No, you would have created a slow removal.
If he tops trees, he is not. You can tell him/her I said so.
Topping is frowned upon in the arborist world, world wide. I talk with many of them. I am not a certified arborist but, I practice good driving habits and learned the trade in the field by some who are certified, and others who have been in the trade for decades. The only way I would take out a top is if the tree was dangerously threatening the home owner and, they couldn't afford a complete removal.
Topping dense hardwoods is an immediate death sentence. Even with some lower limbs/leaders left to "live." Softwoods are worse. They try hard to survive and since they are fast growers, they will sprout out new life around the perimeter of the cut/s. This new union of wood is weak and as the the new growth grows, it's weight is sure to tear it off it's origin.
I will share some photos, I used to question it too
Generally, yes, agreed with most of what you are saying
Over the past 15 years I have seen many, many oaks of this type topped. I realize that isn’t very long in tree cycles, but that is the duration of my first hand experience witnessing this. I remember saying to my wife as we drove along, OMG, those knuckleheads just killed another row of beautiful oaks! I’ve been proven wrong.
Instant death sentence ? not these…it’s a slow, slow death…enough to harvest the re growth multiple times
I have oak trees on my boundaries that were topped around 20 years ago (the farmer told me that and you can see it)…and they appear in great shape…the bugs, moles and excess wet, tho, are much more of a threat
My arborists (who has a university degree) also mostly agrees with you, but, I assure you, in practice, the majority of these oaks survive and even flourish. When I first met him I wanted to top some hollies, and he said no chance, they’ll just die…and he is dead set against topping…except these particular type of oaks and various other required tree trimming
I’ve spent plenty of my life stuck in my ways, yet sometimes we discover things that go against what we’ve come to view as “law”…topping these oaks ticks that box