A quick tip that may save a life. If you noticed how when he was dropping the stem, they stacked all those logs to use as a crash pad, to stop any damage underneath. I’ve used the technique for years. One day we went to apply this technique, we didn’t make the crash pad long enough, when the tree fell over on top of it, it spat one of the logs out like a cannon, directly at myself ( I was pulling the rope to assist the fall ) it smashed both my shins, no bone breakages. But I could barely walk for a month. So many years of using this technique. I’ll never use it again, because of this one instance
@Cousin Eddie Agreed because laying them out just right is important. I have seen the worst side of the trick a few times, thankfully not by me but some I worked with. Still, I wouldn't deter from using that technique if in a time pinch. As long as you take your time at the right time. IBEW-
I've never seen such a setup before. Loppers here in Auss just cut the tree into manageable parts not large enough to cause damage in the first place. Didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to do it any other way.
@@xaracen7207 Yeah, can't figure it out, the only thing I can think of is a teeter totter mechanism that will send a log end over end perpendicular to the tree possibly but launching straight out and at significant velocity I don't understand
This is a great video to show to customers who want their tree topping. You try to explain stuff like this people and often see the blank expression come across their face. If you don't understand what will happen after heavy topping you can't see the future problems. My thoughts are usually just remove the tree - you want the tree topping because it is the wrong tree in the wrong place! Remove and replace with something more appropriate to the setting. thanks for making this video :)
@@arboristBlairGlenn the other tree guys around me are the most substantial threat to the trees around here. even worse than the emerald ash borer. you look around town and almost all the old maples are topped already. most are severely dangerous now and everyone is starting to hate having trees because they loose big limbs every time the wind blows. we just had a few huge maples fall through some buildings and everyone thinks its from the abnormally high winds. forgetting to realize that its really cause someone destroyed the tree years ago and the roots finally turned to mush. or like mine the gas company cut apart the roots on 3 sides of the tree to run a line to the house. I tell people all the time not to top their trees but most can't fathom the idea that it's cheaper and safer to just remove it or let it be. I loose out on some jobs because I don't automatically just top the tree.
No, people want them topped because companies charge absolutely batshit amounts of money to remove trees or properly prune them, while charging less to top them. People would love to take better care of trees, but who the hell can afford to lay out the thousands upon thousands upon thousands of dollars?
@@arboristBlairGlenn Hey Blair, I have a cherry that had been topped in the past for easier access to fruit and to encourage fruiting. How resistant is a fruiting cherry tree to topping-induced decay?
My grandparents had a Sugar Maple topped quite severely. It held on for maybe another 15 years, until we took it down. We turned it into firewood. I couldn't believe how extensive all the rot was around each old topping wound. And, every cut had around 5-8 suckers growing at it.... much like you showed in this video.
this is a really useful video that people should see before cutting any tree. we seem to forget that trees are a living organism and that trimming is literally amputation which leave open wounds that will get infected and decay
Always breaks my heart to see topped trees. Many times they cut off so many limbs that they end up with a tall bizarre-looking stump in the yard that barely grows or just doesn't grow at all
Trees on my street got completely reduced to stumps a few years ago, luckily they've managed to fully regrow to giant bushy trees. I was amazed how fast they came back. I worry it will rot hard now though
The second one, with it holding water, what people don't realize is, this is a prime breeding ground for certain species of mosquitoes. My parents had a large southern red oak next to their house. When we sold the house, found out that the roots had messed up the septic tank. It had to be replaced.
Those who pay attention to the details can see deeper. Those who listen to the subtle pieces of the puzzle, hear more. Those who take the time to feel and touch trees, sense the life within.
@OSTOTD Blair was saying the first tree in the video, a Liquid Amber, was topped 3 years ago (the tree he removed). The tree you're saying that looks like it was topped 10 years ago is a Silver Maple, your guess is probably pretty close for that tree. Edit: I notice the person I responded to before my comment has deleted his comment.
Super impressed with how you dropped the trunk across the walkway. Your experience and wisdom are definitely showing through in all parts of this video.
Thats got to be infuriating. To continue seeing a practice being done that is well known for harming the tree and putting peoples property and lives at risk. I swear no matter how often a lesson is taught people never learn!
We bought a house in a new development about 7 years ago, and the builders put a burr oak in most of the front yards. My neighbor has been top trimming his tree every year for the last 3-4 years, and our tree is now more than twice as tall as theirs. I just can't wrap my head around it.
@ BG - I follow a few arbourists on YT and you consistently provide the most educational content. I'm bookmarking this video for the next time someone asks why I recommend against topping. Ty for sharing your expertise and the content.
I bought a property with a beautiful cherry tree that produces well but it was topped on all main 4 trunks already looking like the tops you ve showed. thanks to your videos over the years i know now that the mushrooms i see growing out of the place where it was cut many years ago the tree probably must go. I will very much enjoy probing how deep the decay goes. Thanks Sir
@@themightycrixus1131 I used to gather mushrooms. Tons of mushrooms grow naturally near trees. A group of mushroom species grow *on* wood, but only some of them grow on dead/rotting wood, while some require live wood. It depends on tree species and mushroom species.
Great video!!! I have had many people in the past ask me to top their trees and I refuse to do it. I have seen the damage that it does even though it's not apparent to the lay person. These were really good examples. Thank you.
One thing that you did not mention in your video that I think is important that when trees are topped or even cut back very hard the sprouts that originate from those cuts are not attached to the center of the trunk as are original branches making them very weak and more prone to snap off.
I have 4 and a 1/2 acres of trees that I've grown from seed or very small seedlings over the last 47 years. It is interesting and educational to watch how the trees have responded to my pruning over this time period. Sometimes things that you thought were the best choices turn out not to be so 20 or 30 years down the road. All we can do is learn from our mistakes and try and do a better job as time goes forward. Some of these trees are now 60 to 70' tall, which is a big tree for the arid West where I live. They require constant irrigation. If you ever make a trip out to the West you would be welcome to stop by and see what I have done. Many trees that started out doing well after 20 or 30 years prove not to be good choices for this climate and soil. Many turn out to be better choices than I thought as time goes on ,such as some of the pines. Thank you for your work and your response to my replies.
I had a Silver Maple that nature topped during a severe thunderstorm. The results were disastrous as it suckered from the 3 topped branches into a disaster of weakness. Eventually the tree had to be removed.
Excellent educational content. We had a crew top six birch that were between 50-60ft, and until now, I wasn't aware of the consequences. I take full responsibility--I should have done my homework, but instead put blind trust in the crew to inform their customer. It's definitely a pro-con situation as we needed more light on our property to help smaller species grow, and reduce birch growth and leans without costly ($$$$) annual visits. We'll put together a plan to maintain what we have as economically as possible, while thinking about planting new saplings in adjacent areas of mature trees that might decay.
if you can, get an arborist out soon to tell you if the trees are this bad, because there are ways to stop it especially if you catch it early. good trimming can definitely thin out the trees so you can have more light. just make sure it’s a licensed arborist with a good reputation. lots of cities actually have them on staff or if not, may be able to point you to a good one for residential property. like the second tree in this video, with proper maintenance, you can save them.
I recently was put in charge of a yard that has been untouched for almost 10 years. The amount of dead limbs standing is overwhelming, and as I don't have the money to hire cleaners or even arborists I am teaching myself how to clean it. Yesterday I took a limb off a tree that was dead without realizing the limb that was twined with it was rotten too, so I ended up taking them both down, the rot is there already even if it was invisible before, sad to say I do not know how long the tree will last. Thank you for this, I subscribed!!! Many thanks!
I have a silver birch that was topped about 20 years ago. I just climb up every year and cut down to hard wood and form a little roof profile to stop water standing. It mostly seems pretty healthy although last summer was so dry that it shed some leaves early. Time will tell 😅🙏
@@AlexanderBC42 I think I'd still have to cut it to check it wasn't rotting away beneath the surface. I guess it might mean I could cut a bit less off each time but I don't really want the tree getting any taller anyway
This is a very impressive video, and you seem like you love the trees. I appreciate you sharing this information. I love trees, but I don't want anyone to get hurt from limbs breaking off and landing on them. It is amazing how much a small branch can weigh even! Thank you for sharing!
The city has some silver maples across the street from my house. They topped them in the late 90s (I bought my house in 2000). In June of 2001 we had a superstorm (derecho and flooding rains) that took brittle regrowth branches off those same silver maples and made missiles out of them. One hit the back of my mother's pickup truck (just above the back window) and then it became airborne again and took out a window in our second story utility room. Huge dent on the truck, 2 broken windows on the house. Luckily insurance covered it.
In Australia a lot of our trees are a lot more resistant to this but one that isn't too resistant is paper bark but the plus side to paper bark is and they can be hollowed out completely and just sort of live mostly fine because when they fall it's from the roots being damaged usually because of wet soil which is where they grow
The innate weakness of the types of hollow trees that the South Island Short-tailed bat chooses as roosts has likely served to shape the unique Short-tailed Bat Batflies that are associated with their roosts- most Batflies are blood-feeding parasites but those associated with the Short-tailed bat have developed a colonial social structure with morphological division of labour, and having entirely lost their wings, becoming essentially blind and their vestigial wing muscles serve only to produce angry buzzing sounds when trampled by bats, the larger individuals serving as guards to guide bats away from the arrays of eggs on long stalks that lay dormant while the bats are torpid and hibernating while their parents die off. If the tree is damaged or falls, which it often does the bat colony will usually seek a new home, and since the Batflies have absolutely no means to find a new colony on their own their only option for transport is to perform phoresy and have gravid females grip onto the bats' fur at all times ready to move in when they're active in case they don't come back. Usually they live in very hot, humid conditions in bat guano which made it interesting for the researchers- they had to keep them in tupperware in their airing cupboard to keep them alive and I bet they smelled something fierce.
