Crown Thinning

IMAG0660Crown thinning is the removal of live, healthy branches on trees with dense or heavy crowns.  This improves light penetration and air movement, and decreases wind resistance, thus reducing pest infestations and decreasing the risk of storm damage.

Thinning can also be used to reduce weight of individual limbs and to slow the growth rate on overly vigorous limbs. This pruning technique is most commonly needed on young, fast growing trees.

On slower growing mature trees, thinning is mainly used when weight reduction is needed on individual limbs to compensate for structural defects.  Usually, thinning is performed in conjunction with crown cleaning.

Virtually all-urban trees benefit from annual or periodic crown cleaning. This is the removal of defective limbs including those that are dead, dying, diseased, rubbing, and structurally unsound. Cleaning reduces the risk of branch failures, improves plant health and enhances tree appearance by removing limbs that are unsightly, unhealthy and unsound.