In February 1991, the San Gabriel City Council enacted a tree ordinance intended to protect and preserve trees in the residential and commercial zones of the City. This ordinance protects mature City trees that make the City look and feel more beautiful, while increasing property values.
Topping...Don't Do It!
Topping (or stubbing) is the removing of large branches from mature trees. It is the indiscriminate cutting of large branches back to long stubs. Topping cuts are made without regard to the locations of side branches. A topped tree is a disfigured tree.
The following are 8 valid reasons not to top trees:
Starvation – Accepted pruning practices rarely remove more than 1/3 of the tree crown. Topping seriously impacts the tree’s ability to manufacture food. When a large amount of a tree’s canopy (umbrella) is removed, the crown to root ratio is imbalanced and this adversely affects the tree’s nutrition.
Shock – A tree’s crown acts as an umbrella to shield the tree trunk and branches from the direct rays of the sun. Topping eliminates this protection, exposing the tree to the sun, which can result in severe scalding to remaining bark tissue.
Weak Limbs - Topped trees develop multiple branches or suckers, at or near the pruning cut. These branches generally are weakly attached and are prone to failure.
Insects and Disease - A topped tree is also vulnerable to disease as the stubs have a difficult time properly healing and forming a protective callus; this invites invasion of fungi and insects. The location of the topping cuts may also prevent the tree’s natural defense system from doing its job.
Rapid New Growth - Topping trees represents an unwarranted expense. A topped tree will often grow back to its original height quickly, and it will be denser than one that has been pruned correctly.
Tree Death - Some tree species are less tolerant to topping than others. The reduction of food production and sunscald damage can lead to the death of the tree.
Ugliness - A topped tree is a disfigured tree and will never regain the natural form and character of the tree species.
Cost – It may cost less initially to top a tree instead of performing proper pruning; however, other costs may be hidden. These include: loss of property value and tree value that a well-maintained tree will encourage; increased hazard and risk of liability from branches that have weakened as a result of the topping; increased future maintenance costs; and the expense of removal and replacement if the tree dies.
