I used to think topping a big maple was fine if the customer insisted... then I saw one split down the middle in a storm last week in Spokane.

It was on a property I drive past for a delivery route. The tree was maybe 60 feet tall, with all these ugly, thick water sprouts growing straight up from the old topping cuts. We got that windstorm on Tuesday, and it just... failed. Split right at one of those old cuts. Now I flat-out refuse to do it, even when they push back. How do you guys handle those conversations when someone's dead set on it?

2 comments

2 Comments

robin2304d ago

And your insurance might not cover damage from a topped tree failing.

brian8654d ago

Show them the picture. That split tree is your best argument. Tell them it's not about the money, it's about their house and their safety. A topped tree is a weak tree, and you won't be the one to make it that way.