A homeowner in Tacoma told me to just 'top the whole thing off' on a 60-foot Douglas fir.

I had to explain why that was a death sentence for the tree and it made me wonder, what's the most frustrating request you've had to talk a client down from?

4 comments

4 Comments

sagecooper3mo ago

Yeah, like phoenix_bailey said, it's just murder for the tree.

phoenix_bailey3mo ago

Saw a post online where someone wanted a huge old oak completely stripped of branches, just a bare pole left. Had to explain it would basically cook the tree from the inside out. Topping a fir like that is just as bad, it opens the door for every rot and bug out there. Some folks just see trees as big weeds and it's a real fight to change that view.

michaelgrant3mo ago

Ugh, I just show them photos of the rot later.

evahenderson2mo ago

Reminds me of a neighbor who kept hacking at a maple until it was just a sad bunch of stubs. Told him it was like cutting off all your skin and expecting to stay healthy. Sure enough, the whole thing was hollow and full of ants within two years. It's that same short-sighted view @sagecooper mentioned. Why do people think a tree can just bounce back from that kind of butchery?