Most doctors advise against overexposure to the sun.
Topping is the indiscriminate cutting back of tree branches to stubs or lateral branches that are not large enough to assume the terminal role. The result may be sunburn of the tissues beneath the bark, which can lead to bark splitting and death of some branches. The most common reason for topping trees is to reduce the size of trees to avoid hazards. However, topping is not a viable method of height reduction and makes trees more susceptible to the elements over the long run. Avoid Crash Dieting Topping often removes 50 to 100 percent of the leaf-bearing crown of a tree.