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That old arborist in Portland made me eat my words on topping trees
He told me the 50 year old oak I wanted to top would probably die within 10 years and showed me pictures of three he'd watched fail, so now I only recommend reduction cuts, has anyone else had a customer fight you on this?
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elliotburns14d ago
Used to think topping was fine until a neighbor's topped maple dropped a huge branch on his shed. Seeing that mess up close made me switch to reduction cuts real quick.
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jackson.wesley14d ago
Man did I learn this one the hard way. Used to think topping was the quick fix for a badly placed maple in my yard and the tree basically turned into a giant stick that rotted from the inside out within 5 years. Now I tell people it's like giving your tree a bad haircut that never grows back right and most folks just stare at me like I'm speaking another language. That arborist sounds like a straight shooter with the pictures to back it up though, nothing beats seeing the proof with your own eyes. My neighbor still insists on topping his pines every spring and I just bring him coffee while he chainsaws his way to regret.
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