The city?EUR??,,????'???s tree advisory board, which is composed of nine members representing a cross section of the community, is in the process of drafting a citywide ordinance that would regulate tree-pruning practices on commercial and industrial properties in Simi Valley.

According to Jerry Clark, a landscape architect with the city?EUR??,,????'???s department of environmental services, the ordinance would impose fines on businesses that allow tree-topping on their property. Tree-topping is the indiscriminate removal of a tree?EUR??,,????'???s canopy by cutting off large branches and the main stem, leaving large branch stubs.

?EUR??,,????'??Not only does it disfigure the tree but it actually generates more branches in the future,?EUR??,,????'?? Clark said. ?EUR??,,????'??It creates more problems than it does good.?EUR??,,????'??

Topping can also lead to a tree?EUR??,,????'???s death, Clark continued, if done repeatedly or if done one time severely.

?EUR??,,????'??Ultimately it can bring on a slow death because the tree no longer has the leaf structure to generate enough energy through the photosynthesis process to keep it alive,?EUR??,,????'?? he said.

Though tree-topping is still commonly performed by landscapers, it has long been frowned upon by environmentalists and tree lovers alike for the harm it does.

When a tree is topped, Clark explained, the new branches that grow in are not as strong as the original ones. So when California?EUR??,,????'???s notorious Santa Ana winds start whipping up, the danger of a limb snapping is increased.

Currently, there are no city statues in place regulating tree pruning, only the removal of trees. If adopted by the City Council, the ordinance would be one of the few of its kind in Southern California.

Source: Simi Valley Acorn