Tree crown raising or reduction
Careful management of tree height and spread
Our team of arborists are experts at managing the height and spread of trees to keep them healthy, attractive and suitable for their location.
Crown raising involves fully or partially removing the lower branches of the tree. This pruning technique often improves the overall appearance of a tree. It also lets more light reach the area underneath the tree and the surrounding garden.
Crown reduction is used to reduce the overall height and span of the tree, by cutting branches back to growth points that are closer to the main stem (trunk) of the tree. This is a great option for increasing the safety of trees, especially in urban environments and specimens that are close to buildings.
Frequently asked questions
The tree crown is the uppermost part of the tree, including all branches, stems and leaves. Crown shapes vary from tree to tree, for example they can be round, conical, columnar or weeping.
Raising the crown of your tree offers several potential benefits:
- Improve the overall structure and appearance of the tree.
- Increase light under the tree to help nearby plants or lawn to flourish.
- Clear branches which are blocking paths, driveways, signage or lighting.
Yes, these are different terms for the same thing.
Reducing the tree crown size, either in terms of height, width or both, offers many benefits:
- Opportunity to remove diseased or damaged branches which could fall or spread decay and disease to healthy parts of the tree.
- Improve tree health through increased light penetration and air circulation.
- Reduce the risk of storm damage by selectively reducing the overall weight of the tree and stress on each branch.
- Stop trees encroaching on roofs, windows, signage, vents, lighting or cables.
- Enhance the natural shape of the tree, or restore balance to a damaged tree.
If your tree has a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) and/or is situated within a conservation area, it is likely that you will need planning permission to raise or reduce the crown. When we visit your site for your initial consultation we’ll assess the work required and advise you about whether consent may be required.
For further information regarding TPOs and trees within conservation areas, please see the government guidance.
This depends on the purpose of the work, species of tree and time of year, but we generally won’t remove more than 25% of the crown to ensure the best response and regrowth.
Yes, find out more about our crown thinning services.
These will be chopped or chipped on site and we can either remove the wood or, if you prefer, leave it with you.