Always found it fascinating that tou could graft different species onto one another and cloning by air layering blew my mind. Sure would be something if someone developed a technique for grafting new bark over a cut. Or some process for promoting rapid bark growth to heak over wounds.
The typical customer won't know about the damage from topping. The typical arborist won't know how. The cost. You'd need to know about the grafting, know very advanced arborist, and have lots of money. Sadly.
Nice post. Trees in a domestic setting can often give rise to 'issues'. 'Wrong' species, wrong place (like the first one; too big, planted too close). But people love them, so a common and understandable response is to try to keep them. Crown reductions done well look 'natural' in very short order as the tree (with the majority of its resources and all of its root system intact) puts on a spurt of growth. It is easy to 'sell' the advantages of a reduction, but less easy to 'sell' the need to do repeated cuts at regular intervals thereafter. I'm in the UK and, as an ecologist, one of my interests is ancient trees. The UK has a large number of these, especially pollard oaks. The kind of rot and holes you point out can have great value as niches for specialised species (bats, beetles, moths, flies) and in the right context, cause little public safety issues. Unfortunately on this crowded isle, houses and infrastructure get built in close proximity to pre-existing trees and the tree inevitably has to give way to 'safety' or the needs of the integrity of the new build. I have seen houses built within a few yards of 350-plus year old pollarded oaks and the pollards later removed. I hope many people see this post and it acts to address some of the ignorance around trees and their care.
@@arboristBlairGlenn I'm an ecologist with a special interest in trees and woodlands. I don't climb, but I work with climbers as a groundie - run my own saws when I do.
@@arboristBlairGlenn Sixty next birthday, so getting a bit elderly to start that game now. Getting paid to do scuba dived marine biological surveys is strenuous enough for me! No issues with heights - have a shufti at this? th-cam.com/video/LnXjrqp3x5Y/w-d-xo.html
Yep. Because the sealant will fail fairly quickly. All it takes is a pin prick for water to infiltrate and with the sealant over it it will trap in the moisture and accelerate the rot then if you didn't use it. Plus the sealants slow down the trees ability to grow over the wound.
Tree sealant, also known as wound dressing or pruning sealant, is a substance that is applied to the exposed surface of a tree wound intended to protect the tree from decay and infection. The idea is that by sealing the wound, moisture and other contaminants are kept out, which hopefully might help to prevent decay. However, research has shown that sealing wounds with tree sealant is not necessary, and in some cases, it can actually do more harm than good. For example, in certain species of trees, such as oaks and elms maples and birch, sealing a wound can trap moisture and create a favorable environment for decay-causing fungi. In general, the best approach to preventing decay in trees is to promote overall tree health through proper pruning, watering, and mulching practices, and to avoid damaging the tree in the first place. If a tree does sustain a wound, it is best to simply clean the wound and allow it to heal naturally, without the use of sealant.
Honest and highly informative. I dont know a thing about trees, nor do I watch any videos on them, but some how I came across your video. I dont regret watching it in it's entirety to be captivated by your expertise lol
It does depend on the species, but as an experienced horticulturalist/ arborist my general rule is to never make cuts larger than 6 inches without very good reason (4 for sycamore, 10 for oak). If you must do it leave an extra 2-3 feet of sprag to die back, it will not look as neat but the tree will be happier in the long term. If you top a conifer hedge like leylandii do not cut the sides in the same year, trim lightly next year.
It kinda seems like this makes the case for applying a sock of some kind to the top, if topping. This is commonly used by people selling small plants in food stores, having some sort of wax or plastic knob on the top to protect the stem while that stem decides what to do with itself.
I think when it comes to trees more and more they're finding its best chance of recovery is no intervention. We used to apply tar to open wounds or other applications but it turns out they do more harm than good sadly.
Had just the same at a recent job. Customer wanted the sprouts cut off of his Silver Maple. Climbed up it to inspect it because it already had some decay showing. And it was bad. The main leaders already gave some way with just me on them and I was just half way. So came down and discussed the situation with the owner. He really likes the tree and wants to keep it for as long as possible. And there is no immediate danger for personal harm, just material. But something has to be done in the near future. So for this year I hired a spiderbucket and cut off the sprouts. And next time round I'll cut off a decent portion of the main leaders back to sound wood so it can sprout again and the customer can enjoy the tree for some more years. Not the cheapest option, but that is what customer wants. So also a good example of communicating with your customer and explaining the pro's and con's. Just sad that he made the decision in the past to top it.
I wish we would do more of what is good for the tree and care less about the needs of the customer. Most trees will out live us given we don't do something to change that. I always think of myself as the short term custodian of the trees in my yard. Obviously if they're dangerous you need to to do something but I never understand why people move to a wooded development and cut all the trees down, stay 3-5 years and move again.
Great job on the rope drop! I like that style. Not so great on the silver maple. I'd have tried to convince her to take more of it down or just plant a shorter tree. My silver maple stands 20+ feet over the height of the rest of my canopy. Now I know they grow taller, thanks to this video. I thought it was just older. The lady owner before me tied thin ropes around a lot of my trees and I'm deciding that some of them just aren't worth fighting with. the ropes grew into the trees and some seem to have weathered the damage while others are just suffering. I need to put them out of their misery.
I’ve had numerous “tree surgeons” knocking on my door suggesting I top a tree growing in my front lawn. A few have got angry when I’ve refused the offer. One left saying “I hope it falls on your house” Even more reasons to defend my tree!
there is a dogwood near my house that was severely topped a few weeks ago. I was disgusted at just how much of that very nice dog wood they pruned away, at least 7 large branches of the tree were cut off entirely leaving mostly just a stump and maybe 2 feet of each branch left. I hope the tree doesn't die because of that.
Awesome stuff as always. Even in Southern Illinois, I see the same issues with the same two trees. I don't know why people would rather pay a tree service to regularly cut their tree than to rake the gum balls for a few hours. Sad stuff.
Great work! We, unfortunately run into topper trees constantly. In fact almost every tree that is prunes in the area has been topped instead of having a crown reduction or thinning done to keep it healthy and safer. We had the honor of climbing and doing a restorative pruning job for a massive silver maple in town. It had been topped terribly twice. And topped down to around 20 feet. So we suggested leaving where the wounds were for now and letting them heal as best as they can, but taking all the length off the new growth down to decent laterals. Basically taking the weight off the damaged areas. We never recommend this harsh pruning techniques. Too many people want to sling a saw and not actually learn about the best industry practices.
Happy for your comment. You are now part of this community and adding insight to other questions can help others to better understand the mistakes. I believe that the ignorance of the bad practices comes from the owners of the tree companies not caring enough and not training.
Have you ever read "One Straw Revolution"? The author talks about ruining a previously pruned orchard vs growing a new one and never pruning. I feel like your video just made that click for me. Cutting gives all of those shoots! I knew that, but feeling the knowledge is different. Thanks for this!
What about topping younger, specifically fruit trees? That seems to be common practice from a lot of nursery's and guides. Would love to know if I need to airlayer some fresh saplings before they get any worse. Thank you for this very informative video!
Yes, I had the same question. Nut trees too. We're planting pecan trees this year and they can get over 50 feet tall. I figured we would eventually top them, but now maybe I need to do more research.
@@kellyriddell5014 we’ve never cut our pecans, except some light thinning of lower branches. They do great as they are, and we usually just shake the limbs (or send a kid up to shake the limbs) and then collect the ripe pecans from the ground. It also depends on the type of pecan- if you got pure native pecans, then they’ll be taller. If you got some bred for nuts, then they’ll be shorter with a nice, friendly arbor.
For fruit trees, they come pre-cut from the nursery (or catalogue) when you buy them, so you have to trim them because they’ll sprout every year. Once something has been trimmed, you can’t get it back to its “natural” state (no crazy sprouting). For fruit trees, this is generally ok because 1) they’re short (comparatively) and 2) regular trimming produces more sprouts with buds, as he shows in the first part of the video. You want that branching for more fruit, and you can coax it into the best shape for your tree. We tried a few years of not trimming our pears and apples, but didn’t get good results.
@@maryl8614 Thank you for sharing that information! We have a mature mulberry tree already and we have a big hook tool to shake the limbs. Hopefully that will work for the pecans, too. They're young trees so I have years before I get to enjoy trying to harvest them but I'm brand new to nut trees so I'm trying to figure out the best way to care for them before I get to that point.
In the case of fruit and nut trees, you wouldn't be topping them like this when they're adult trees, but would rather trim them when they're younger to encourage horizontal branch growth - like another comment said, if you're getting them from a nursery they'll already have taken care of that
Wound dressing has been studied extensively by Dr Alex Shigo and his team of scientists and it is now understood that wound dressing does not stop decay or prevent insects. The angle is a theory that makes sense if the wound is in a location that allows it.
