If this species is the tree I'm thinking about, grown widely in the deep
south for its foliage which can be used in flower arrangements and so forth,
it is a very small tree - almost like a tall shrub, except that it is
usually single-trunked. It often tops out at 20 feet or so - and also the
top portions (newer growth) of the tree are very susceptible to frost-damage
below 20 degrees, and die back to branches that are more hardened off. So I
don't think topping it will either create a dangerous tree in the future or
cause any lasting damage more than the climate itself creates.
"Treedweller" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 13:50:04 -0700, David Ross
wrote:


Those who advised against topping apparently have no experience
with eucalyptus. They respond quite well to being cut, not merely
topping but severely cut back.

It's true, I don't see many eucs here. But what you've described
below is a way to have a euc bush and a source of poles/firewood, not
a tree.
Cut the tree at about waist height. It will resprout at the cut.
Wait about a year. Select what you consider to be the best shoot
and remove the others.

If you wish, redo the cut at an angle away from the shoot you keep
(similar to how you cut a rose, angling away from the growth bud
you expect to sprout). You do this after removing the unwanted
shoots. This "sculpting" of the cut is optional.

In about 5 years, you might not even notice that the tree was ever
cut. In 10 years, no one can tell.
Until the internal defects worsen to the point of having the whole
branch above that point break and fall on the house.

Repeat every 5-10 years to keep the tree in check. Save the larger
pieces of tree. Stack them where they can dry. They make a very
aromatic firewood.

Four acres of some eucalyptus varieties are sufficient to supply a
family with a permanent source of firewood for cooking, heating,
and hot water. You harvest one acre each year and let it dry until
the next acre is harvested. After four years (after the other
three acres are harvested), the first acre has enough regrowth to
be harvested again.
All well and good if you have four acres, but, I repeat, you do not
want a topped tree looming over your house, as the OP now has.

k