Your Guide to Tree Pruning and Tree Removal
Are you looking to have a tree pruned or removed from your garden? If so, then below we will explain your options.
Your first step is to find out if your tree or trees are protected by a Tree Protection Order (TPO). It is essential that you find out before your start work on a tree. A Wolverhampton carer was fined £1,000 for illegally removing trees, covered by a Tree Protection Order (TPO), from her back garden. Many gardeners and others will not check if a TPO is in place before they start work.
You can often check to see if your trees are protected on-line. For example, Birmingham City Council has an on-line map where you can see protected trees in your area (link to https://localview.birmingham.gov.uk/Planning/Sites/TPO/).
If your tree or trees are protected, then you need to be granted permission before you can start work on them. We can help you to get permission.
Tree Pruning
In most cases, you will want to keep your trees but they may have become too tall or too dense so that you don’t have much natural light or they may have started to pose a danger by overhanging another’s property or become so dense that they are a liability in high wind.
In these cases, you have several options:
Crown Reduction
This is the most common option where the height and/or spread of the crown are reduced to suit your requirements and to reduce the mechanical stress on the tree and its branches making it and them less likely to fail.
Crown Thinning
Crown thinning is the removal of a portion of your tree’s smaller branches.
No more than 30% of the material is removed and crown thinning does not alter the overall size or shape of the tree. It does make it less dense though so that more light can pass through the canopy and the tree is less likely to be damaged by high winds.
Crown Raising
This is where the lowest branches are removed so that the height the crown starts at is raised. This is an effective method to allow more light through and give you more space under your tree.
Tree Lopping and Tree Topping
Tree lopping is the process of indiscriminately clearing away large number of branches or limbs, or even shortening trunks.
Tree topping is where large sections of the crown (or even the whole crown) is removed by making horizontal cuts.
Tree lopping and tree topping are heavy handed and damaging techniques used indiscriminately by unqualified people.
Yes, it is important to remove dead branches and the tree should be shaped to suit your needs but this should be done with precision pruning that is determined and performed by an Arborist.
Tree Removal
Sometimes the best or only option is to remove a tree. Trees can be removed by “felling in one” or sectional dismantling. A tree must be dismantled in sections when it is surrounded by obstacles, such as buildings, fences, other trees etc. as is usually the case in gardens.
Sectional dismantling is a tricky task and can go badly wrong if not done by Certified Arborists.
Tree Stump Removal
If we remove your tree, we can also remove the stump. Unfortunately, many gardeners and other unqualified people who work on trees don’t have the necessary equipment or technical knowledge to carry out these operations
In all cases, we highly recommend that for your peace of mind and to get the job done right that you employ an arborist to undertake your tree pruning or tree removal.
If you are looking for tree cutting or tree removal, then contact your friendly arborists at EOS on 01531 650012 or at office@eoscontracting.co.uk
