Tree Pruning In Nottingham
The right pruning keeps a tree safe, healthy and in proportion with your garden, whilst the wrong cuts can cause damage that lasts for decades. WRS Tree Services Limited provides careful tree pruning in Nottingham, choosing every cut based on what your tree needs and what you want to achieve.
- Crown lifting, thinning and cleaning.
- Pollarding and re-pollarding on established cycles.
- Branches cleared from buildings, roads and footpaths.
- Ivy and risky deadwood removed from the crown.
- Every cut made to a proper growth point.
Types Of Tree Pruning
Each type of pruning produces a very different result, so choosing the right one is the most important decision in the whole job.
Our tree surgeons are always on hand to advise on the most suitable form of pruning for your tree.
Crown Lifting
Crown lifting removes or shortens the lowest branches to clear driveways, paths and lawns. We specify it to a fixed height, such as 2.5 metres above a lawn, so you know exactly what the result will be.
Good practice limits a lift to less than 15% of the live crown height in one go, with the remaining crown making up at least two thirds of the tree's height. On mature trees, large branches are shortened rather than removed from the trunk, and big lifts are staged over several years.
Crown Thinning
Crown thinning removes a proportion of smaller branches evenly throughout the crown, letting more light and air through without changing the tree's size or shape. The total removed should not exceed 30% of the foliage bearing branches.
Thinning won't make a tree smaller, and species such as lime often respond with masses of new shoots, so they usually need thinning again every few years.
Crown Cleaning
Crown cleaning removes dead, diseased, damaged and crossing branches, along with weak forks and old broken stubs. On veteran trees and trees with high wildlife value, some deadwood is kept for the habitat it provides.
Tree Pollarding
Pollarding cuts a tree back to a framework of main branches, then removes the regrowth on a regular cycle, often every three to five years for Lime, Plane and Willow. Pollards should be started whilst a tree is young. A pollard left too long grows heavy, weakly attached branches that need bringing back into cycle gradually.
Branches Over Roads & Footpaths
Keeping overhanging branches clear of public roads and pavements is the landowner's responsibility. Nottinghamshire County Council can require an owner to remove a danger to road users within 14 days, and may do the work and recover the cost if they don't.
Councils commonly expect around 2.4 metres of clearance above footways and 5.2 metres above roads. Wet, leafy branches can hang up to a metre lower than in winter, so we allow for this.
Deadwood & Ivy
Deadwood is a valuable habitat for beetles, fungi, bats and birds, so we only remove it where it could fall onto people, homes, cars or play areas. Ivy isn't a parasite, but once it takes over the crown it adds weight, catches the wind and can hide splits, cavities and decay.
The Difference A Correct Cut Makes
Every branch joins the trunk at a slightly swollen area called the branch collar, where the tree is best able to seal off a wound. A good cut sits just outside the collar, removing no protective tissue and leaving no stub.
When a branch is shortened, it's cut back to a side branch at least a third of the diameter of the piece removed. Heavier branches are removed with a sequence of cuts so the bark doesn't tear as they fall.
When To Prune A Tree
Many deciduous trees are best pruned whilst dormant, between leaf fall and midwinter, and heavy pruning is best avoided during the spring flush of new growth.
Some species need their own timing to avoid bleeding sap, such as Magnolias and Walnuts between midsummer and early autumn. We also avoid pruning trees under stress from drought, and every tree is checked for nesting birds before cutting.
Pruning Mistakes That Cause Lasting Damage
- Flush cuts: large wounds that let decay in.
- Lion's tailing: stripping inner branches and leaving foliage only at the tips.
- Over lifting: removing so many low branches that the tree becomes top heavy.
- Heavy thinning: taking more than 30% and triggering dense regrowth.
- Tiny growth points: cutting back to side shoots too small to take over.
Tree Pruning Questions
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Do I need permission to prune a tree?
Yes, if the tree has a Tree Preservation Order or stands in a conservation area. We can check the tree's status and handle the application for you.
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Can I cut back branches from my neighbour's tree?
You can normally cut overhanging branches back to your boundary, but not beyond it, and the cuttings should be offered back to the owner. Protection orders still apply, so check the tree's status first.
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Will pruning make my tree grow back thicker?
Heavy pruning often does, as the tree responds with a flush of dense shoots. Keeping each pruning treatment within sensible limits produces a more natural result.
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Should pruning cuts be painted or sealed?
Usually not, as wound paints can trap moisture and encourage infection. Plums and Cherries are the main exception, where paint may help keep out silver leaf spores.
Request A Quote For Tree Pruning
Whether your tree needs a light clean, a crown lift over the drive or regular pollarding, we'll recommend the approach that keeps it healthy.
Call us on
0115 971 3590
to arrange a visit and talk through what you'd like to achieve.