@@arboristBlairGlenn ... Ok thanks. So what is your opinion then of wanting to cut a tree shorter so as to still keep part of the tree, but stop its potential from falling over & damaging a house because it is so tall & close? Should the owner just cut it entirely down altogether (ground level tree stump)? I am in that situation. We don't have tornadoes (random guess, but I would say maybe 1 tornado every 50+ years), but something else could make that tree fall over, who knows. Our handyman said years ago that cutting a tall tree at the top one third or one fourth can still keep that tree alive. Anything beyond one third will kill it.
@@robwebnoid5763 when people refer to a 25 or 30% reduction maximum, it means the buds/leaves. 30% of the height would likely be 60-100% of the canopy. when assessing the danger it is tempting just to assess the physics without the biology. the canopy maintains the health and strength of the structure so i see it as physics vs biology and a small reduction can be whats needed. I believe a 10% reduction has shown to increase the safety factor by 2.2 ... basically the staw that saves the camels back.
@@arboristBlairGlenn From the document you linked: > Yikes! Think about this stuff - a petroleum-based product. Does this sound like a substance that would be beneficial to a living tissue? Would you use it to treat a cut on your own skin? If the idea repels you, carry that feeling over to plant health care. Many people do use petroleum jelly on skin wounds, and it's often recommended over medicated ointments because the antibiotics used (usually neomycin, bacitracin, and polymyxin B) tend to irritate the skin and delay healing. > For some inexplicable reason, some people are compelled to “manage” a process that plants have evolved over millions of years. Evolution is pretty good, but if I have a serious wound I want it to be managed by a medical professional. Unfortunately the treatments developed for certain species in the kingdom Animalia don't necessarily work on members of kingdom Plantae. It's worth studying how to prevent rotting when trees are exposed like this, and whether clean tools and hands are important to tree surgery. In the meantime it's probably best to just show people this video (and remind them of the other issues with tree topping).
I love the explanation where the expression "High Maintenance tree" has been created as the result of topping. You've just described Asplundh and Davey Tree's successful business model. 😳
for the second one, there are covering paste you can put on there with anti fungals and bacterials if you find where its healthy and cut all the way back there and then treat it carefully and properly it could maybe have been saved theres an entire medical science for trees thats severely underused sadly tho that would probably require years of careful help and the landlord just wants money now its always sad to see trees left to die
Tree sealant, also known as wound dressing or pruning sealant, is a substance that is applied to the exposed surface of a tree wound intended to protect the tree from decay and infection. The idea is that by sealing the wound, moisture and other contaminants are kept out, which hopefully might help to prevent decay. However, research has shown that sealing wounds with tree sealant is not necessary, and in some cases, it can actually do more harm than good. For example, in certain species of trees, such as oaks and elms maples and birch, sealing a wound can trap moisture and create a favorable environment for decay-causing fungi. In general, the best approach to preventing decay in trees is to promote overall tree health through proper pruning, watering, and mulching practices, and to avoid damaging the tree in the first place. If a tree does sustain a wound, it is best to simply clean the wound and allow it to heal naturally, without the use of sealant.
I need a book called Trees for Dummies. Should a red oak be topped? The previous owners planted it a foot from the fence line, it annoys my neighbor so over the years he’s been cutting anything extending onto his side of the fence. When you look at it from the side, it looks like a facade of a tree. I’m worried that the weight of it is lopsided and that it could fall onto my house. Should I have it removed?
While I don’t like to top trees, sometimes that is the only alternative to removing. The question of right or wrong isn’t even in the thought process. Will topping shorten the life of a tree? Yes, but cutting down kills it altogether. Some species will tolerate a hard cut.
coming from a past tree service worker. i cant believe the size of that cavity and how much weight was above it as you cleaned it and your knee was braced at the point of where that tree should have snapped on a windy day. gotta love maples
Great examples! The second tree? Unless I had done prior work for this client, I would have refused anything but a take-down. Reputation is too hard to garner.
@@arboristBlairGlenn wow, thanks a lot for taking the time to answer, that seems like the ideal way to take care of a tree, now, in the situation that a tree is healthy but too tall, for example if there are power lines nearby, what would be the best way to prune it?
Not a fan of the Sweetgum! We had one along the ditch behind our house. The root system was destroying our yard and the suckers popping up were a real pain. Then there were all those (*&^% seed pods! The tree has been gone for about a year now and still dealing with the roots and suckers.
I've always been told that after you've topped or pruned any type of shrub or tree you MUST do an additional angled cut so that water cannot easily pool on it. Does this slow or stop rot in your opinion?
I found this fascinating bc it's the same when you top a hemp plant😉 so you can top it early & it basically divides into 2 stalks which you can cut them too & make it bushy🙃
Very different dealing with small plants especially if intended for harvest. In trees, it is about long term effects from mistakes shortening the life of the tree.
I have a big 24 inch black oak on my property that got topped during a hurricane about 10 years ago. I have worried about that tree for years, but the tree has thrived! I won't cut down trees unless they are dying or dead and this tree has defied all odds.
Nice trick and cool points. I've been there. Add in 3 phasee bare primary, non coated secondaries, strung under service lines, ect. ect. It adds a new dimension of it has to get done, especially while in a frozen White Pine. Holly trees were some of my favorites to climb, and vines can be real killers or damage dealers as well. Nobody grow Wisteria anymore, please, and thank you.
isn't there like something you can smear over the wound to help the tree heal without forming a cavity? rubber tree sap or something perhaps? seems to make sense it would rot the core if it's exposed to the elements instead of safely inside bark and stuff.. is it really just the fact it was topped, or the fact it's left wide open?
Tree sealant, also known as wound dressing or pruning sealant, is a substance that is applied to the exposed surface of a tree wound intended to protect the tree from decay and infection. The idea is that by sealing the wound, moisture and other contaminants are kept out, which hopefully might help to prevent decay. However, research has shown that sealing wounds with tree sealant is not necessary, and in some cases, it can actually do more harm than good. For example, in certain species of trees, such as oaks and elms maples and birch, sealing a wound can trap moisture and create a favorable environment for decay-causing fungi. In general, the best approach to preventing decay in trees is to promote overall tree health through proper pruning, watering, and mulching practices, and to avoid damaging the tree in the first place. If a tree does sustain a wound, it is best to simply clean the wound and allow it to heal naturally, without the use of sealant.
@@arboristBlairGlenn ah i thought there'd be a something for that! :) i just thought like using this specific case as an example, would immediate sealant after topping have saved its life..? if research suggests it wouldn't have helped, that kinda indicates sealants never help? feels bad to see a tree so torn asunder by nature thanks to something we did to it :
@@arboristBlairGlenn Yes actually lol. My family is in agroforestry and I think it’s great that you’re contributing to literacy on how to live with the flora around us :)
Hard topping in the past was done to create long straight poles for building purposes. Sawmills were not a thing. Pit saws were slow. Interesting that the pollarding of trees started out as a purpose driven process and ended up with people thinking that is the right way to prune!
I have kept bonsai for years. In bonsai wounds are protected from fungal decay with cut paste and sometimes wood hardener. Do arborist ever do anything to attempt to seal the wound when topping a tree? I know people like to tar cuts or spraypaint them but that never seems to produce a good outcome.
No, the Liquidambar contained the decay. If it were not for the foundation issues, we could have pruned the tree to make it safe enough but it would require more maintenance.
This may be a dumb question but maybe someone can enlighten me. Why not seal the cuts with something impermeable to water. Wouldnt that stop the rot from forming in the first place?
Tree sealant, also known as wound dressing or pruning sealant, is a substance that is applied to the exposed surface of a tree wound intended to protect the tree from decay and infection. The idea is that by sealing the wound, moisture and other contaminants are kept out, which hopefully might help to prevent decay. However, research has shown that sealing wounds with tree sealant is not necessary, and in some cases, it can actually do more harm than good. For example, in certain species of trees, such as oaks and elms maples and birch, sealing a wound can trap moisture and create a favorable environment for decay-causing fungi. In general, the best approach to preventing decay in trees is to promote overall tree health through proper pruning, watering, and mulching practices, and to avoid damaging the tree in the first place. If a tree does sustain a wound, it is best to simply clean the wound and allow it to heal naturally, without the use of sealant.
I'm a sustainable food forest manager, if we top of a food tree (on average, say it decays well...) would placing a jar, or bucket upside down on top of the cut aid in healing by keeping water and additional spores out? Or hinder healing by keeping a warm and potentially humid environment underneath?
Tree sealant, also known as wound dressing or pruning sealant, is a substance that is applied to the exposed surface of a tree wound intended to protect the tree from decay and infection. The idea is that by sealing the wound, moisture and other contaminants are kept out, which hopefully might help to prevent decay. However, research has shown that sealing wounds with tree sealant is not necessary, and in some cases, it can actually do more harm than good. For example, in certain species of trees, such as oaks and elms maples and birch, sealing a wound can trap moisture and create a favorable environment for decay-causing fungi. In general, the best approach to preventing decay in trees is to promote overall tree health through proper pruning, watering, and mulching practices, and to avoid damaging the tree in the first place. If a tree does sustain a wound, it is best to simply clean the wound and allow it to heal naturally, without the use of sealant.
