Before You Cut: Helping Our Trees Grow Safely
Article and Art by Claudia
As the walls of our new house grew taller and the roof finally took shape, I was surprised to discover tree branches already resting against it and scraping across the new surface whenever the breeze picked up. I wasn’t sure what I was permitted to cut, or whether I wanted to cut anything at all. I loved the way the branches framed the house and provided cool, welcome shade.
At the same time, they were going to fill the gutters with leaves and were scratching a roof I had not even slept beneath yet. Clearly, something needed to be done.
Fortunately, we have many knowledgeable tree professionals throughout San Mateo, including ESM’s own resident trimming expert, Scott, and his team. With the right advice, tree trimming does not have to mean losing the trees we value. It can mean finding the right balance between protecting our homes and preserving the shade, beauty, and wildlife habitat that make our community so special.
Pruning, pollarding, coppicing, and tree removal are not the same thing
Living in a tropical community means our trees grow quickly, sometimes much more quickly than we expect. A small sapling can become a source of deep shade within a few years, but it can also begin reaching toward roofs, roads, power lines, septic systems, and neighboring properties.
When that happens, our first instinct may be to “cut it back.” However, how a tree is cut can determine whether it becomes healthier, weaker, more dangerous, or begins growing back with surprising energy.
Start by deciding what you want
Before anyone picks up a machete or chainsaw, it helps to ask:
Are we removing dead or dangerous branches?
Do we need clearance from a roof, road, or walkway?
Are we trying to reduce the tree’s overall size?
Do we want the tree to produce new shoots?
Or do we need to remove it permanently?
These are different goals and require different approaches.
Ordinary pruning
Good pruning removes selected branches while preserving the tree’s natural shape and structural strength.
Cleaning removes dead, broken, diseased, or rubbing branches.
Raising removes some lower branches to provide clearance beneath the tree.
Thinning selectively removes branches to improve structure or allow more light and air through the canopy. It should not leave the tree looking hollow or stripped.
Reduction pruning shortens the height or spread of a tree by cutting longer branches back to healthy side branches. This is usually a better way to manage a tree near a house than simply cutting off its entire top.
Correct cuts are made just outside the slightly swollen area where a branch joins the trunk, called the branch collar. Leaving the collar intact helps the tree seal the wound. Cutting flush against the trunk or leaving long, ragged stubs can interfere with that process. [1]
Pollarding: the cut you may be looking for
Pollarding is a planned system in which a young tree’s branches are initially cut at selected points. The new shoots that grow from those points are then removed at approximately the same location on a regular schedule, often every year.
Over time, rounded swellings called pollard heads form at the ends of the permanent limbs. These heads store energy and produce the next generation of shoots, so they should not be cut off.
True pollarding begins while a tree is young and is continued consistently. Cutting the large limbs off an older tree for the first time is not pollarding; it is usually topping.
Topping is not the same thing
Topping means cutting large limbs indiscriminately and leaving stubs, often to make a mature tree dramatically shorter. A topped tree may look controlled temporarily, but its response is frequently a burst of fast-growing shoots.
These shoots can be weakly attached to the damaged limbs and more likely to break during wind and heavy rain. Large wounds may also allow decay to enter the tree.
In other words, topping can create the appearance of safety while making the tree structurally weaker. The International Society of Arboriculture recommends proper crown reduction instead of topping whenever possible. [2]
Coppicing: cutting low to encourage new growth
Coppicing, sometimes called coppice pruning or recepa, is another traditional method, but it is quite different from pollarding. With coppicing, the trunk is cut close to the ground so new stems can grow from the stump or root crown. The shoots may later be harvested for poles, firewood, fencing, mulch, or other uses.
This works well only with species that naturally resprout. Some trees respond vigorously, while others decline, rot, or die. A stump producing new shoots does not necessarily mean the future tree will be strong enough to stand safely beside a house or road.
Pollarding produces new shoots above the reach of people and animals. Coppicing produces them near ground level.
Cutting down a tree may not kill it
Many tropical trees are remarkably determined. Cutting down the trunk removes the visible tree but may leave a living root system. New shoots can emerge from the stump, roots, or surrounding soil.
If the goal is rejuvenation, shade, wildlife habitat, or production of useful new stems, this regrowth may be welcome. A few well-positioned shoots can be selected, with the others removed while they are small.
If the goal is permanent removal, perhaps because the roots threaten infrastructure or the species is invasive, simply cutting the trunk may not be enough. Repeatedly cutting new shoots can gradually exhaust some trees, but other species may require professional stump or root treatment.
Avoid pouring salt, diesel, bleach, used oil, or other household chemicals onto a stump. These substances can damage the surrounding soil, groundwater, insects, and nearby plants without providing safe or reliable control.
How much is too much?
As a general rule, it is safer to remove a modest portion of a living canopy at one time. Severe pruning takes away the leaves a tree uses to produce energy and may suddenly expose previously shaded bark to intense tropical sunlight.
Costa Rica’s SINAC states that cutting branches generally does not require an administrative permit when it does not harm the tree and involves less than 50 percent of its crown. Tree removal is different and may require authorization, depending on the location, species, land classification, and circumstances. Trees in protected areas, along waterways, on public land, or involving regulated species may be subject to additional restrictions. [3]
Check ESM’s rules before beginning
Before undertaking major pruning, crown reduction, pollarding, coppicing, or tree removal on your new lot, owners should review and follow ESM’s tree-related rules and approval procedures. Trees can affect neighboring properties, shared views, wildlife habitat, drainage, roads, utilities, and the overall character of our community. Even when a tree is located entirely within a private lot, approval may be required before significantly reducing or removing it.
Check with ESM’s administrator, Warner, before hiring workers or beginning a major project. ESM approval does not replace any permit that may also be required by SINAC, the municipality, or another Costa Rican authority. A quick conversation beforehand can prevent misunderstandings, unnecessary damage, and costly corrective work later.
When to call a professional
Professional assistance is especially important when:
A tree is close to a house, road, wall, or power line.
Large branches are dead, cracked, hanging, or decayed.
The trunk is leaning or the surrounding soil is lifting.
There are large cavities, mushrooms, or signs of root damage.
Climbing or a chainsaw would be required.
The tree species is unknown.
More than a small portion of the canopy must be removed.
Working with nature
Trees cool our homes, stabilize soil, shelter wildlife, absorb rain, and give our community much of its beauty. Managing them well does not mean allowing every tree to grow everywhere without limits. It means understanding how each tree is likely to respond before making the first cut.
Occasionally, removal is the safest decision. A thoughtful decision, and a thoughtful cut, can shape a healthier, safer tree and community for many years to come.
[Closing tagline, e.g., “Questions before you cut? Start with a conversation.”]
Notes
University of Florida, tropical-tree pruning guidance
International Society of Arboriculture, guidance on topping and crown reduction
SINAC guidance on pruning and tree removal