Topping Banned

[BRCCArborist]

Well for one thing, poorly mitered crown moulding is not going to cause a building failure. This person is talking about banning tree topping as in making it illegal with a fine or worse. If a building fails inspection, the worst that will happen is the contractor having to fix it to bring it to code before the house can be liveable.

By the way, I should also point out that I don't agree with all building codes either, many of them are downright silly.

 

[Rftreeman]

What is next? Really?

Communism indeed.

I don't even want to get started on this.....

 

[BRCCArborist]

I agree it's not a good comparison....as bad work on crown moulding is only cosmetic, while tree topping destroys the structural integrity of the tree.

Since trees can't be 'brought to code' after the damage is done it looks to be pretty important to prevent the damage up front.

Topping a tree destroys a trees' structural integrity in much the same way that cutting half way through the floor joist of a house to put in a 4 inch waste plumbing line destroys structural integrity .

I totally understand what topping does, thats why I don't do it nor do I advocate it. But here is a question: Should a municipality ban topping, how would they measure it? Would it be a percentage of the canopy? How would this percentage be measured? Would one heading cut be considered topping? One mis-cut juuust outside the branch collar, or inside for that matter? Would it be a " I know it if I see it" type deal? Should something like this be taken to court, expect some impatient and irate judges for sure.

 

[Bigus Termitius]

I don't evven want to get started this.....

The worms are loose..the can is empty. The freaks are on the job once more to add yet one more brick in the wall and goven us to death....slowly.

Oh great ones...save me and my tree from myself. Oh give me the socialist's labotomy and slap a bumper sticker on my forehead:

"Save the trees, top the people."

Sound familar?

 

[clearance]

Is topping trees wrong, I wonder, maybe someone could tell me. :spam:

 

[clearance]

In a residential setting.......almost always.


What you do windfarming does not apply to residential tree pruning. It's been pointed out to you many times.

Windfirming. I know topping is wrong Dan, just funning.

 

[NetreeLady]

Topping rarely makes sense; and always makes the tree ugly.

I don't think we need more laws, though. :censored:

 

[clearance]

Topping rarely makes sense; and always makes the tree ugly.

I don't think we need more laws, though. :censored:

Best answer.

 

[CLEARVIEW TREE]

As far as i can remember, i believe they may have said that topping was banned on the municipal side of things guys. Sorry for the mis leading info, and scaring homeowners. The article as well was in the back of one of the Tree Services magazines, like 2 or 3 months ago. I agree that we are taxed, nailed, speared and lawed to death here in America. Hmm, these are the days of America, rollin down hill like a snow ball headed for hell....QUICK

 

[BRCCArborist]

As far as i can remember, i believe they may have said that topping was banned on the municipal side of things guys. Sorry for the mis leading info, and scaring homeowners. The article as well was in the back of one of the Tree Services magazines, like 2 or 3 months ago. I agree that we are taxed, nailed, speared and lawed to death here in America. Hmm, these are the days of America, rollin down hill like a snow ball headed for hell....QUICK

I actually kind of figured thats what you meant. But hey, it made for a good thread! Glad you redeemed yourself. I agree, I work for a municipality, and you won't find any unprofessional arbor practices on my watch (Even though I'm really a forester). Private land is a different story though, as it should be.

 

[RedlineIt]

Oh, calm down everyone.

An anti-topping bylaw, or even a thoroughgoing tree preservation bylaw is not communism or socialism or stomping on your property rights. Sheesh!

I work within some of the most restrictive tree preservation bylaws you can imagine. Follow the link below and click on the "Tree Bylaw" link and wallow through 18 pdf pages of regs.

http://www.esquimalt.ca/municipalHall/bylaws/Default.aspx


Reading all that, you'd think no tree work was possible, but I defy you to walk a half-mile in any direction in Esquimalt without hearing a chainsaw at work. The regs just mean that tree work is done to a STANDARD and that runs the hacks out of town. (And into the neighboring community, but that's their problem.)

What's wrong with that?

BTW, at the end of that Bylaw document, you'll see a list of designated Heritage Trees which deserve special consideration. I've worked on two of them, including a "crown reduction" on the Arbutus at CFB Esquimalt, near Building 56 (Military base).

These regulations make arborists a more valued service than we are without them, as I see it.


RedlineIt

 

[BRCCArborist]

Oh, calm down everyone.