We used to live in a small town called Perham in Minnesota. Many of the elder folks there every year would have their trees sheared. I thought it was shocking how severe they cut back. But every year, come fall zip theyd get the buzz. The trees were gorgeous. I asked one of the elders why is it cut so? She said we want the trunk to be strong and the roots.
Nice video! I learned a lot about cutting and topping trees. I will make sure to have a professional like you determine this in the future for my trees. Thanks!
Tree sealant, also known as wound dressing or pruning sealant, is a substance that is applied to the exposed surface of a tree wound intended to protect the tree from decay and infection. The idea is that by sealing the wound, moisture and other contaminants are kept out, which hopefully might help to prevent decay. However, research has shown that sealing wounds with tree sealant is not necessary, and in some cases, it can actually do more harm than good. For example, in certain species of trees, such as oaks and elms maples and birch, sealing a wound can trap moisture and create a favorable environment for decay-causing fungi. In general, the best approach to preventing decay in trees is to promote overall tree health through proper pruning, watering, and mulching practices, and to avoid damaging the tree in the first place. If a tree does sustain a wound, it is best to simply clean the wound and allow it to heal naturally, without the use of sealant.
You are painting with a wide brush. Grafting is toping a tree. Coppice in England, taillis in French. Germany, India, Japan, and many other nations have different similar methods. You kind of touched on it, a little indirectly. People used to cover and fill minor voids on trees. Sometimes even paint and cement.
Since joining your broadcasts I’ve learned so much about trees and all things related to them Just got up in the middle of the night and see a 24 hour news item about California You’ve kept me informed with your freak weather systems of late However I’ve just found out all that rain and snow has started a new gold rush Could this lead to a follow up on the old 49 ers Let us know what you are hearing Enjoy all of your videos 👍👍👍👍🇬🇧
The rains are indeed washing more gold into not our gold country creeks. My brother was an avid gold miner. You might enjoy this. He passed away a few years ago. th-cam.com/video/fr0vMpqS8WM/w-d-xo.html
I bought a house, (beautiful house by the way), with three silver maples on the property. All of them topped by the previous owner. I've been here seven years. Had to fix the roof twice from falling limb damage. And you wouldn't believe the amount of limbs they drop during a windstorm or heavy snow. I'm having a tree surgeon come this summer to help me with my problems. Listen to this man!! DO NOT TOP YOUR TREES!!
Is it possible to protect the tree from infection and rot when you top it or prune it? Like bees' wax on the fresh cut, or grafting something to the new top.
Tree sealant, also known as wound dressing or pruning sealant, is a substance that is applied to the exposed surface of a tree wound intended to protect the tree from decay and infection. The idea is that by sealing the wound, moisture and other contaminants are kept out, which hopefully might help to prevent decay. However, research has shown that sealing wounds with tree sealant is not necessary, and in some cases, it can actually do more harm than good. For example, in certain species of trees, such as oaks and elms maples and birch, sealing a wound can trap moisture and create a favorable environment for decay-causing fungi. In general, the best approach to preventing decay in trees is to promote overall tree health through proper pruning, watering, and mulching practices, and to avoid damaging the tree in the first place. If a tree does sustain a wound, it is best to simply clean the wound and allow it to heal naturally, without the use of sealant.
What would your opinions on pollarding be? I assume the difference there is a dedication to keeping it trimmed back, but I'm not sure if the decay would be the same.
I have removed many pollarded trees and cut into the nobs (swollen ends) and find them to be decayed. Some trees tolerate decay better than others but still decay.
A bit unrelated, but the decay from topping the tree reminds me of the TP top utility poles that were installed half a century ago. They cut a slant on the top of the poles under the idea that it would help water runoff the top. Instead it created a point of decay and they've been replacing them whenever they get the chance.
Cool your comments on the sweet gum and silver maple . Topping is still the worst arboriculture practice still being done . Your video is much needed to teach both tree owners and uncertified arborist who don’t know the consequences of heading cuts. Teach the tree owners what’s best to keep their trees healthy.
I'm using this very thing with my apple trees. You cut the top at about 3m height and it sprouts a dozen smaller branches with more fruit on them and they're easier to pull down with weights or ropes. Although you have to paint the cut to prevent the rot.
It's become common practise here in Italy with many species. It all starts with the city hall approving the cheapest tree workers, they are all improvised, they never move into the canopy and do all sort of damage. Then people see how the public sector handles large trees and ask you to shorten their trees 5 to 10m (15 to 30ft). The only thing that makes them listen to you is: "You do this today and in 3 years you'll have to pay 3 times as much to have the tree removed, if it hasn't already fallen on your roof. Your call and in any case I won't do it, so you'll have to ask someone else"
A quick tip that may save a life. If you noticed how when he was dropping the stem, they stacked all those logs to use as a crash pad, to stop any damage underneath. I’ve used the technique for years. One day we went to apply this technique, we didn’t make the crash pad long enough, when the tree fell over on top of it, it spat one of the logs out like a cannon, directly at myself ( I was pulling the rope to assist the fall ) it smashed both my shins, no bone breakages. But I could barely walk for a month. So many years of using this technique. I’ll never use it again, because of this one instance
Crash pads are fine but you must do your do diligence
@Cousin Eddie Agreed because laying them out just right is important. I have seen the worst side of the trick a few times, thankfully not by me but some I worked with. Still, I wouldn't deter from using that technique if in a time pinch. As long as you take your time at the right time. IBEW-
I've never seen such a setup before. Loppers here in Auss just cut the tree into manageable parts not large enough to cause damage in the first place.
Didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to do it any other way.
this made my legs hurt just reading it
@@xaracen7207 Yeah, can't figure it out, the only thing I can think of is a teeter totter mechanism that will send a log end over end perpendicular to the tree possibly but launching straight out and at significant velocity I don't understand
This is a great video to show to customers who want their tree topping. You try to explain stuff like this people and often see the blank expression come across their face. If you don't understand what will happen after heavy topping you can't see the future problems. My thoughts are usually just remove the tree - you want the tree topping because it is the wrong tree in the wrong place! Remove and replace with something more appropriate to the setting. thanks for making this video :)
Please do so. I also will forward this to my clients
I hope this video gets viewed often and may make a small dent in the problem.
@@arboristBlairGlenn the other tree guys around me are the most substantial threat to the trees around here. even worse than the emerald ash borer. you look around town and almost all the old maples are topped already. most are severely dangerous now and everyone is starting to hate having trees because they loose big limbs every time the wind blows. we just had a few huge maples fall through some buildings and everyone thinks its from the abnormally high winds. forgetting to realize that its really cause someone destroyed the tree years ago and the roots finally turned to mush. or like mine the gas company cut apart the roots on 3 sides of the tree to run a line to the house. I tell people all the time not to top their trees but most can't fathom the idea that it's cheaper and safer to just remove it or let it be. I loose out on some jobs because I don't automatically just top the tree.
No, people want them topped because companies charge absolutely batshit amounts of money to remove trees or properly prune them, while charging less to top them. People would love to take better care of trees, but who the hell can afford to lay out the thousands upon thousands upon thousands of dollars?
@@RvLeshrac and that’s where my channel comes in. EDUCATION!
I love hearing from experts in a field that is completely unknown to me. I really admire your expertise!
Thank you. TH-cam has become an amazing medium for understanding through video.
@@arboristBlairGlenn Hey Blair, I have a cherry that had been topped in the past for easier access to fruit and to encourage fruiting. How resistant is a fruiting cherry tree to topping-induced decay?
@@queenvagabond8787 I have seen a LOT of rotting cherry trees, sorry
@@arboristBlairGlenn Right, I'll keep an eye on it then!
If it's "completely" unknown to you, how do you know they're an expert?
My grandparents had a Sugar Maple topped quite severely. It held on for maybe another 15 years, until we took it down. We turned it into firewood. I couldn't believe how extensive all the rot was around each old topping wound. And, every cut had around 5-8 suckers growing at it.... much like you showed in this video.
why did you take it down?
@@peppermeat8059 Are you serious??
@@ELTABULLO oh i didnt read that properly. there was rotting wood?
mine are dead
this is a really useful video that people should see before cutting any tree.
we seem to forget that trees are a living organism and that trimming is literally amputation which leave open wounds that will get infected and decay
Always breaks my heart to see topped trees. Many times they cut off so many limbs that they end up with a tall bizarre-looking stump in the yard that barely grows or just doesn't grow at all
Amen
To prune an apple tree vs. battling with a dying giant.
Unless it’s a elm I think
Bonsai!
Trees on my street got completely reduced to stumps a few years ago, luckily they've managed to fully regrow to giant bushy trees. I was amazed how fast they came back. I worry it will rot hard now though
The second one, with it holding water, what people don't realize is, this is a prime breeding ground for certain species of mosquitoes.
My parents had a large southern red oak next to their house. When we sold the house, found out that the roots had messed up the septic tank. It had to be replaced.
Water pockets are a breeding spot for mosquitos. I have heard a few drops of oil will resolve that if you can reach the pockets.
@@arboristBlairGlenn if you even know they're there.
