One of the common projects we encounter is the lifting of the crown on trees so not to obstruct pathways below. This particular project was to lift the crown of an oak tree to 4.5 metres to allow for the cycle way and driveway clearance.
Firstly we need to clean through the crown of the tree to remove any dead wood, crossed and damaged branches, and general maintenance to make sure the tree wouldn’t present a future hazard to the people using the cycle way below.
As an added requirement the tree was directly under some overhead cables, and needed to be pruned to provide a 0.5m clearance.
We then thinned the crown by pruning the outermost branch tips by up to 2m to suitable side forms/side branches. This was to maintain the crown size in relation to its surroundings, and keep the beautiful shape, typical of an oak tree.
The whole project required the use of an access platform to carry out the work safely, with the addition of full road signage. The tree stood adjacent to a main road, so safety was paramount when carrying out this kind of delicate operation in a public area.
The finished project resulted in a beautifully pruned tree that now doesn’t present any form of hazard to the general public.
You can see from the adjacent image that the tree is looking fabulous with a nice balance and shape to it.