An anti-topping bylaw, or even a thoroughgoing tree preservation bylaw is not communism or socialism or stomping on your property rights. Sheesh!

I work within some of the most restrictive tree preservation bylaws you can imagine. Follow the link below and click on the "Tree Bylaw" link and wallow through 18 pdf pages of regs.

http://www.esquimalt.ca/municipalHall/bylaws/Default.aspx


Reading all that, you'd think no tree work was possible, but I defy you to walk a half-mile in any direction in Esquimalt without hearing a chainsaw at work. The regs just mean that tree work is done to a STANDARD and that runs the hacks out of town. (And into the neighboring community, but that's their problem.)

What's wrong with that?

BTW, at the end of that Bylaw document, you'll see a list of designated Heritage Trees which deserve special consideration. I've worked on two of them, including a "crown reduction" on the Arbutus at CFB Esquimalt, near Building 56 (Military base).

These regulations make arborists a more valued service than we are without them, as I see it.


RedlineIt

Communism or not, those are some ridiculous by-laws. I have to pay to even apply to cut my tree down? No thanks.

Getting back to building inspections, check out that tree barrier! That might actually pass an inspection here in my county.

 

[clearance]

Communism or not, those are some ridiculous by-laws. I have to pay to even apply to cut my tree down? No thanks.

Getting back to building inspections, check out that tree barrier! That might actually pass an inspection here in my county.

Not just removals, even big branches! I smell that guy Rietkerk at work here, at least they can't do nothing about powerline tree work, I would love to see him try and tell a c.u.a. what to do.
Redline, remember a while back when he was mouthing off here? And sent me a nasty little PM, I don't care, I ain't making friends. He is wasting Hydro money too, doing all these do-gooder projects for them when there are millions of dead pine trees to be cut down. Oh, I forgot, he isn't allowed to do that work, not qualified.

 

[capetrees]

As the name implies, I'm in a part of the country that hasn't had a severe storm in 16 years. We have a lot of fast growing trees in this area and they are all much much taller that they naturally would be if we had natural topping and thinning by way of as good storm, winter or summer. Most of my customers have had it and are having their trees topped or removed due to their size. I always try to convince them to top but they don't think its worth the money nor the loss of sleep as they worry about the tree toppling over. You don't top and they get taller. Top them and although they look ugly for a short time, like a haircut, it grows back eventually and will look good after a follow up trimming. And I'm still waiting for an answer to my question. If the town doesn't let homeowners top trees they think are dangerous, who pays the bill when it damages something? :monkey:

 

[RedlineIt]

Like them or don't like them, one thing I can tell you about tree bylaws for certain:

They begin to educate the average homeowner about the proper way to approach tree-care, and that means some fat, fat profit for those of us who do the actual cutting.


RedlineIt

 

[ropensaddle]

Hmmmmmmmm so what of preservation work? What of vistas and lookout
views, what of pollarding? Every circumstance is different and lets face it
trees would be better off without us but do we serve the tree or ourselves?
I do no promote topping and definately try to convey accepted practice
of thinning, crown cleaning and reductions but I get the most calls to remove
a tree.

 

[Jlarnard]

If the town doesn't let homeowners top trees they think are dangerous, who pays the bill when it damages something? :monkey:

Mother nature is a funny thing. She can skip one yard with monster trees, and level all the trees in the next yard. It is our job as tree services to educate the customers. And living in a town that got leveled a few years ago by not one, not two, but three hurricanes in a row, the topped trees were no better off than the naturally growing trees. Sure if they were still stubs they stood, but the topped trees with several years growth were desroyed and had to be removed.
A simple answer to your question is; INSURANCE. Most people pay it and never claim a thing, meanwhile we get people like Warren Buffett with billions of dollars. And for those of you who aren't aware he made his fortune in insurance, and then played the markets. Now insurance doesn't replace a lost life, and that is why some trees just need to be taken down to the ground.

 

[lh3]

question

So... if I have a customer who has a healthy tree that has been broken in half by hurricane winds and only wants the hanging part down. Is there something i can put on the trunk after cutting to ward off rot, disease? I have not run into this before?

 

[BRCCArborist]

So... if I have a customer who has a healthy tree that has been broken in half by hurricane winds and only wants the hanging part down. Is there something i can put on the trunk after cutting to ward off rot, disease? I have not run into this before?

That tree needs to come out.

 

[BRCCArborist]

Kind of interesting now that I think of it though, is anyone familier with the British practice of "Coronation pruning"?