122 Kuhns and Reiter: Tree Care and Topping Beliefs Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 2009. 35(3): 122–128 Tree Care and Topping Beliefs, Knowledge, and Practices in Six Western U.S. Cities Michael R. Kuhns and Douglas K. Reiter Abstract. A survey of households was conducted in six cities in the interior western United States to determine homeowners’ knowledge of tree biology and tree care and their knowledge and practice of topping. Tree biology and tree care knowledge was low, depending on the specific subject, and few respondents had any formal training in tree care. Respondents’ topping knowledge was moderate to poor if they had topped trees before, regardless of whether they received a topping-related educational brochure. Those who had not previously topped trees were fairly knowledgeable and the brochure increased knowledge in some cases. Topping was fairly commonly practiced, even by those who cared about trees, and often was done for safety and to improve tree appearance and tree health. Amongst those who had topped trees, the survey explored who performed the topping, why it was done, and their satisfaction with the practice. Examples of ways the tree care industry and others may be contributing to misunderstanding, such as inconsistent practices, are discussed. Recommendations are made for changing knowledge and attitudes about tree care as well. Key Words. Planting; Pruning; Topping; Tree Care; Urban Forestry. Peoples’ knowledge of tree biology and tree care may affect wheth- er and how they care for their trees, whether they understand the need to hire an arborist to work with their trees, their perceptions of the quality of tree care, and possibly even their support of and feelings about those working in arboriculture and urban forestry. It also seems likely that support for or condemnation of poor tree care practices (e.g., topping) is affected by peoples’ knowledge level. Through twenty years of extension forestry work provid- ing tree care education, this study’s authors have found that the least publicly understood tree and tree care subjects are general tree biology, tree roots and soils, planting techniques, fertiliza- tion, and pruning. The authors have also observed that arborists and urban foresters often misunderstand these same subjects. Topping is an especially troublesome practice in which trees are indiscriminately pruned with heading cuts, leading to poor wound closure, decay, and prolific sprouting (Karlovich et al. 2000). Topping is apparently performed to make trees smaller, reduce hazard, and promote vigor. The practice has been the target of public relations campaigns (e.g., the National Arbor Day Foundation’s “Don’t Top Trees” bulletin; Fazio 1989), but still is fairly common. Kuhns et al. (2005) reported that 57% of communities in the state of Utah reported significant top- ping of private trees, though only 14% of communities topped public trees. Topping of public trees was similarly low in Cali- fornia (20% of street and park trees) (Thompson and Ahern 2000), but 75% of northeastern Pennsylvania communities re- ported that trees were being topped or incorrectly pruned (El- mendorf et al. 2003). In Missouri, 12% of the street trees exam- ined in 44 communities in 1999 had been topped (Gartner et al. 2002). Karlovich et al. (2000) found that 27% of trees in four southern Illinois communities appeared to have been topped. Limited information exists on attitudes, knowledge, and practices of individuals regarding tree care and topping. Close ©2009 International Society of Arboriculture et al. (2001) studied knowledge and attitudes about topping of trees in Illinois, finding that people generally did not understand the consequences of topping. Fazio and Krumpe (1999) studied the same subject in the state of Idaho. They found that people who top trees usually decide to do so based on incorrect no- tions about trees and tree care, and that over one-third of tree care companies in the area offered topping as one of their ser- vices. They also found that people were largely ignorant of tree care practices, with only six percent of respondents getting more than a 50% score on an eight-question tree care quiz. Schroeder et al. (2003) reported that 55% of those responsible for public tree care in Illinois communities had no tree-related training. This study’s objectives were to examine whether the pub- lic in six western U.S. cities understood a number of important and easily misunderstood arboricultural concepts and practices related to tree root systems and root care, planting, pruning, and fertilization. It examined what people know and feel about topping, whether they have topped, why, who did it, and the ef- fects of receiving an anti-topping educational brochure on their knowledge and feelings. The study also examined what tree education sources people used and their trust in those sources. The overall objective was to find out what people know and do not know about tree care so education can be more effective. METHODS In 2004, a mail survey was conducted of households in the in- terior western U.S. cities of Boise, Idaho; Salt Lake City, Utah; Phoenix, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Denver, Colo- rado; and Cheyenne, Wyoming. All six cities are the largest cities and the state capitals in their respective states (with the exception of Albuquerque), and all six are Tree City USA cit- ies (NADF 2008a). The primary reason for the survey was to
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