The annual practice of butchering trees is in full swing. Tree topping, the practice of cutting large branches back to stubs, is often mistakenly employed by homeowners aiming to reduce tree size or ...

Question: An arborist offered to “top” my shade tree that has grown so large that branches touch the house. Should I have him do that? Answer: “Topping” is cutting all tree branches back to an ...

Tree topping involves indiscriminately cutting back a tree’s canopy with little to no regard for natural structure or proper pruning techniques.

An arborist offered to “top” my shade tree that has grown so large that branches touch the house. Should I have him do that? Topping is cutting all tree branches back to an arbitrary height. Other ...

Q: I was in a shopping center yesterday and watched a landscape crew trimming the trees, if trimming is the word for what they were doing. I know little about the subject, but why would they cut so ...

Before the holiday bustle becomes all-consuming, consider arranging to have your large trees inspected and pruned this winter. “It will be easier to reserve the services of a trained and qualified ...

You value independent local news, so become a sustainer today to power our newsroom. Which is why a rise here in Southern California of a practice known as "topping" is worrying arborists and others.

There is a difference between trees that grow in a forest and trees that grow in your yard. They may be the exact same species, but the tree growing in the wild among other trees will likely get much ...

Q. Many times I have read, “Never top a tree!” I have also read that we should keep fruit trees at 8 feet for easy picking. And the avocado experts recommend keeping avocado trees at 11 feet. Either I ...

Q: Many times I have read, “Never top a tree!” I have also read that we should keep fruit trees at 8 feet for easy picking. And some experts recommend keeping avocado trees at 11 feet. Either I don’t ...