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I have a dawn redwood in my city garden. It's starting to grow higher than the surrounding buildings (about 20 to 25 metres), leading to higher winds near the top than the tree was used to for the past decades. We are considering topping the tree to keep it lower than the surrounding roofs. I've however heard that topping some trees (including some related to the dawn redwood) is a bad idea.

Does anyone have specific information about the dawn redwood?

The main goal would be to keep it in our garden as long as possible. It's clear that if it keeps growing, it will have to go at some point in the future. If topping can extend its life by 10 or 20 years, that would be worth it. If topping is likely to make it more dangerous in the near future, I'd rather let the tree grow for a few more years before cutting it down.

FrederikVds
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  • There is another post here on [topping redwood trees](https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/9179/is-it-okay-to-top-a-redwood-tree). But I disagree. While it may not be the best for the tree's look and health, I dont see how it makes the tree dangerous. – Rohit Gupta Jun 14 '23 at 12:32
  • @RohitGupta I saw that question but I assume it's about a coast redwood. They're related to the dawn redwood but there are quite a few differences. The coast redwood is evergreen while the dawn redwood is deciduous and the coast redwood grows much larger. So I'm not sure the answers there are directly applicable here. – FrederikVds Jun 14 '23 at 14:22
  • @RohitGupta just a few factors: instability and top-heaviness, increased risk of splitting and breakage, and that continuously gets worse the more regrowth you get at the top. – Stephie Jun 14 '23 at 19:37
  • Surely the worry should not be so much as regards the risk of the tree falling in a wind on a neighbouring property but the risk that as the years go on, the root structure were greatly exceed its footprint. In one online source it stated that whilst the Dawn Redwood has a tap root that grows down only 3 ft, the radial root structure can be extensive and sufficiently resilient to damage buildings even growing through structures and foundations. It might leave Frederik with litigation if he does not do something about this tree surely? Ask your insurer and order a proper arborists report now?? – Nikki Jun 15 '23 at 03:04
  • @Nikki Can you link that source? I find conflicting information online. The tree is about 15 metres away from the nearest buildings. – FrederikVds Jun 15 '23 at 07:25

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