Monday, 21 September 2026

Tree-surgeons versus the "topiary" school of tree-butchers


I live in a relatively leafy suburb containing many forest-sized trees such as oaks, beeches, horse chestnuts, limes - plus common sycamores that grow as weeds around here. 

Since the trees are large, and grow near to houses, paths and roads - they need to be pruned from time to time - either as treatment, prevention, or after storm damage. 


So, I know both from personal experience and a good deal of observation, that there are two distinct kinds of arboreal operative. 

There are real tree-surgeons; and there are tree-butchers - who nonetheless claim "surgical" status, and evidently get way too much employment in these parts. 


The difference is that real tree-surgeons know and love trees, and carefully enhance the appearance of the trees upon which they operate. 

They do this by maintaining complete branches, and cutting back to the joints of branches - aiming at a natural tree-shape. 

A year or two following tree-surgery; the tree usually looks better than before; as well as being healthier and safer. 


In total contrast; the tree-butchers are gloried hedge-trimmers; whose training is apparently restricted to the usage of power saws in difficult conditions - but utterly excludes botany. 

The tree-butcher's idea of a well-cut tree is one that has a geometrical outline. 

I have seen these intrepid characters at work. Their inspiration is of a forest tree that has been shaped as-if it were massed boxwood or yew plantations and rows; perhaps topographically decorating one of those abstractly-un-biological Louis XIV type French formal gardens. 

So they cut branches to fit a predetermined, usually more or less spherical, silhouette; such that all branches (large or small, trunk or twig) are sheared to end abruptly at whatever point they reach the predetermined circumference. 

After a year or two the bigger branch ends of these once-magnificent-mutants become covered in multiple sprouts, rather like the Whomping Willow in Harry Potter. A sinuous beech or gnarled oak becomes more like a basket-maker's pollard of the Somerset levels*. 


And the saddest thing is that the damage of tree-butchery is irreversible; except by starting-again with a new seed or sapling. 

+++


* Note: the pollarding method is deliberate, purposive; and quaintly-characteristic of my childhood landscape of water-meadows - the "summer lands" of legend and history. 

BTW - The photos are NOT of my locality, but representative images grabbed from the interwebs. 

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