Showerthought: I was wrong about topping trees for years

I used to think topping a big silver maple to keep it off a house was a solid fix, did it for a decade. Then I saw a tree I topped in 2015 in Cedar Rapids, it was just a mess of weak, crowded sprouts and decay starting. What finally tipped me off was a county forester flat out telling me I was creating hazard trees, not fixing them. Anyone else have a go-to practice they had to completely unlearn?

2 comments

2 Comments

ninas7022d ago

Wasn't it also a huge problem for the tree's health? All those open wounds just invite disease.

hall.ruby22d agoTop Commenter

Ever notice how @ninas70's point about trees getting sick from cuts applies to so many things? People patch a roof with the wrong tar and wonder why the leak gets worse. It's that same idea of a quick fix making a bigger opening for trouble later.