Crown Reduction

Crown reduction is a reduction in the height and/or spread of a tree’s crown (the foliage bearing sections). Crown reduction can be used to minimise mechanical stress on individual branches or the entire tree, to adapt the tree to its immediate surroundings, or to mitigate the consequences of shade and light loss.
When combined with crown lowering and thinning, a whole tree reduction can greatly open up the area around a tree and boost the light and sense of space in your landscape.

However, there is a limit to how much you can remove off a tree. A large mature tree cannot be simply chopped down to a considerably lesser size without causing substantial long-term harm and decline. 30% of the tree’s “volume” is widely regarded as the upper limit for how much a tree can be decreased, and every cut must be made in the correct location to minimise “die-back” and future degradation.

If a qualified tree surgeon prunes a tree, it should still have a natural appearance that respects the form and structure of that specific species. If a tree appears to have been clearly cut back, it was most likely done wrongly. “Stubby” branches indicate that the person who cut the tree lacked the essential knowledge and skill. Look at the Before and After photographs on their website before hiring a tree surgeon or arborist in Manchester or Cheshire to trim your trees. This will give you a decent idea of what you may expect from yours.

The photographs below show crown reductions performed by our tree surgeon teams for various clients in Manchester and Cheshire.