OUTDOOR CORNER: MANY REASONS GO AGAINST TOPPING TREES

The short, stubby tree with its limbs removed and shorn of its natural beauty. This description of a topped tree is a far too common fixture in our yards and along our roadways. As often as it occurs, some might think that is how the Almighty intended to make a tree in the first place.

Proper pruning is one thing. Topping is a horse of a different color.

Trees are topped for a variety of reasons. In some cases, the wrong tree was put in the wrong spot.

A few weeks ago I saw four white pine planted under a power line. White pine are destined to reach at least 100 feet in height. Utility poles have ceased to grow. In a few years the owners are faced with the choice of a topped tree or problems with their electric. Most folks will opt for trouble-free electric.

People also top trees because they follow the time honored wisdom of "that's how it's always been done."

By why not top that tree? According to the National Arbor Day Foundation there are several reasons why you should not.

1. Starvation - Good pruning practices rarely remove more than 1/4 to 1/3 of the crown. Topping removes so much of the crown that it upsets a tree's well-developed crown-to-root ratio and temporarily cuts off its food-making ability.

2. Shock - A tree's crown is like an umbrella that shields much of the tree from the direct rays of the sun. Removing this protection, the remaining bark tissue is so exposed that scalding may result.

3. Insects and Disease - The large stubs of a topped tree have a difficult time forming callus. The terminal location of these cuts, as well as their large diameter, prevent the tree's chemically based natural defense system from doing its job. The stubs are highly vulnerable to insect invasion and the spores of decay fungi. If decay is already present in the limb, opening the limb will speed the spread of the disease.

4. Weak limbs - The wood of a new limb that sprouts after a larger limb is cut is more weakly attached than a limb that develops more normally. If rot exists or develops at the severed end of the limb, the weight of the sprout makes a bad situation even worse.

5. Rapid New Growth - The goal of topping is usually to control the height and spread of a tree. Actually, it has just the opposite effect. The resulting sprouts are more numerous than normal new growth. They elongate so rapidly that the tree returns to its original height in a very short time -- and with a far denser crown.

6. Tree Death - Beeches, for example, do not sprout readily after severe pruning and the reduced foliage most surely will lead to death of the tree.

7, Ugliness - A topped tree is a disfigured tree. Even with its regrowth it never regains the grace and character of its species.

8. Cost - Topping a tree is much easier than applying the skill and judgment of good pruning. Therefore, topping may cost less in the short run. However, the true cost of topping are hidden. These include: the expense of removal and replacement if the tree dies, the risk of liability from weakened branches and increased future maintenance.

Joe Garvey is a biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation.