Topping and tipping

Please do NOT top or tip trees. While the practices are common, they are not healthy for the tree and can create a weak, hazardous tree.

Topping is the practice of removing the upper portion of a tree.
Tipping is the blunt cutting of branches in the middle instead of at the main trunk or at a side branch.

These practices are generally used to reduce the height and width of trees. But there are much more appropriate pruning techniques to achieve those results. Proper pruning maintains the health of the tree while controlling its shape and size. When a tree is pruned properly, it is difficult to tell it has been pruned at all.

For assistance with proper pruning of your trees, contact a certified arborist. But the best way to avoid any pruning, or the temptation to top or tip a tree, is to select a tree that will fit in its location at its mature size.

Eight reasons not to top or tip a tree:

1. Rapid New Growth: Topped trees produce more sprouts than under normal growing conditions. These sprouts grow rapidly and result in a tree of the original height in a very short time.
   
2. Weak Limbs: The new growth is generally weakly attached and thus poses a hazard.
   
3. Insect and Disease: The large stubs left from topping and tipping are slow to heal, leaving them vulnerable to insects and diseases.
   
4. Starvation: Removing too much of a tree's crown can interfere with the ability to manufacture food, thus leading to starvation of the tree.
   
5. Shock and Scalding: Without the shade of the tree's crown, the remaining bark and other tissues are exposed to the sun and scalding may occur.
   
6. Tree Death: Topping and severe pruning can result in death of the tree.
   
7. Ugliness: A topped tree will never regain its natural shape or function.
   
8. Cost: Dealing with rapid new growth, weak limbs, insects and diseases, or property damage from a weakened topped or tipped tree, can cost much more than paying for an expert to properly prune your tree.