By thinning a tree’s crown you allow light and air to circulate throughout its canopy, leading to happier, healthier trees at lower risk of disease and infestation. Let our crown thinning experts revitalise your trees today!
Crown Thinning
Crown Thinning in South East London
✔ 100s of happy customers
✔ Free, no obligation quote
✔ 30+ years experience
✔ ARB accredited
“I am delighted with the crown reduction work: the team arrived on time, were polite and courteous throughout, and their clean-up was so thorough that there were less leaves on the ground after they left than there were before they arrived!”
– Read more testimonials here
About our Crown Thinning services
As a tree grows its canopy gets denser and heavier. This can reduce airflow within the canopy and prevent light getting to some of the leaves, both of which can impact the tree’s health.
Crown thinning is the process of removing selected branches from a tree’s crown. By thinning the crown, light and air is able to circulate throughout the tree’s canopy, improving its health, and reducing the risk of disease and infestation. All while keeping the overall shape of the tree unchanged.
By reducing the weight of the canopy, pressure is reduced on the trunk and branches. Again, this helps the tree to stay stronger.
Crown thinning before and after
On the left you can see an overgrown crown with tightly crowded branches. On the right you’ll notice a lot more space between branches, allowing airflow and healthier growth.
When do tree crowns need thinning?
Thinning can also be used to reduce limb weight on mature tree, in order to compensate for structural defects such as cracks, hollows and cavities. This involves the selective removal of secondary branches within the crown to open up the tree. Crossing and competing branches are mostly removed, which reduces the risk of infection through abrasions in the bark, where it has been rubbed off.
Thinning also reduces the risk of wind throw (branches snapping off due to heavy winds).
Unfortunately, a lot of tree surgeons misunderstand the reasons for thinning by only removing branches from the interior of the canopy. This is often referred to as lion tailing. Little or nothing is removed from the ends of the limbs, resulting in too much weight being concentrated at the ends of the branches, which causes limbs to over elongate. It can also cause excessive epicormic growth – where branches inherently become weaker.
Hence, thinning evenly allows to transform a tree from being a huge, messy bush-like structure to being a monument of nature, where the beauty of the bark and branch structure can be much more visible and emphasized next to the foliage. It also allows more light in, around and under the tree, particularly valuable in small urban gardens, were light is scarce.
We make Crown Thinning simple
Say hello to happier, healthier trees with improved canopy airflow, neater aesthetics, and reduced risk of disease and infestation.
… your journey starts here.
Why choose TreesUK
We're ARB accredited
We're proud to be accredited by the most comprehensive accreditation scheme for UK tree surgery businesses. You can view our other accreditations here, too.
We're trusted on Checkatrade
We do right by our customers, and we're proud to have an extensive and growing collection of customer reviews over on our Checkatrade page.
All major payments accepted
For your ease and peace of mind we accept all major payment methods: whichever is most convenient for you.
Our process
Step 1 - Consultation
Every customer has unique requirements. Before each project we discuss the client's ideas before suggesting work we feel needs to be done. Based on this consultation we provide a quote and propose a plan.
Step 2 - The work
Our highly skilled team will spend time preparing the site and planning the job. In close consultation with the customer we will explain each stage of the job and clear up meticulously at the end.
Step 3 - Aftercare
Whether as part of a maintenance service or simply a follow-up call we believe that revisiting the work increases customer satisfaction. We offer flexible maintenance services to suit all customer types.
Our satisfied customers
Work with TreesUK today
You're in safe hands
All of our crown thinning work adheres to the strictest safety standards, to keep you, your property, and our team safe. Our team members are receive regular safety training, and all wear PPE including chainsaw protective trousers, boots, and hard hats with appropriate ear defenders.
We also have access to specialist equipment as each job demands, including rigging equipment, cranes, and MEWPs (Mobile Elevated Work Platforms).
We also pride ourselves on our environmental credentials: all of our wood chip gets recycled and processed to be used in power stations. Hardwoods are processed into firewood and seasoned to be only used once moisture content is below 20% in DEFRA approved wood burners.
Crown Thinning FAQs
The crown is the top part of the, tree where branches extend out from the stem.
Yes: tree topping involves removing the tops of whole branches, whereas crown thinning is the more strategic tidying of the crown. Crown thinning promotes healthier growth and is more sustainable in the long term.
Our quote will depend on the amount of work that needs doing, the number of trees, and the overall complexity of the task. During our no-obligation quote process, one of our team will talk you through the potential costs so you have an understanding of how much you’ll pay.
Crown Thinning in South East London
✔ 100s of happy customers
✔ Free, no obligation quote
✔ 30+ years experience
✔ ARB accredited
