Picture this: You visit your manicurist because your nails are too long. She agrees you have a problem and recommends you have your whole arm be removed. Better yet, have both of your arms removed, just in case.
The practice known as “lopping” or “topping” is the tree care equivalent to amputation. Trees are often lopped to height or shape, leaving branch stubs and little or no foliage. The primary reasons given for lopping are based largely on the fear that during storms trees will fall on houses and that lopping has been done so often that it appears the correct thing to do.
In the majority of instances, the work is performed by contractors who either “Don’t know any better” or who find lopping most profitable for themselves regardless of the consequences to customers and trees.
Once a tree is lopped, its natural form will have been destroyed and any attempts to restore it to its previous beauty would be extremely difficult, if at all possible. A lopped tree represents an ongoing problem and expense because other than the risk factor, the epicormic growth will require repeated pruning to keep it under control.
So before you lop, contact Treescape to have a professional assess your options and provide sound, sustainable advice.