A tree filled with water is also one heck of a lightning rod
@@dizzysdoings thermal camera will help you spot water pockets if you get bored
@@spiderpickle3255 That's not how lightning works...
Those who pay attention to the details can see deeper. Those who listen to the subtle pieces of the puzzle, hear more. Those who take the time to feel and touch trees, sense the life within.
@OSTOTD Blair was saying the first tree in the video, a Liquid Amber, was topped 3 years ago (the tree he removed).
The tree you're saying that looks like it was topped 10 years ago is a Silver Maple, your guess is probably pretty close for that tree.
Edit: I notice the person I responded to before my comment has deleted his comment.
Yes!
You're a poet too!!! 🎉❤🎉❤
@@acmhfmggru chill out
Are there any methods that control height to avoid these problems?
Great video, subbed.
Super impressed with how you dropped the trunk across the walkway. Your experience and wisdom are definitely showing through in all parts of this video.
Fifty years and still climbing. Thanks
I learned this over 30 years ago when I took some courses in tree trimming and landscaping and I still see this happening all over the place today.
Thats got to be infuriating. To continue seeing a practice being done that is well known for harming the tree and putting peoples property and lives at risk. I swear no matter how often a lesson is taught people never learn!
We bought a house in a new development about 7 years ago, and the builders put a burr oak in most of the front yards. My neighbor has been top trimming his tree every year for the last 3-4 years, and our tree is now more than twice as tall as theirs. I just can't wrap my head around it.
Should we top fruit trees? I read that we should.
@@JasunKness I would look up each specific tree. Nothing worse than destroying a great source of food, especially now.
@@brazil7028 Thank you 👍
@ BG - I follow a few arbourists on YT and you consistently provide the most educational content. I'm bookmarking this video for the next time someone asks why I recommend against topping.
Ty for sharing your expertise and the content.
I do these videos for folks just like you. Never too old to learn!!
Holy moly, that's only 3 years? I work in a retail nursery and don't often get to see old trees like this and how fast they can grow. Nice video!
California has a lot of sunlight and a long growing season so trees behave differently in our state.
I bought a property with a beautiful cherry tree that produces well but it was topped on all main 4 trunks already looking like the tops you ve showed. thanks to your videos over the years i know now that the mushrooms i see growing out of the place where it was cut many years ago the tree probably must go. I will very much enjoy probing how deep the decay goes. Thanks Sir
You learn a lot when you dissect the wounds.
Yes any mushrooms on a tree are BAD NEWS. Especially around the base
@@themightycrixus1131 Erm, this very much depends on the tree.
@@paulie-g its a prime indication of root rot which means your tree is nothing but a liability. I spent 7 years working for an arborist
@@themightycrixus1131 I used to gather mushrooms. Tons of mushrooms grow naturally near trees. A group of mushroom species grow *on* wood, but only some of them grow on dead/rotting wood, while some require live wood. It depends on tree species and mushroom species.
Great video!!! I have had many people in the past ask me to top their trees and I refuse to do it. I have seen the damage that it does even though it's not apparent to the lay person. These were really good examples. Thank you.
I wish more tree workers were like you
One thing that you did not mention in your video that I think is important that when trees are topped or even cut back very hard the sprouts that originate from those cuts are not attached to the center of the trunk as are original branches making them very weak and more prone to snap off.
@@GregFreeman-jb8ww good catch Greg. Episodic sprouts or shoots are very different than wood from the structure that developed naturally.
I have 4 and a 1/2 acres of trees that I've grown from seed or very small seedlings over the last 47 years. It is interesting and educational to watch how the trees have responded to my pruning over this time period. Sometimes things that you thought were the best choices turn out not to be so 20 or 30 years down the road. All we can do is learn from our mistakes and try and do a better job as time goes forward. Some of these trees are now 60 to 70' tall, which is a big tree for the arid West where I live. They require constant irrigation. If you ever make a trip out to the West you would be welcome to stop by and see what I have done. Many trees that started out doing well after 20 or 30 years prove not to be good choices for this climate and soil. Many turn out to be better choices than I thought as time goes on ,such as some of the pines. Thank you for your work and your response to my replies.
I very much appreciated how you brought the tree down over the pathway. Very nicely done.
Thanks
It is so nice to hear a guy sharing is lifetime experience.
I've learned a lot, thank you very much
Thumbs up
Thank you Alex
ngl, when the tumbnail showed me a hole with the name being, why you don't top trees, I was expecting something entirely different
Did you learn something?
I had a Silver Maple that nature topped during a severe thunderstorm. The results were disastrous as it suckered from the 3 topped branches into a disaster of weakness. Eventually the tree had to be removed.
Excellent educational content. We had a crew top six birch that were between 50-60ft, and until now, I wasn't aware of the consequences. I take full responsibility--I should have done my homework, but instead put blind trust in the crew to inform their customer.
It's definitely a pro-con situation as we needed more light on our property to help smaller species grow, and reduce birch growth and leans without costly ($$$$) annual visits. We'll put together a plan to maintain what we have as economically as possible, while thinking about planting new saplings in adjacent areas of mature trees that might decay.
if you can, get an arborist out soon to tell you if the trees are this bad, because there are ways to stop it especially if you catch it early. good trimming can definitely thin out the trees so you can have more light. just make sure it’s a licensed arborist with a good reputation. lots of cities actually have them on staff or if not, may be able to point you to a good one for residential property.
like the second tree in this video, with proper maintenance, you can save them.
I recently was put in charge of a yard that has been untouched for almost 10 years. The amount of dead limbs standing is overwhelming, and as I don't have the money to hire cleaners or even arborists I am teaching myself how to clean it. Yesterday I took a limb off a tree that was dead without realizing the limb that was twined with it was rotten too, so I ended up taking them both down, the rot is there already even if it was invisible before, sad to say I do not know how long the tree will last. Thank you for this, I subscribed!!! Many thanks!
Hope you find time to explore my past videos too.
I have a silver birch that was topped about 20 years ago. I just climb up every year and cut down to hard wood and form a little roof profile to stop water standing. It mostly seems pretty healthy although last summer was so dry that it shed some leaves early. Time will tell 😅🙏
POS MUTHA
why not just put some sort of wax or polymer glue on it yearly?
@@AlexanderBC42 I think I'd still have to cut it to check it wasn't rotting away beneath the surface. I guess it might mean I could cut a bit less off each time but I don't really want the tree getting any taller anyway
Next time you cut it, graft a healthy side-ways growing branch into the cut.
Wrap it and seal it properly. Problem solved.
This is a very impressive video, and you seem like you love the trees. I appreciate you sharing this information. I love trees, but I don't want anyone to get hurt from limbs breaking off and landing on them. It is amazing how much a small branch can weigh even! Thank you for sharing!
Understanding is key
@@arboristBlairGlenn Yes but I think love is there too.
The city has some silver maples across the street from my house. They topped them in the late 90s (I bought my house in 2000). In June of 2001 we had a superstorm (derecho and flooding rains) that took brittle regrowth branches off those same silver maples and made missiles out of them. One hit the back of my mother's pickup truck (just above the back window) and then it became airborne again and took out a window in our second story utility room. Huge dent on the truck, 2 broken windows on the house. Luckily insurance covered it.
Hopefully it would be the city's insurance! They own the tree
Understanding trees begins with seeing clearly and knowing how the react to hard cuts.
In Australia a lot of our trees are a lot more resistant to this but one that isn't too resistant is paper bark but the plus side to paper bark is and they can be hollowed out completely and just sort of live mostly fine because when they fall it's from the roots being damaged usually because of wet soil which is where they grow
The innate weakness of the types of hollow trees that the South Island Short-tailed bat chooses as roosts has likely served to shape the unique Short-tailed Bat Batflies that are associated with their roosts- most Batflies are blood-feeding parasites but those associated with the Short-tailed bat have developed a colonial social structure with morphological division of labour, and having entirely lost their wings, becoming essentially blind and their vestigial wing muscles serve only to produce angry buzzing sounds when trampled by bats, the larger individuals serving as guards to guide bats away from the arrays of eggs on long stalks that lay dormant while the bats are torpid and hibernating while their parents die off.
If the tree is damaged or falls, which it often does the bat colony will usually seek a new home, and since the Batflies have absolutely no means to find a new colony on their own their only option for transport is to perform phoresy and have gravid females grip onto the bats' fur at all times ready to move in when they're active in case they don't come back.
Usually they live in very hot, humid conditions in bat guano which made it interesting for the researchers- they had to keep them in tupperware in their airing cupboard to keep them alive and I bet they smelled something fierce.
Great addition to this community of like minded tree lovers
Damn dude wet soil? You mean swamp land
Always found it fascinating that tou could graft different species onto one another and cloning by air layering blew my mind. Sure would be something if someone developed a technique for grafting new bark over a cut. Or some process for promoting rapid bark growth to heak over wounds.
It has been tried with some success
The typical customer won't know about the damage from topping. The typical arborist won't know how. The cost.
You'd need to know about the grafting, know very advanced arborist, and have lots of money. Sadly.
oil based paint on the cut and move on.
Didn't they used to fill the cavity with concrete to support the tree and reduce future rot?
