watersprouts.

This uncontrolled re-growth can make the tree even taller and more unruly than it was originally. Topped trees often end up 20-50 feet taller just a few years after the drastic pruning. The ugly knob that’s left also expands with age.

Rather than reducing safety hazards, topping creates a danger zone. The crooked, loosely attached shoots that replace the topped branches are far more likely to break off than the tree’s original limbs.

Topping severely stresses trees by removing too much leaf surface at once. It starves the roots of needed nutrients and exposes the remaining branches to sunburn. Topped trees tend to go into shock and decline. Many eventually die back or have to be removed.

Before and After Photos of Tree Topping

Seeing images of tree topping before and after clearly illustrates the damage it causes:

• Before topping, the tree has a full, rounded canopy and intact central leader. It appears healthy and structurally sound.

• Right after topping, the tree is left with just a few branches poking out of a blunt, flat-topped cut. The tree looks disfigured.

• Just a year or two later, a flush of thin, vertical watersprouts shoots up from the topping cut, dwarfing nearby trees.

• Eventually the topped tree grows into a misshapen giant far larger than the original, with a thick knob of scarred wood and hazardous branches.

Better Alternatives to Tree Topping

For managing the height and spread of mature trees, there are much better options than tree topping:

• Crown thinning – Selectively removing small branches to thin out the canopy, allowing more light penetration and air flow.

• Crown raising – Removing lower branches to elevate the canopy off the ground. Improves clearance without sacrificing the tree’s form.

• Crown reduction – Shortening limbs back to appropriate lateral branches to reduce height and spread. Avoids removing the main leader.

• Vine or shrub removal – Eliminating competing vines or nearby shrubs to reduce stress on tree.

• Rejuvenation pruning – Gradually trimming back leaders over several years for controlled reduction in size.

While more complex than indiscriminate topping, proper pruning performed by a certified arborist can selectively shape trees without causing permanent damage. Taking the time to prune trees properly ensures their long-term health, beauty and safety.

Don’t Top Your Trees!

If a once-small tree has grown too large for its space, there’s understandably an urge to “fix” it as quickly and easily as possible. However, tree topping should never be the solution.

This misguided practice destroys natural form, creates safety issues, and ultimately diminishes the tree’s health. Allowing topped trees to regrow for years does not undo the damage. The only way to avoid problems is to not top trees in the first place!

For mature trees that need size reduction, proper pruning methods will accomplish the goal safely. And for overgrown saplings or ornamentals, opt for removing and replacing with a tree suited to the site. This spares them from being subjected to harmful topping later on.

Your trees provide immense value to your landscape. Rather than inflicting damage through radical topping, give them the care they deserve!