Do you see trees as an investment to your property? With proper care, trees offer numerous benefits, the most obvious benefit, trees provide aesthetic features to your yard and neighborhood. You may not think of these other benefits, but trees can also help with energy savings, clean the air, and sequestering carbon.
The proper pruning of trees can keep your investment healthy and long-lasting. We emphasize the word ‘proper’ because topping is not proper pruning and should never be considered when a tree needs to be pruned. Topping is defined as severely and indiscriminately cutting back or removing large branches in a mature tree. (Besides, topped trees are ugly!)
Let’s look at the facts. Once topped, a tree speeds up its growth and reaches its original height in a few short years. But now, that topped tree is really broad and bushy with numerous, unsightly epicormic shoots (or suckers). Your topped tree becomes more of a nuisance than when you started and leads to higher maintenance costs because the tree grows out-of-control.
A large, healthy, mature tree’s value can be reduced by hundreds of dollars when it is topped.
Topping can threaten your tree’s health and destroy its visual beauty, which actually reduces the appraised value of your property.
Trees provide benefits!
- Economic – healthy, well-maintained trees increase property values, reduce heating and cooling costs
- Environmental – trees filter particulates from the air, offset greenhouse gas emissions, reduce storm water run-off
- Social – there is less crime and violence in areas with trees and green public spaces
- Aesthetic – trees soften and complement architecture
Consult with a certified arborist to find out whether your tree needs to be pruned and to create an action plan for care and maintenance that will ensure a healthy, valuable tree in your landscape. To find an arborist, always look for the “certified arborist” logo next to listings under Tree Services in the yellow pages, or visit www.treesaregood.org to find an arborist in your area.
To learn about the kind of ecological services your tree provides, including energy savings, cleaner air, carbon sequestration and more, visit the National Tree Benefits Calculator section of DNR’s web page: http://www/dnr.wa.gov/urbanforestry
