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Pine tree pruning and topping

Started by ivan, January 14, 2003, 10:33:27 AM

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ivan

I have some pine trees which block my view.  Can these be "topped off" by about 2 ft.?  Any consequences?  Location is CA Bay Area.
Thanks

Tillaway

Yep, you will get two or three weak tops back.  I never condone topping trees, usually it just creates more problems with weak crotches forming and rot.  If they really block your view, remove them completely and plant something that will not grow nearly as tall in thier place.  

On the other hand two feet of topping woun't hurt in the short term, but getting two feet of growth in one year is normal depending species.  Is it a Monterey Pine?
Making Tillamook Bay safe for bait; one salmon at a time.

ivan

Hi
Thanks -- yes I believe that they are Monterey Pines and we  had them topped 3 years ago, and now we want to do it again as they are blocking our view -- a precious commodity in the Bay Area --  the issue is that the trees belong to the poeple in house just down the hill from us. We do not want to injure the trees, but then again our covenants state that views are not blocked.

Appreciate any and all advices.

Tillaway

Those Monterey Pines are like a bush anyway, usually.  Continued topping may not be a problem but consider how close they are to other structures.
Making Tillamook Bay safe for bait; one salmon at a time.

Ianab

But have you considered lift pruning.. ie taking of all the lower branches and leaving clear view under the trees?
Dont know how this would fit in with  your site or the growth of the pine in your location.. but in NZ it not unusual to lift prune a pine to 30 ft, leaving 10ft of green growth at all times..

just a thought..

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Rob_Murphy

Sounds like you may be locked into a regulare matainance cycle. How high are the trees now.?
Two feet of a mature Pinus radiata would be replaced within in a season as Tillaway suggested and as you are cutting to a rosette you could  make the canopy thicker as the branches compete to be the new leaders.
How hard were they cut back before? Was it quality work or are their lots of stubs , dead branches etc.It might be hard to
redeem them if they have been "Hacked".

Ps Rob Murphy
And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations Rev 22:2b

Kevin

Hack =1 : working for hire especially with mediocre professional standards.

ivan

Hi to all and thanks for all the replies.
The trees are topped every 3-5 years to keep our views open. Our windows are about 40 ft or so above the ground.
The toppings were done by semi pros, although the last one had an arborist (licensed?) to supervise the job.
There are no stubs as the branches were cut close to flush with the trunk and there are no cuts below the topped center trunk.
We were told that the trees have the "pine beetle" or whatever it is called, and that sooner or later the trees will die  (just like us humans).
The concern we have is that topping may accellerate this death.  The trees appear healthy, but not all of them.
So .... does topping improve the growth, stunn the trees or is it a neutral type of action.
Thanks
PS:  Since only one neighboor (out of 2) has given the OK to topping, only 12 out of 16 trees were topped.

Tillaway

If they do indeed have an insect problem, it could be because of another condition weaking the tree, such as blister rust or root rot.  If they do die they will usually go quick, like green to yellow in a month or so and brown the next.  They are gone when they start to turn yellow.  Is there allot of pitch dripping down the trunk or evidence of woodpeckers punching allot of holes in the bark?

If you are just taking a few feet off each time and not leaving stubs then you are basically hedging them or shaping similar to a Christmas tree.  It is when you take more than this that you can wind up doing real damage.  Most tree service "Professionals" do major hack jobs in this area (California).  Usually to me its no more than a high stump left when they are through.  The major tree services that work for the utilities are among the worse offenders.
Making Tillamook Bay safe for bait; one salmon at a time.

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