gallery of shame

I-40 around the 402 exit heading into Knoxville. Notice the writing on the billboard behind the trees that were mutilated so they wouldn't obstruct the view of the billboard. I guess they think they did the right thing because they didn't cut the trees down.

I have found that "roun dees hur partz". It's easiest to explain tree topping as if you were talking to a kindergartner. I tell them "If I were to cut off both of your arms it would be almost impossible to eat and you would probably die. Most people remember the word photosynthesis from school, even if they didn't graduate. It does feel like an endless battle.
 
We see plenty of topping here in North Jersey. Cliffside Pk regularly tops their plane trees, companies drive around with topping listed as a service on the side of their trucks. I recently reduced a white pine that had been topped 25 yrs ago according to the owner. The cavity was about 35% with a lead of about 30' above it. This is a removal by installment job now.

It's a problem as long as there are companies that need to generate revenue.
 
[ QUOTE ]
We see plenty of topping here in North Jersey. Cliffside Pk regularly tops their plane trees, companies drive around with topping listed as a service on the side of their trucks. I recently reduced a white pine that had been topped 25 yrs ago according to the owner. The cavity was about 35% with a lead of about 30' above it. This is a removal by installment job now.

It's a problem as long as there are companies that need to generate revenue.

[/ QUOTE ]

Gotta love "TRIMMING AND TOPPING" in bold letters on a chip truck! It's so much easier to just give the people what they want and send them the bill than it is to educate.
 
I always thought Boone was a cool little University town up there in the mtns, but I'm sure plenty of topping outside of the university influence.

Andrew:
Please compare the prevalence of topping between the two University towns since your familiar with both Boone & Madison??? (just out of curiosity)
 
Would you beleive it if I told you that our city schools mascot is the "topper" ?


Ah ha that explains it. Their logo is a guy in a top hat with white gloves. The toppers are also chimmney sweeps and their ladders only reach that high.
 
I like the sarcastic pic commentary, had me chuckling. Good luck with your move. Unfortunately, no matter where you end up there is bound to be at least some topping or otherwise horrible tree care being practiced.
 
" I recently reduced a white pine that had been topped 25 yrs ago according to the owner. The cavity was about 35% with a lead of about 30' above it. This is a removal by installment job now."

I hear this said quite often, but do not understand why there is such little belief in the tree's ability to codit and retrench and grow on. A 35% hollow may not be significant.

Alex Shigo’s A New Tree Biology (1986) introduced many new
concepts about tree pruning that we are still struggling to understand and apply. For every general rule we make there are exceptions,many confirmed by new research. Pruning branches back to the branch protection zone (BPZ) at
their origins is generally good,unless too much heartwood is
exposed to decay.
Removing codominant branches also invites decay, because they have no BPZ. What are our options? Reduction
of stems and scaffolds is sometimes considered, like topping, inadvisable because BPZs are not present.
However, the same kind of chemicals and anatomical structures exist at other nodes—“enlarged portions of stems
where leaves and buds arise”—especially those where the terminal bud was set.
“Topping is done internodal…” according to Shigo, and the ANSI (2008) standardsagree. As Shigo goes on to say, “…proper crown reduction is done at nodes, or at crotches.”
 
I understand a large branch pruning cut can cause a root to die as it's not needed anymore. Topping some species causes enough root dieback to compromise the trees stability. The beginning of the end.
 
I haven’t seen many topped trees in Madison, maybe a handful usually in the yards of the do it your self homes. Seems there was a lot of ice damage on trees in the mountains maybe that’s the reason for topping. I miss Boone lots of fun hikes!
 
there are definitely some ugly ones in madison, but not many. in the suburbs there are some really bad ones, not as bad as I've seen in other places though, must be we live in an awesome area?
 
Ya, I will miss hiking in the mountains big time! That's the reason I moved here to begin with. I plan on continue section hiking the AT, just gonna have more driving to do.
 
I would say that if you are regularly pruning/climbing nice mature trees that have never been topped before, you are fortunate!

I get a handful of quality climbing jobs/trees a year. But most are butchered up messes. For example last friday I pruned 2-30in dbh sugar maples that were topped to 15ft 5 years ago, and 3 crape myrtles that were previously crape murdered.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I would say that if you are regularly pruning/climbing nice mature trees that have never been topped before, you are fortunate!

[/ QUOTE ]the trees are always greener on the other side of the ridge. I'm bored with untopped willow oaks, and enjoy the challenge of restoring topped/stormdamaged trees. that's IF i get over the gutwrenching sick feeling at the sad sight of them...

It all comes back to selling good reductions, using A300.
 
thanks for the tour. ~1/2 of those should be a crime, >1/2 look restorable, once the disgust subsides.

if you get outcompeted by hacks, you might want to change your approach rather than your location. publicize the good trees--compare cost/benefits of normal pinoak vs. lollipop, for instance.

o and white pines are NOT bad near homes, unless they get topped. that 'hood is bad but there are many like it ime. but no i doubt i will move to j city...
 
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