Crown reduction vs. topping - had a chat with a old timer that got me second guessing

I was talking to a retired arborist named Joe at the lumberyard last Tuesday, and he went off on how crown reductions are just fancy topping if you cut too many laterals. He said he's seen too many trees bounce back with weak growth even after a proper reduction. So is it really better for the tree, or are we just making ourselves feel better about the cuts we make?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamie_clark6d ago

Keep second guessing yourself, that's how we get better at this

grace_perry446d ago

Joe from the lumberyard knows his stuff, but my buddy Sam has done crown reductions on oaks for 15 years with zero dieback.