I have a dozen or so red spire pear trees lining my driveway and they are subject to high winds. They are about 5 inches in diameter (at 3' height) and 20 to 25 feet high. I need to cut them back as I have lost two of them to strong winds already. I would like to cut about 1/3 off the top of the crown. I would really like to look at some photos or an illustration with a before and after. Any suggestions??? Please advise. Thanks! Dave

Dave: Red Spire Pears are likely get 35-45 feet in height at maturity. Attempting to maintain the trees height artifically by "Topping" will not be a good solution. The trees will regrow at the point you have cut them down to and likely even be thicker and taller than they are now. Additionally, pruning any pear "hard' will promote a disease called Fireblight, which can be very damaging. Consider canopy thinning instead. This will reduce the overall height of the canopy while allowing the wind to move through the canopy, reducing the risk of breakage in windstorms. This also reduces the amount of pruning lessening the risk for Fireblight. Contact your local Arborists for estimates and ask a lot of questions about how they intend to prune your pears.

Sincerely, Richard Hentschel