Crown reduction by species
Every species responds differently to crown reduction. Pick your tree below for timing, tolerance, regrowth, and the legal and disease considerations that apply specifically to it.
UK species
Choose your tree
Ash
Fraxinus excelsior
Ash is one of the UK's most common large trees. Ash dieback has changed what crown reduction means for it.
View ash guide
Beech
Fagus sylvatica
Magnificent at maturity. Less forgiving of poorly timed or over-specified reduction than most people realise.
View beech guide
Cedar
Cedrus spp.
Cedar is magnificent, long-lived, and less forgiving of poor reduction work than almost any other tree in UK gardens.
View cedar guide
Cherry
Prunus avium and ornamental Prunus spp.
Cherry is the one tree where getting the season wrong genuinely risks losing it.
View cherry guide
Common Lime
Tilia × europaea
The most forgiving tree to reduce. Also the one that grows back fastest.
View common lime guide
Horse Chestnut
Aesculus hippocastanum
Generous shade, structural branches, and health challenges that make assessment more important than ever.
View horse chestnut guide
London Plane
Platanus × acerifolia
The tree that built London's green canopy. And the one that generates more urban tree management jobs than almost any other.
View london plane guide
Oak
Quercus robur
The most common large tree in English gardens. And one of the most commonly protected.
View oak guide
Poplar
Populus spp.
Fast, tall, and frequently planted too close to everything.
View poplar guide
Silver Birch
Betula pendula
The most popular garden tree in the UK. And the one most likely to overhang a neighbour's garden within ten years.
View silver birch guide
Sweet Chestnut
Castanea sativa
One of Britain's longest-lived trees, and one that frequently needs managing before it overwhelms its setting.
View sweet chestnut guide
Sycamore
Acer pseudoplatanus
Fast, vigorous, and seemingly everywhere. Sycamore is the tree that never quite fits the space it's been given.
View sycamore guide
Walnut
Juglans regia
Walnut is particular about when it is pruned. Get the timing right and it responds well.
View walnut guide
Willow
Salix spp.
Willow grows fast, reaches far, and drinks more than any other tree in common UK planting.
View willow guide
Tree outgrown its setting? Let's reduce it properly.
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