Saturday, Mar. 24, 2007

Stop the tree topping insanity

By Marianne C. Ophardt, Special to the Herald

When is this senseless violence against trees going to end?

Readers have implored me to speak out against the recent rash of local tree topping incidents. I was trying to refrain from my annual pedantic diatribe against these obscene crimes against trees.

However, after I saw an adorable little flowering cherry that had been hacked back to a few stubs, I knew I had to speak out.

Experts define topping as "the drastic removal or cutting back of large branches." Unenlightened homeowners and unscrupulous tree pruners proffer a variety of reasons for topping trees. None of these reasons are legitimate.

Topping is a crime against trees not just because it ruins their natural beauty, but also because it ruins their health and shortens their life.

University of Kentucky experts point out exactly how topping injures trees in "Topping is Hazardous to Your Tree's Health" University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Publication ID-55.

Here's a synopsis of why topping hurts trees.

1. Topping removes much of the tree's canopy. This upsets the crown-to-root ratio and leads to the tree's slow starvation. That's because the leaves are the "food factories" where photosynthesis and the production of carbohydrates takes place.

2. Topping suddenly exposes bark that was shaded to direct sun. This can lead to sunburn on the bark, making the tree more vulnerable to attack by insects and disease.

3. Topping removes naturally occurring buds that would have developed into branches with strong attachments. The sprout growth that results from topping is not as strongly attached. As the sprouts grow in length and girth, they have a tendency to break off, especially when tested by strong winds.

4. Topping leaves branch stubs that aren't able to close or "heal over" with callus tissue. These stubs die back and are prime candidates for attack by wood rot fungi and insects. Once decay starts in a stub it can move into main branches and the trunk.

5. The intent of topping is to reduce tree size. However, the resulting regrowth is very vigorous and quickly grows back to the original height or greater. Proper pruning with thinning cuts help maintain the crown-to-root ratio and doesn't result in excessive regrowth.

If this isn't enough to encourage you to throw yourself in front of poor defenseless trees to protect them from a wanton pruner, here's what one study revealed about how bad topping is for trees:

-- Topped trees are more three times more likely to become unsafe than trees that have not been topped.

-- Topped trees are 192 percent more likely to be rated in poor condition.

-- Topped trees have a 40 percent increase in the amount of dead branches of any size.

-- Topped trees have a 77 percent increase in insect or disease problems.

-- Topped trees have a 143 percent greater chance of having large cavities due to rot.

The facts tell the story. Topping is a felony against trees punishable by our scorn and outrage. Let others know.

* Marianne C. Ophardt is a horticulturist for the Washington State University Cooperative Extension Office in Benton County.