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Don't do it.
Topping often kills trees. It leaves large open wounds, which allows pathogens to enter. The tree often rots from the inside out and then; it has a tendency to fall on your house. The suckers come out in such abundance that they have to be trimmed back.
Crown reduction, a smaller spread and a lower height is the only way to go, short of removing the entire tree. And taking the tree out is a better choice than turning it into a hat-rack.
If a tree is causing problems, consult a professional tree service. Ask your friends for referrals. Get estimates from several and ask them for references. Tell them what you want the outcome to be.
The best will avoid heading cuts, which is the practice of lopping off branches at a set height. Professional crown reduction uses "drop-crotch" pruning in which you come down the branch to a fairly significant lateral branch and make the cut there.
That way, you reduce the height of the tree in a way that allows it to recover, because the energy will now go into the lateral branch.
But most of all, tell them that topping is out of the question. |
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