Question
Vacaville Birch
Hi Jim,
I've attached a picture of the Birch tree from our front yard. We live in Vacaville, CA. The house is 20 years old so I'm assuming the tree is a bit older. It's a beautiful tree and does not show signs of disease or other pests. It's growing too close to our home and also leans into our neighbors yard. The guy that pruned our Raywood Ash said we should 'top' this tree in the Oct/Nov timeframe along with a general cleaning or pruning. I've heard one should never top a tree and I'd like your opinion on this as well as the timing of when to prune this tree. Thanks Jim.
AnswerIt is difficult to teel but it looks like there are three main branches--one lean towards your neighbors, one toward your house and one more or less straight up. IF this is the case you could look at pruning the two leaning ones off and leave the straight one. This would not concidered to be topping the tree. Trees that are topped look more like bushes (if they survive) and do not realy solve the problem of getting too big.
There are many good reasons to NOT top trees (as summarized from the Nat'l.
Arbor Day Foundation):
1. Starvation: Topping removes a great deal of the tree's crown. This
can upset the crown-to-root ratio and temporarily cut-off its food making
ability.
2. Shock: By removing the umbrella, the bark tissue is exposed and shock
or poor health may result.
3. Insects and Disease: The terminal location of cuts may prevent the
tree's natually based chemical system from doing its job of preventing
vulnerable stubs from insect invasion, fungi spores, or any spread of local
disease.
4. Weak Limbs: New sprouts emerging from the cut stub are more weakly
attached. The weight of a growing sprout can make the situation go from
bad to worse.
5. Rapid New Growth: Topping a tree promotes numerous new sprouts that
elongate rapidly, forming a more dense and possibly dangerous crown.
6. Tree Death: Some trees are more sensitive to topping (i.e., beeches)
7. Ugliness: This is obvious and, even with regrowth, many trees do not
regain the shape and character they once had.
8. Cost: Topping a tree is much easier and may be more costly than good
pruning. Some of the hidden costs are reduced property value, expense if
the tree dies, changed lighting conditions for surrounding plants,
potential libility from wekened limbs, and future maintenance.
He is right about the winter time pruning --this time of the year will not attract borers that would infest your tree and be drawn to the sap.
I would suggest that you call a certified arborist and ask them to take a look. Here is a web link to the Assocatios contact page that certifies Arborist. Thys after looking at the tree can better advise you than I could by a picture.
http://www.isa-arbor.com/findArborist/findarborist.aspx
