Canopy reduction

When a tree outgrows its environment (for aesthetic or safety considerations), canopy reductions are used to recreate shape and structure by shortening the overall branch length by up to 30%.

Goddard Tree Surgeons are experts in understanding how, when and how much the tree canopy should be reduced, its important to get this right to ensure good re-growth. Crown reduction is one of the most common tree pruning techniques we use, it involves bringing the foliage from the outer edges of the tree into the crown, reducing the overall height and spread of the tree.

Depending on the tree involved and the intended effect there are several tree pruning and canopy reduction strategies that we will consider; more mature trees may require either Crown Thinning (removing branches to make the tree less dense), Crown Reduction (cutting the ends of all the branches to reduce the overall size of the tree), or Crown Lifting (removing the lowest branches).

When is the best time of year to reduce the canopy of a tree?

The time of year to complete canopy reduction is very much dependent on the species of tree; many trees are best pruned in late summer when healing is most rapid.

However other deciduous trees are best pruned during the winter when the branches are more visible. It can be said that it is more important how a tree is reduced rather than when.