Anti-Topping laws

[Treebeard]

Anybody live where it's illegal to top trees? I almost blew a gasket today at a state office where they had a limb failure on Friday. Today (Monday) that tree had the stub pruned properly BUT they topped four other trees on the site...no limbs, no failure? At least until the trees try to stay alive by sprouting... Anyways, I would love to see examples of topping bans or ordinaces if folks have them. I'd love to get one on the books in Santa Fe after the abortion I saw today

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Lake City, MN has an ordinance on the books that prohibits topping of any city tree. for the most part, any tree on the boulevard belongs to the city but homeowners can contract privately for maintenance.

If you want more information about this ordianance and possible leads to similar laws, write to me. A friend of mine was influential in getting the ordinace passed and I can connect you with her.

Tom Dunlap
[email protected]

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Lake City, MN has an ordinance on the books that prohibits topping of any city tree. for the most part, any tree on the boulevard belongs to the city but homeowners can contract privately for maintenance.

If you want more information about this ordianance and possible leads to similar laws, write to me. A friend of mine was influential in getting the ordinace passed and I can connect you with her.

At the ISA conference I talked with your state forester. He would be the point man in confronting this issue. One way to approach the issue would be to liken it to doing electrical work that does not mean the national code. If you can calm down, try approaching this as a teachable moment rather than a confrontation. That will be a real challenge, I can only guess, but you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

Tom Dunlap
[email protected]

 

[Treebeard]

I'll look into it & write you for contact info. I guess what burns most is that a single broken limb & a phone call caused all this. I saw the downed limb. It had fallen in 2 handicapped parking spaces, was no threat. In New Mexico they have some state approved listing of arborist/tree people that you have to apply to get on so I could'nt get the clean-up job. The woman said they'd called a tree company (HA!) and 2 days later an "approved" company had nuked 4 trees with my tax money paying the tab. I'd bet a weeks pay nobody at that state office on Friday envisioned the disaster they found on Monday morning. You'd think that a company that can buy $100,000 worth of manlift & chipper could afford ONE tree maintenance book written in this century....

 

[treeclimber165]

The city of Winter Park, Florida has an extensive tree division and several laws governing tree maintenance. E-mail me and I will look up the contact info for my old boss. We are still on good terms.

 

[georgia]

Hey, what about the guys that do the contract line clearing? Many of them top trees. That is probably who did this municipal job.

 

[treeclimber165]

I spoke with my old boss on the phone this morning, and he told me that the National Arbor Day Foundation had a bunch of info on anti-topping stuff. Their website is http://www.arborday.org/


ps- georgia- Municipal workers and the guys who clear lines for the power companies are NOT in any way associated with each other. Many people have this misconception, but for the life of me I cannot figure out why. Power lines are maintained by either the employees or the sub-contractors for the POWER COMPANY. They require extensive training in working around POWER LINES.
I have worked for a local CITY. While working for the CITY, I maintained trees on the CITY Right-Of-Way and trees on CITY property such as parks, CITY parking lots, etc.

 

[Darin]

I know we have done this before but I found this funny. Little Squirrels Tree Service "tops" trees. http://www.littlesquirrels.com/ Dont squirrels do enough damage to trees, without having to top them? We should start a banned list here. If somone sees you top a tree, you will be recognized.

 

[Darin]

http://www.co.broward.fl.us/bri00300.htm#Proper This guy in broward county says there is a regulation there.

 

[Toddppm]

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/dnrnews/publications.html
Maryland has a tree expert law, where if you are performing any kind of tree work you must take and pass their test. If you scan through the articles there are a couple about tree services being fined , one guy even got thrown in jail after repeated violations! Their laws are in there somewhere , I know it says spiking and topping are violations, haven't read through it. The only part I don't like is having people who pass the test being called "Experts" That's pretty misleading, I'm ISA certified which is supposedly similar to their test and that makes me way far from an expert:alien:
I think Va. is working on something similar, I hope so , I'm sick of seeing these #$@#$% hacks everyday,everywhere.
Now if the Nat'l Arbor Day Foundation would step up with their " Tree City USA" program and not give it out to Cities who top and spike trees that would be a step in the right direction. At one of the main entrances to my city(Tree City USA) they contract out to have a row of trees lollypopped every couple years(just did it) Saw another subcontractor spiking up a tree and stubbing back some branches at our Historic Courthouse right on main st. too. Supposedly our City Arborist is Certified too! Sorry to ramble on, just burns me up.