If you cut a flowering dogwood (30 feet tall) at 20 feet will it survive?

Question

1. the flowers are white
2. its in my backyard
3. my cat climbs it sometimes
4. it seems to be lodged between two huge stones
5. all the branches are cut off so its just the trunk thats15-20 feet tall

Answer 1

it should survive. you have to make sure you seel the top of the trunk or it will rot from the top down. i had to remove a tree from my yard. the previous owner topped it and did not seel it, it died.

Answer 2

Why on earth you would want to cut a mature flowering tree down is beyond me but it will look like crap. It sounds as if its been butchered already. It may survive but the poor thing is going to look pitiful. With no side branches to make leaves it will probably die. Leaves are what a tree needs in order to make food. If you cut the top and cut the side branches off where will the leaves come from? You are slowly killing it. If the cat climbs up the tree, the cat can get back down it too, in case that's the reasoning for killing the tree.
By the way, cutting the top back down from a mature tree is called "Topping", something that's not usually recommended and makes most of us gardeners who know how to prune responsibly 'CRINGE".

Answer 3

That's Gods tree Haven't you seen our savors nail marks on the flowers.. if you cut or trim, do with caution ..bad things happen to people that fool with god... Also never kill a bird they are Gods chickens and baby's are God children... just a thought..

Answer 4

yes it will, what I can't understand is why the branches are cut off dogwood trees are really pretty.

Answer 5

I don't know dog wood, but my neighbour is a skilled gardener and he just cut ten feet of his conifers. He's a rich man and I'd be surprised if they don't love it

Answer 6

It will surivive if Chuck Norris decides it will survive.

Answer 7

Shame on you, you have most likely killed that beautiful tree.