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I know everyone says to never top a tree, but I had to do it on a storm-damaged maple in Burlington and the regrowth was actually really strong and healthy after 3 years.
The client insisted on keeping the 80-year-old tree at all costs after a major limb failure, so we did a reduction cut on the main leader down to a 10-inch lateral, and now the new canopy is dense and well-attached, which makes me question if the 'never top' rule is always absolute in salvage situations.
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park.emery6mo ago
Sometimes you gotta break the rules to save the tree.
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margaret5526mo ago
Okay but seriously, how do you even define topping in a case like that? Sounds like you did a huge reduction cut, not a random hack job. I agree with park.emery that rules get bent in real world salvage. The "never top" rule is for clueless homeowners cutting straight across, not for making the only bad choice left to keep a tree alive. Those new shoots on old wood can be weak, but a strong lateral like your 10-inch one gives a way better start. It's all about the details most people miss.
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jason_chen5mo ago
Margaret's point about the 10-inch lateral being a better start is key. I mean, how many years does it usually take for those new shoots to actually become strong enough to support the tree again? I feel like that's the real timeline people forget about.
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