Crown reduction

What it is, and what it isn’t

Crown reduction is what we do when a tree has outgrown its spot but you want to keep it. We take the height and spread down in small cuts, working to the natural shape, so the tree keeps its form and carries on. Done properly, it should look like we haven’t been there, just a bit tidier and a bit smaller.

Done badly, you get a topped tree that grows back angry and costs you twice. A proper reduction works back to a growth point every time, keeping the branch structure intact. Topping is hacking the head off a tree at a convenient height and leaving stubs. They’re not the same job, and BS3998 is clear on which is which.

When a reduction is the right call

• The tree is too close to a building and the crown is pushing into brickwork, gutters or windows.
• A large limb is reaching over a conservatory, greenhouse or garage roof.
• The crown has gone out of balance, usually after a previous bad cut or a storm.
• A neighbour’s light or garden is being shaded by the side of the tree that’s grown out.
• Storm damage has taken a section and the tree needs reshaping to keep its form.

How we do it

• Site visit. We come and look, agree the target reduction with you, and a quote follows.
• Nesting-bird check between March and August. Legal duty, and we do it honestly. If there’s an active nest, we wait or we work around it.
• Small cuts back to a growth point, to BS3998. No stubs, no chopping. We always reduce back to growth points to keep the shape and vigour of the tree.
• Waste chipped on site, cleared on the truck. Logs stacked where you want them, arisings chipped and away, drive blown clear before we leave.

When to do it

Timing depends on the species. Most reductions are best done in the dormant season, and fruit trees run to their own rules. Not sure when yours wants doing? Check any tree or hedge’s window on the tree and hedge care calendar, or read up on when to prune apple trees and when to prune acers and magnolias.

What it costs

Every tree is different, so we quote per tree after a site visit. Species, size, access, waste and whether the tree is TPO’d all change the number. We’ll walk the job with you, agree the target reduction, and put a written quote in front of you within two working days.

What we won’t do

We don’t top trees. If someone’s told you to top an oak or a lime, ask them whether they’re NPTC qualified and what BS3998 says about it. Topping is a near-guaranteed way to shorten a tree’s life and double the cost over ten years, and we won’t do it. We’ll offer a proper crown reduction instead, or we’ll explain honestly if felling is the right answer.

TPOs and conservation areas

If your tree sits in a conservation area and is over 75mm in diameter at 1.5 metres off the ground, you generally need to file a Section 211 notice with the council before any work starts. The council then has six weeks to respond. A TPO’d tree is a separate process and needs a formal application, regardless of the conservation area status. We file the paperwork with your local council on your behalf, with the method, the species and the reason, and we wait the clock out before we put a saw in.