Question
QUESTION: My neighbor planted a row of what I believe are Lombardy Poplar trees near my house 7 years ago.  They have grown extremely quickly and are probably 20 to 30 feet higher than my two story home.  The problem is that they are too close to my home.  When the wind blows them hard enough, they lean over and touch my roof.  I have had terrible problems with trees hitting my roof in the past.  I am concerned that it will do damage to my roof and that it will allow a number of animals access to the roof.  I called someone to trim the trees (my neighbor would flip out if I removed the trees completely and I want to maintain a good relationship with him). The tree trimming / removal person suggested trimming any lateral branches going in the direction of my home by cutting them back to the trunks of the trees.  The man suggested additionally to top off the trees about 10 feet above roof level.  He said it would not grow so tall, and that would be beneficial because the height allows the tree to "catch the wind and bend more easily."  He felt that the ice would possibly bend and / or break this tree with resultant potential damage to the house. I need help.  I do not want to destroy the trees, but I need to effectively keep them away from my roof. Please let me know if topping off is appropriate and suggest the best method of pruning the trees to get rid of the branches growing toward my house.  Take into consideration that I don't want to cause the tree grow all over the place next year as a survival mechanism causing me to be left with a worse problem that I started with. Thank you for your input.

ANSWER: Topping is not an option. It will damaged the tree and cause the tree to bush out at the top. AND if the tree is on your neighbors land you would be trespassing when you cut the top. The same thing may go for the branches if you cut them back to the trunk. Cutting them back to the trunk is best when pruning limbs. Leave about 1/4 inch of the branch -do not cut flush with the trunk. I would ask the tree owner if you could prune the branch on your side back to the trunk. If he say OK then I would prune them that way. If he says NO I would prune the limbs  Back to the land line. More than likely these branches will die. It will make the tree look lopsided.

Lombardy poplars are fast-growing trees, growing as much as 6 feet per year! This makes them a popular choice when people want "living wall" privacy screens or windbreaks in a hurry. To serve this function, Lombardy poplars are planted in a row, and spaced about 8' apart. However, Lombardy poplars should be considered only as a stop-gap measure for privacy screens and windbreaks, as they are short-lived.

The best solution would be if the neighbor wants a screen of trees he remove the poplar and plant an evergreen like maybe green giant thuja. BUT he needs to plant them far enough inside his line so the mature width will not extend on to other property.
I hope this is what you were asking.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------


Tree   QUESTION: Thank you for your input. You are great. Let me please further clarify the situation to determine my best options in the given circumstances.

The area is on common land in a condo complex. Private property is not an issue.  There are six rowed trees. Some are about eight feet from my house. They are one foot to two from each other.  My MAIN CONCERN is the house and avoiding damage and animals. My neighbor should not have planted them in this way. I would have chopped them down, but he is a nice fellow and we do get along, and I would like to keep it that way. I could, therefore, cut the tree in any way I please. So let me be clarified with these questions:
1)To avoid the branches hitting my roof (The branches seem to grow up and longer quickly - correct me if you think I am imagining it), would you pretty much cut MOST of the branches on the side of the tree facing my house?  
1)a)Should I be concerned that the smaller branches will become longer and give me the same problem in one or two years?  
2)Do you think that the extreme height will make the trees more likely to do potential damage by "catching the wind and bending into my house or have a situation where the winter ice weighs down the much more weak and flexible tops of the trees into the house," as the tree trimming person suggested when he proposed topping off as a remedy?
3)And finally, whatever I do: what method will avoid the tree from growing new branches wildly all over the place as a survival mechanism and causing the same problem in a more intense manner? Will cutting most of the side branches on one side (or even topping) cause such a situation?
3)a)Would "bushing out" at the top actually be detrimental for my purposes? What are the consequences of bushing out?  

Thank you so very much for your input.  It is very much appreciated.  The reason I am following up is to be more clear on my options.  I want to preserve the trees to make my neighbor happy, but damage to my house is not an allowable situation either.

I attached a photo for your further understanding of the situation in this upstate NY home.

Answer
1 I would cut all the branches on your house side up to where they are above the roof line.
1 a You may get some sprouting of new branches on that side but would not think many and these may need cutting in a year or so. But they will be much shorter and at that time you can decide when or if they need cutting.

2. I do not think you will have a problem with the wind as the tree grows the trunk will harden off and will be able to with stand wind.
3. You may get sprouts but these can be cut as they form or left for several years and then cut. Topping will cause a bush and more than likely kill the tree.

The bottom line is this is not the tree for this space and does not make a good hedge. The best thing would be replace the trees.