Or cut on a slope so rain doesn’t pool up
Nice post. Trees in a domestic setting can often give rise to 'issues'. 'Wrong' species, wrong place (like the first one; too big, planted too close). But people love them, so a common and understandable response is to try to keep them. Crown reductions done well look 'natural' in very short order as the tree (with the majority of its resources and all of its root system intact) puts on a spurt of growth. It is easy to 'sell' the advantages of a reduction, but less easy to 'sell' the need to do repeated cuts at regular intervals thereafter.
I'm in the UK and, as an ecologist, one of my interests is ancient trees. The UK has a large number of these, especially pollard oaks. The kind of rot and holes you point out can have great value as niches for specialised species (bats, beetles, moths, flies) and in the right context, cause little public safety issues. Unfortunately on this crowded isle, houses and infrastructure get built in close proximity to pre-existing trees and the tree inevitably has to give way to 'safety' or the needs of the integrity of the new build. I have seen houses built within a few yards of 350-plus year old pollarded oaks and the pollards later removed. I hope many people see this post and it acts to address some of the ignorance around trees and their care.
Thank you for your well composed reply. I’m guessing you are an Arborist in the U.K. ?
@@arboristBlairGlenn I'm an ecologist with a special interest in trees and woodlands. I don't climb, but I work with climbers as a groundie - run my own saws when I do.
@@anemone104 learn to climb👍🏻
@@arboristBlairGlenn Sixty next birthday, so getting a bit elderly to start that game now. Getting paid to do scuba dived marine biological surveys is strenuous enough for me! No issues with heights - have a shufti at this? th-cam.com/video/LnXjrqp3x5Y/w-d-xo.html
So sad. Our island is becoming so overbuilt now.
i have a question, will the top-cut also rot away if you treat it with the tree-sealant?
Yep. Because the sealant will fail fairly quickly. All it takes is a pin prick for water to infiltrate and with the sealant over it it will trap in the moisture and accelerate the rot then if you didn't use it. Plus the sealants slow down the trees ability to grow over the wound.
Tree sealant, also known as wound dressing or pruning sealant, is a substance that is applied to the exposed surface of a tree wound intended to protect the tree from decay and infection. The idea is that by sealing the wound, moisture and other contaminants are kept out, which hopefully might help to prevent decay.
However, research has shown that sealing wounds with tree sealant is not necessary, and in some cases, it can actually do more harm than good. For example, in certain species of trees, such as oaks and elms maples and birch, sealing a wound can trap moisture and create a favorable environment for decay-causing fungi.
In general, the best approach to preventing decay in trees is to promote overall tree health through proper pruning, watering, and mulching practices, and to avoid damaging the tree in the first place. If a tree does sustain a wound, it is best to simply clean the wound and allow it to heal naturally, without the use of sealant.
Thank you for the knowledgeable, informative, & educational content.
I hope you find value in my efforts
Yelawolf supporter! 👀
Honest and highly informative. I dont know a thing about trees, nor do I watch any videos on them, but some how I came across your video. I dont regret watching it in it's entirety to be captivated by your expertise lol
Welcome! Let’s see if I can reel you in with this one!
Tree job from Hell
th-cam.com/video/hznKUoCsaUs/w-d-xo.html
It does depend on the species, but as an experienced horticulturalist/ arborist my general rule is to never make cuts larger than 6 inches without very good reason (4 for sycamore, 10 for oak). If you must do it leave an extra 2-3 feet of sprag to die back, it will not look as neat but the tree will be happier in the long term. If you top a conifer hedge like leylandii do not cut the sides in the same year, trim lightly next year.
It kinda seems like this makes the case for applying a sock of some kind to the top, if topping. This is commonly used by people selling small plants in food stores, having some sort of wax or plastic knob on the top to protect the stem while that stem decides what to do with itself.
I think when it comes to trees more and more they're finding its best chance of recovery is no intervention. We used to apply tar to open wounds or other applications but it turns out they do more harm than good sadly.
@@robw1571 "Tar" sounds toxic? :x
Lime is best
As a bottom, it's crazy what you tops get up to when we're not around
Stupid comment
I wouldn’t want to bottom for a tree either 😅
Stupid comment
He's definitely a tree bottom lol. Good comment, way to weed them out for us
Honestly just clicked on this video because I wanted to see why you would give top to a tree in the first place.
I don’t understand what your understanding of the term “top” refers to. In the states, topping a tree is cutting it hard.
Had just the same at a recent job. Customer wanted the sprouts cut off of his Silver Maple. Climbed up it to inspect it because it already had some decay showing. And it was bad. The main leaders already gave some way with just me on them and I was just half way. So came down and discussed the situation with the owner. He really likes the tree and wants to keep it for as long as possible. And there is no immediate danger for personal harm, just material. But something has to be done in the near future. So for this year I hired a spiderbucket and cut off the sprouts. And next time round I'll cut off a decent portion of the main leaders back to sound wood so it can sprout again and the customer can enjoy the tree for some more years. Not the cheapest option, but that is what customer wants. So also a good example of communicating with your customer and explaining the pro's and con's. Just sad that he made the decision in the past to top it.
I wish we would do more of what is good for the tree and care less about the needs of the customer. Most trees will out live us given we don't do something to change that. I always think of myself as the short term custodian of the trees in my yard. Obviously if they're dangerous you need to to do something but I never understand why people move to a wooded development and cut all the trees down, stay 3-5 years and move again.
Great job on the rope drop!
I like that style.
Not so great on the silver maple. I'd have tried to convince her to take more of it down or just plant a shorter tree.
My silver maple stands 20+ feet over the height of the rest of my canopy. Now I know they grow taller, thanks to this video. I thought it was just older.
The lady owner before me tied thin ropes around a lot of my trees and I'm deciding that some of them just aren't worth fighting with. the ropes grew into the trees and some seem to have weathered the damage while others are just suffering. I need to put them out of their misery.
I don't top trees because last time I did I got splinters in some very unfortunate places.
I’ve had numerous “tree surgeons” knocking on my door suggesting I top a tree growing in my front lawn. A few have got angry when I’ve refused the offer. One left saying “I hope it falls on your house”
Even more reasons to defend my tree!
A lot of tree workers don’t understand and many don’t care to learn.
How unprofessional and disgusting to say. Wow.
I like how a clear signal was given to "start pulling" (@4:23) and man, that was a clean drop.
there is a dogwood near my house that was severely topped a few weeks ago. I was disgusted at just how much of that very nice dog wood they pruned away, at least 7 large branches of the tree were cut off entirely leaving mostly just a stump and maybe 2 feet of each branch left. I hope the tree doesn't die because of that.
It’s life has been shortened
great work and interesting video. Thanks for sharing your experience & knowledge :)
Awesome stuff as always. Even in Southern Illinois, I see the same issues with the same two trees. I don't know why people would rather pay a tree service to regularly cut their tree than to rake the gum balls for a few hours. Sad stuff.
Most folks hate the Liquidambar
It would be ok far from a house on a rural property. Suburbs though, ugh no thanks.
Great work!
We, unfortunately run into topper trees constantly. In fact almost every tree that is prunes in the area has been topped instead of having a crown reduction or thinning done to keep it healthy and safer.
We had the honor of climbing and doing a restorative pruning job for a massive silver maple in town. It had been topped terribly twice.
And topped down to around 20 feet.
So we suggested leaving where the wounds were for now and letting them heal as best as they can, but taking all the length off the new growth down to decent laterals.
Basically taking the weight off the damaged areas.
We never recommend this harsh pruning techniques.
Too many people want to sling a saw and not actually learn about the best industry practices.
Happy for your comment. You are now part of this community and adding insight to other questions can help others to better understand the mistakes. I believe that the ignorance of the bad practices comes from the owners of the tree companies not caring enough and not training.
Have you ever read "One Straw Revolution"? The author talks about ruining a previously pruned orchard vs growing a new one and never pruning. I feel like your video just made that click for me. Cutting gives all of those shoots! I knew that, but feeling the knowledge is different. Thanks for this!
Just checked it out as an audio book
Neglected trees are generally better off than abused trees! A bad haircut grows back but a bad tree cut his forever
So you should only sub for trees?
What about topping younger, specifically fruit trees? That seems to be common practice from a lot of nursery's and guides. Would love to know if I need to airlayer some fresh saplings before they get any worse. Thank you for this very informative video!
Yes, I had the same question. Nut trees too. We're planting pecan trees this year and they can get over 50 feet tall. I figured we would eventually top them, but now maybe I need to do more research.
@@kellyriddell5014 we’ve never cut our pecans, except some light thinning of lower branches. They do great as they are, and we usually just shake the limbs (or send a kid up to shake the limbs) and then collect the ripe pecans from the ground.
It also depends on the type of pecan- if you got pure native pecans, then they’ll be taller. If you got some bred for nuts, then they’ll be shorter with a nice, friendly arbor.
For fruit trees, they come pre-cut from the nursery (or catalogue) when you buy them, so you have to trim them because they’ll sprout every year. Once something has been trimmed, you can’t get it back to its “natural” state (no crazy sprouting). For fruit trees, this is generally ok because 1) they’re short (comparatively) and 2) regular trimming produces more sprouts with buds, as he shows in the first part of the video. You want that branching for more fruit, and you can coax it into the best shape for your tree. We tried a few years of not trimming our pears and apples, but didn’t get good results.
