Topping is for ice cream, not trees.

• Position: YOUR LIFE

Tree topping is the removal of main tree branches to stubs in either a straight-across hedge fashion or a complete delimbing of the tree, leaving only the main trunk or trunks. As for the facts and fiction connected with this practice, the Tree Care Industry Association, Londonderry, N.H., provides some advice.

Fiction: Topping rejuvenates the tree.

Fact: It usually removes so much of the crown that it can unbalance an older tree's root-to-shoot ratio and temporarily cut off its ability to make food. When trees are topped, they typically will respond by readily growing new shoots. From that point forward, they become high-maintenance. Most must be pruned regularly in an attempt to restore normal structure and growth. Pruning a tree annually is not environmentally sustainable or cost-effective. The tree also will be more susceptible to disease and insect problems.

Fiction: The tree is too big and casts too much shade, and needs to be reduced by topping.

Fact: By their very nature, trees create shade, which means you really cannot plant anything underneath and expect full success. In some instances, though, proper selective pruning, not topping, can reduce the bulk of a tree, letting in more light and allowing wind to pass through the tree. Proper pruning does not stimulate regrowth, and the tree will not respond as drastically as when topped or overthinned. A qualified arborist is trained to understand which kinds of cuts to make (thinning cuts, not heading or topping cuts); he or she also knows when to stop.

If problems caused by a tree cannot be...