bigshea13
Do you know of a chap called Treeseer (Guy Meilleur)?
He'll love you for that post. Has written many articles and is an advocate of nodal pruning ice/storm damaged trees. The reason is like you said, if you were to target cut nothing would be left, removal is not an option so you cut back to nodes.
Now, I argue a little with him coz we don't have snow/ice damaged trees here and nodes are like fools gold ... not every punter knows the real deal if there's any deal at all. On many eucs I struggle to see nodes, in fact, since my merry association with this "Guy" I have tried a few experiments and cut back to what I thought was a node and frankly ... I embarrassed coz all I've got is some stubbed epicormic abomination!
So perhaps location and species dependant and will always be a good debate. I'm in the dont top it basket however some trees do self destruct and many many mature trees get naturally topped by nature.
It's hard to convince Mary Smith to not top her gum tree when many have had their mature tops blown out. Again I say this knowing not all tops blow out and many a mature tree stands in tact, however when your home is nearby nobody wants to experiment but would rather be assured that it's safe ... hence the toppers come along and spin the yarn that topping makes the tree safer.
Then you have academic and scientific reasoning, even from the likes of Mattheck and Brudi who all suggest shorter trees are safer trees. (Derr!)
Short fat trees less likely to blow over or have blow outs!
So the reduction pruners are in on this, difference being reduction pruning is to target and minimizes any regrowth unlike topping.
Our quest I suppose as arborists is to find that balance of acceptable risk and safety ... so in my mind topping is not the answer due to the ongoing growing risk. Pollarding could be argued as the "in between" ground but again means maintenance and risk if left unattended. Nodal pruning again means risk if left unattended due to regrowth.
However, some are willing to continue the maintenance and pollard or retop or hedge or restore a crown from shoots. But where does this take place? Mainly in controlled areas like govt owned, streets/roadside, parks etc ... not Mary's backyard where she wont have you back coz there's a 60" plasma screen coming out!
