Letter to the Editor - Tree topping not acceptable

Editor,

Tree topping, or removing a major part of a large tree’s crown by cutting branches to stubs or to the trunk — see photo on the front page of the Havre Daily News 12-20 paper — is never an acceptable part of proper tree maintenance. If this is what is necessary, then the tree should be removed. Topping severely injures and infects trees, sometimes killing them outright. Topping also increases rapid regrowth which is weakly attached and more susceptible to storm and wind damage.

Trees that have been carelessly topped will rapidly become a safety hazard to people and property. This practice is not only unsightly, but makes these trees even more dangerous.

Proper tree maintenance should include removing broken, dead, or diseased branches. It is also necessary to remove low hanging or hazardous branches and to maintain clearance around power lines. What is being done to the trees in Havre is not trimming or pruning. Once these trees have been topped, and, if they survive, they will require continual maintenance and they will remain even more susceptible to the next big wind that blows through town.

Carolyn Anderson

Havre