Crown reduction vs topping - got into it with an old timer near St. Louis last spring

Guy told me "a crown reduction just makes the tree look like it's been butchered anyway" and stormed off while I was trying to explain the difference. Has anyone else run into clients or other arborists who just refuse to see the value in proper reduction cuts?

2 comments

2 Comments

emmap166d ago

Used to be on that old timer's side honestly. Thought a reduction was just a fancy way of saying you messed up the tree. Then had to clean up after a storm where a neighbor's "topped" silver maple exploded, while a properly reduced oak down the street lost maybe two small branches. Changed my mind real quick watching those two outcomes side by side.

skylerm556d ago

Man, that's a perfect real world example right there. Nothing beats seeing it with your own eyes to change your mind. It's funny how some of those old school methods feel right until you see the damage they cause down the road. Your neighbor's tree sounds like a nightmare, but hey, that's a good lesson learned (even if it was a messy one). Storms really do sort out the good tree work from the bad, don't they?