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 practi...