General Discussion

My grandfather "topped" his trees to keep them from getting too tall, but he never had particularly tall trees so it didn't much matter. Most arborists now say topping trees is counterproductive and may put the tree at risk for infection and early death.

My father bought a lot with several VERY tall pine trees, several of which were appallingly injured by the construction crew who built the house. This left them vulnerable to beetle larvae, and most had to be cut down to keep them from falling down. Very expensive. Lots of pines here in the South, but not good to build your house too close to them. There are several trees in our neighbors' yards which sway most disconcertingly in high winds. It's easy to guess which will be the first ones to be blown down.

PS: If you want birds nesting, go for hardwoods over conifers. Unless you like woodpeckers.