Tree topping – when the entire top of a tree is cut off – seems to have become a preferred method of tree pruning. Beauty is certainly in the eyes of the beholder, but is it good or bad for the tree?

An unsatisfactory approach to tree maintenance or pruning is “topping” it. Topping is the indiscriminant removal of branches of a tree above an arbitrary height, leaving unnatural, grotesque stubs and ...

The annual practice of butchering trees is in full swing. Tree topping, the practice of cutting large branches back to stubs, is often mistakenly employed by homeowners aiming to reduce tree size or ...

Q. Many times I have read, “Never top a tree!” I have also read that we should keep fruit trees at 8 feet for easy picking. And the avocado experts recommend keeping avocado trees at 11 feet. Either I ...

It still shocks me when I see large trees being “trimmed” or “topped” in this day and age. Topping is the drastic removal or cutting back of large branches in mature trees, leaving large stubs. The ...