@@maryl8614 Thank you for sharing that information! We have a mature mulberry tree already and we have a big hook tool to shake the limbs. Hopefully that will work for the pecans, too. They're young trees so I have years before I get to enjoy trying to harvest them but I'm brand new to nut trees so I'm trying to figure out the best way to care for them before I get to that point.
In the case of fruit and nut trees, you wouldn't be topping them like this when they're adult trees, but would rather trim them when they're younger to encourage horizontal branch growth - like another comment said, if you're getting them from a nursery they'll already have taken care of that
Magic of TH-cam. Learning all kinds of subjects for all.
If you like learning about trees, check out my channel
What about tree wound dressing? And also cutting at an angle so that rain slides off faster/better to keep it from standing water?
Wound dressing has been studied extensively by Dr Alex Shigo and his team of scientists and it is now understood that wound dressing does not stop decay or prevent insects. The angle is a theory that makes sense if the wound is in a location that allows it.
s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/wound-sealer.pdf
@@arboristBlairGlenn ... Ok thanks. So what is your opinion then of wanting to cut a tree shorter so as to still keep part of the tree, but stop its potential from falling over & damaging a house because it is so tall & close? Should the owner just cut it entirely down altogether (ground level tree stump)? I am in that situation. We don't have tornadoes (random guess, but I would say maybe 1 tornado every 50+ years), but something else could make that tree fall over, who knows. Our handyman said years ago that cutting a tall tree at the top one third or one fourth can still keep that tree alive. Anything beyond one third will kill it.
@@robwebnoid5763 when people refer to a 25 or 30% reduction maximum, it means the buds/leaves. 30% of the height would likely be 60-100% of the canopy.
when assessing the danger it is tempting just to assess the physics without the biology. the canopy maintains the health and strength of the structure so i see it as physics vs biology and a small reduction can be whats needed. I believe a 10% reduction has shown to increase the safety factor by 2.2 ... basically the staw that saves the camels back.
@@arboristBlairGlenn From the document you linked:
> Yikes! Think about this stuff - a petroleum-based product. Does this sound like a substance that would be beneficial to a living tissue? Would you use it to treat a cut on your own skin? If the idea repels you, carry that feeling over to plant health care.
Many people do use petroleum jelly on skin wounds, and it's often recommended over medicated ointments because the antibiotics used (usually neomycin, bacitracin, and polymyxin B) tend to irritate the skin and delay healing.
> For some inexplicable reason, some people are compelled to “manage” a process that plants have evolved over millions of years.
Evolution is pretty good, but if I have a serious wound I want it to be managed by a medical professional. Unfortunately the treatments developed for certain species in the kingdom Animalia don't necessarily work on members of kingdom Plantae.
It's worth studying how to prevent rotting when trees are exposed like this, and whether clean tools and hands are important to tree surgery. In the meantime it's probably best to just show people this video (and remind them of the other issues with tree topping).
Top of the line arborist work and educational content! Thank you
Thanks Spencer
i usually opt to bottom the tree. after all, it is the one with the long wood
Stupid comment
I love the explanation where the expression "High Maintenance tree" has been created as the result of topping. You've just described Asplundh and Davey Tree's successful business model. 😳
That “model” is how the big companies keep profits high. Care about trees? Uhh
for the second one, there are covering paste you can put on there with anti fungals and bacterials
if you find where its healthy and cut all the way back there and then treat it carefully and properly it could maybe have been saved
theres an entire medical science for trees thats severely underused sadly
tho that would probably require years of careful help
and the landlord just wants money now
its always sad to see trees left to die
Can you provide reference to this paste? What kind of medical science are you referring to? Thanks in advance
No, tree sealants do not work.
Tree sealant, also known as wound dressing or pruning sealant, is a substance that is applied to the exposed surface of a tree wound intended to protect the tree from decay and infection. The idea is that by sealing the wound, moisture and other contaminants are kept out, which hopefully might help to prevent decay.
However, research has shown that sealing wounds with tree sealant is not necessary, and in some cases, it can actually do more harm than good. For example, in certain species of trees, such as oaks and elms maples and birch, sealing a wound can trap moisture and create a favorable environment for decay-causing fungi.
In general, the best approach to preventing decay in trees is to promote overall tree health through proper pruning, watering, and mulching practices, and to avoid damaging the tree in the first place. If a tree does sustain a wound, it is best to simply clean the wound and allow it to heal naturally, without the use of sealant.
I need a book called Trees for Dummies. Should a red oak be topped? The previous owners planted it a foot from the fence line, it annoys my neighbor so over the years he’s been cutting anything extending onto his side of the fence. When you look at it from the side, it looks like a facade of a tree. I’m worried that the weight of it is lopsided and that it could fall onto my house. Should I have it removed?
While I don’t like to top trees, sometimes that is the only alternative to removing. The question of right or wrong isn’t even in the thought process. Will topping shorten the life of a tree? Yes, but cutting down kills it altogether. Some species will tolerate a hard cut.
Jokes on you, I'm a _power bottom_
First of all, why are you assuming that the tree is even a bottom?
coming from a past tree service worker. i cant believe the size of that cavity and how much weight was above it as you cleaned it and your knee was braced at the point of where that tree should have snapped on a windy day. gotta love maples
I was aware of the weakness
Great examples! The second tree? Unless I had done prior work for this client, I would have refused anything but a take-down. Reputation is too hard to garner.
She received all the options
It would be great if you made a video explaining the right way to prune a tree to limit its height or span without damaging it in this way
If you start the tree when it is young, and make the cuts small, the tree can tolerate it better.
@@arboristBlairGlenn wow, thanks a lot for taking the time to answer, that seems like the ideal way to take care of a tree, now, in the situation that a tree is healthy but too tall, for example if there are power lines nearby, what would be the best way to prune it?
Not a fan of the Sweetgum! We had one along the ditch behind our house. The root system was destroying our yard and the suckers popping up were a real pain. Then there were all those (*&^% seed pods! The tree has been gone for about a year now and still dealing with the roots and suckers.
Most people don’t like them because of the mess BUT, I know some amazing sweet gums!
@@arboristBlairGlenn It was a beautiful shade tree. BUT :>)
Wow! That fall was awesomely done!
Thanks
TLDR. because trees aren't very submissive.
I've always been told that after you've topped or pruned any type of shrub or tree you MUST do an additional angled cut so that water cannot easily pool on it. Does this slow or stop rot in your opinion?
I have seen so many angled cuts as decayed as can be. Does the angle slow down the decay? I don’t think so but the theory makes sense.
Reason #1: it would hurt a lot
I found this fascinating bc it's the same when you top a hemp plant😉 so you can top it early & it basically divides into 2 stalks which you can cut them too & make it bushy🙃
Very different dealing with small plants especially if intended for harvest. In trees, it is about long term effects from mistakes shortening the life of the tree.
I appreciate that you cut right to the chase with the silent intro showing one of the reasons for the question in the title.
Learning TH-cam is a game
also it just looks stupid when a tree has been topped
I have a big 24 inch black oak on my property that got topped during a hurricane about 10 years ago. I have worried about that tree for years, but the tree has thrived! I won't cut down trees unless they are dying or dead and this tree has defied all odds.
It's most likely hollow
As long as it is far enough away from your house
the title 💀💀
What does “top” mean to you? I don’t understand
Nice trick and cool points. I've been there. Add in 3 phasee bare primary, non coated secondaries, strung under service lines, ect. ect. It adds a new dimension of it has to get done, especially while in a frozen White Pine. Holly trees were some of my favorites to climb, and vines can be real killers or damage dealers as well. Nobody grow Wisteria anymore, please, and thank you.
I will only bottom trees from now on.
Stupid comment
isn't there like something you can smear over the wound to help the tree heal without forming a cavity? rubber tree sap or something perhaps?
seems to make sense it would rot the core if it's exposed to the elements instead of safely inside bark and stuff.. is it really just the fact it was topped, or the fact it's left wide open?
Tree sealant, also known as wound dressing or pruning sealant, is a substance that is applied to the exposed surface of a tree wound intended to protect the tree from decay and infection. The idea is that by sealing the wound, moisture and other contaminants are kept out, which hopefully might help to prevent decay.
However, research has shown that sealing wounds with tree sealant is not necessary, and in some cases, it can actually do more harm than good. For example, in certain species of trees, such as oaks and elms maples and birch, sealing a wound can trap moisture and create a favorable environment for decay-causing fungi.
In general, the best approach to preventing decay in trees is to promote overall tree health through proper pruning, watering, and mulching practices, and to avoid damaging the tree in the first place. If a tree does sustain a wound, it is best to simply clean the wound and allow it to heal naturally, without the use of sealant.
@@arboristBlairGlenn ah i thought there'd be a something for that! :)
i just thought like using this specific case as an example, would immediate sealant after topping have saved its life..? if research suggests it wouldn't have helped, that kinda indicates sealants never help?
feels bad to see a tree so torn asunder by nature thanks to something we did to it :
My buddy never tops trees, he strictly bottoms them.
Dude, this guy should have his own show!
Thanks, I do! It’s called Arborist Blair Glenn😊
I gravely misunderstood this title. I’ve never felt more like a dumb zoomer
But did you learn something?
