Caring for Our Trees

When trees are young they need extra care. They must be held up or staked for support and watered a lot before they grow their deep roots. Even when they grow up most trees will need extra water during hot, dry summers. Sometimes trees need to be cut in a certain way that helps them stay healthy or bear more fruit. This is called pruning. Cutting too many branches however, or over pruning can be very harmful to a tree. If someone cuts more than a quarter or 25% of a tree's branches, it is called topping. Topping really hurts trees. It can starve and kill trees. Topping is so bad for trees that it is against the law to do it in San Francisco.