@@arboristBlairGlenn Yes actually lol. My family is in agroforestry and I think it’s great that you’re contributing to literacy on how to live with the flora around us :)
The natural form of a tree is lovely and beautiful and cannot be improved on.
Thats crazy how the trees rot from topping. Good Video. Thank you for the information, greatly appreciated.
Education has become my give back to society. TH-cam has made understanding so much better
4:31 gotta love when your physics is in point
Great video!
Reminds me of one Modern History TV did about the medieval practice of topping smaller trees for straight limbs.
Hard topping in the past was done to create long straight poles for building purposes. Sawmills were not a thing. Pit saws were slow. Interesting that the pollarding of trees started out as a purpose driven process and ended up with people thinking that is the right way to prune!
I have kept bonsai for years. In bonsai wounds are protected from fungal decay with cut paste and sometimes wood hardener. Do arborist ever do anything to attempt to seal the wound when topping a tree? I know people like to tar cuts or spraypaint them but that never seems to produce a good outcome.
Generally not recommended. Occasionally for a specific bug problem I believe.
Doesn’t work so the industry no longer recommends sealants.
This was a great video and your skill and knowledge really shine. Thank you!
Thanks. Help spread the knowledge
Is that decay spreading all the way down to the stump on the first tree? :o
No, the Liquidambar contained the decay. If it were not for the foundation issues, we could have pruned the tree to make it safe enough but it would require more maintenance.
@@arboristBlairGlenn I see, so the dark spot was water coming up from the roots?
Thank you for your reply and the videos!
This may be a dumb question but maybe someone can enlighten me. Why not seal the cuts with something impermeable to water. Wouldnt that stop the rot from forming in the first place?
Tree sealant, also known as wound dressing or pruning sealant, is a substance that is applied to the exposed surface of a tree wound intended to protect the tree from decay and infection. The idea is that by sealing the wound, moisture and other contaminants are kept out, which hopefully might help to prevent decay.
However, research has shown that sealing wounds with tree sealant is not necessary, and in some cases, it can actually do more harm than good. For example, in certain species of trees, such as oaks and elms maples and birch, sealing a wound can trap moisture and create a favorable environment for decay-causing fungi.
In general, the best approach to preventing decay in trees is to promote overall tree health through proper pruning, watering, and mulching practices, and to avoid damaging the tree in the first place. If a tree does sustain a wound, it is best to simply clean the wound and allow it to heal naturally, without the use of sealant.
@@arboristBlairGlenn Thank you so much!!
@@doggiemama7192 😊👍🏻
Dropping the tree onto the limbs so it didn't smash the path...masterful. Well done.
Thanks. Glass greenhouse? No problem😳
Does this only happen when you cut older trees or does pruning saplings open up weak points too?
Smaller wounds are not the same
I'm a sustainable food forest manager, if we top of a food tree (on average, say it decays well...) would placing a jar, or bucket upside down on top of the cut aid in healing by keeping water and additional spores out? Or hinder healing by keeping a warm and potentially humid environment underneath?
Tree sealant, also known as wound dressing or pruning sealant, is a substance that is applied to the exposed surface of a tree wound intended to protect the tree from decay and infection. The idea is that by sealing the wound, moisture and other contaminants are kept out, which hopefully might help to prevent decay.
However, research has shown that sealing wounds with tree sealant is not necessary, and in some cases, it can actually do more harm than good. For example, in certain species of trees, such as oaks and elms maples and birch, sealing a wound can trap moisture and create a favorable environment for decay-causing fungi.
In general, the best approach to preventing decay in trees is to promote overall tree health through proper pruning, watering, and mulching practices, and to avoid damaging the tree in the first place. If a tree does sustain a wound, it is best to simply clean the wound and allow it to heal naturally, without the use of sealant.
So with these tree's would you not top them at all or would it be possible to do so when its much younger to prevent the decay?
We used to live in a small town called Perham in Minnesota.
Many of the elder folks there every year would have their trees sheared.
I thought it was shocking how severe they cut back.
But every year, come fall zip theyd get the buzz.
The trees were gorgeous.
I asked one of the elders why is it cut so?
She said we want the trunk to be strong and the roots.
Clearly, they don’t understand.
Nice video! I learned a lot about cutting and topping trees. I will make sure to have a professional like you determine this in the future for my trees. Thanks!
Thank you
Really interesting. I have one question though. Would a "Tree wound sealer" avoid such damage?
Tree sealant, also known as wound dressing or pruning sealant, is a substance that is applied to the exposed surface of a tree wound intended to protect the tree from decay and infection. The idea is that by sealing the wound, moisture and other contaminants are kept out, which hopefully might help to prevent decay.
However, research has shown that sealing wounds with tree sealant is not necessary, and in some cases, it can actually do more harm than good. For example, in certain species of trees, such as oaks and elms maples and birch, sealing a wound can trap moisture and create a favorable environment for decay-causing fungi.
In general, the best approach to preventing decay in trees is to promote overall tree health through proper pruning, watering, and mulching practices, and to avoid damaging the tree in the first place. If a tree does sustain a wound, it is best to simply clean the wound and allow it to heal naturally, without the use of sealant.
You are painting with a wide brush. Grafting is toping a tree. Coppice in England, taillis in French. Germany, India, Japan, and many other nations have different similar methods. You kind of touched on it, a little indirectly. People used to cover and fill minor voids on trees. Sometimes even paint and cement.
If you study Shigo, you will learn that tree sealant or cement is of no value.
@@arboristBlairGlenn life
Since joining your broadcasts I’ve learned so much about trees and all things related to them
Just got up in the middle of the night and see a 24 hour news item about California You’ve kept me informed with your freak weather systems of late However I’ve just found out all that rain and snow has started a new gold rush Could this lead to a follow up on the old 49 ers
Let us know what you are hearing
Enjoy all of your videos 👍👍👍👍🇬🇧
The rains are indeed washing more gold into not our gold country creeks. My brother was an avid gold miner. You might enjoy this. He passed away a few years ago.
th-cam.com/video/fr0vMpqS8WM/w-d-xo.html
I bought a house, (beautiful house by the way), with three silver maples on the property. All of them topped by the previous owner. I've been here seven years. Had to fix the roof twice from falling limb damage. And you wouldn't believe the amount of limbs they drop during a windstorm or heavy snow. I'm having a tree surgeon come this summer to help me with my problems. Listen to this man!! DO NOT TOP YOUR TREES!!
Thanks
Is it possible to protect the tree from infection and rot when you top it or prune it? Like bees' wax on the fresh cut, or grafting something to the new top.
Tree sealant, also known as wound dressing or pruning sealant, is a substance that is applied to the exposed surface of a tree wound intended to protect the tree from decay and infection. The idea is that by sealing the wound, moisture and other contaminants are kept out, which hopefully might help to prevent decay.
However, research has shown that sealing wounds with tree sealant is not necessary, and in some cases, it can actually do more harm than good. For example, in certain species of trees, such as oaks and elms maples and birch, sealing a wound can trap moisture and create a favorable environment for decay-causing fungi.
In general, the best approach to preventing decay in trees is to promote overall tree health through proper pruning, watering, and mulching practices, and to avoid damaging the tree in the first place. If a tree does sustain a wound, it is best to simply clean the wound and allow it to heal naturally, without the use of sealant.
I recently bought a 3' tall maple tree that looks like it was topped and/or had the main branch cut. Should I be concerned or is this ok long-term?
What would your opinions on pollarding be? I assume the difference there is a dedication to keeping it trimmed back, but I'm not sure if the decay would be the same.
😮
I have removed many pollarded trees and cut into the nobs (swollen ends) and find them to be decayed. Some trees tolerate decay better than others but still decay.
A bit unrelated, but the decay from topping the tree reminds me of the TP top utility poles that were installed half a century ago. They cut a slant on the top of the poles under the idea that it would help water runoff the top. Instead it created a point of decay and they've been replacing them whenever they get the chance.
Thanks for commenting
Cool your comments on the sweet gum and silver maple . Topping is still the worst arboriculture practice still being done . Your video is much needed to teach both tree owners and uncertified arborist who don’t know the consequences of heading cuts. Teach the tree owners what’s best to keep their trees healthy.
Thank you. I’m trying hard here
I'm using this very thing with my apple trees. You cut the top at about 3m height and it sprouts a dozen smaller branches with more fruit on them and they're easier to pull down with weights or ropes. Although you have to paint the cut to prevent the rot.
Painting wounds does not prevent decay
@@arboristBlairGlenn it gets the tree the time to redirect nutrients elsewhere and plug the cut fibers
I like the Shot of the Guy removing the Tree with a aura of Rainbow behind him
Thanks
It's become common practise here in Italy with many species. It all starts with the city hall approving the cheapest tree workers, they are all improvised, they never move into the canopy and do all sort of damage. Then people see how the public sector handles large trees and ask you to shorten their trees 5 to 10m (15 to 30ft). The only thing that makes them listen to you is: "You do this today and in 3 years you'll have to pay 3 times as much to have the tree removed, if it hasn't already fallen on your roof. Your call and in any case I won't do it, so you'll have to ask someone else"
Thank you so much sir. I have a silver maple that looks quite diseased and have to make a decision soon on whether to take it down