Services

Crown Thinning

Pruning for air movement, light penetration, which also lawn to grow in the shaded areas around tree, reduced wind sail effect and heavy limbs.

Crown Thinning – Things to Consider

Crown thinning is a pruning technique where secondary branches of a tree are thinned out to create a well-balanced crown. In a tree’s branch structure, secondary branches are those that come from scaffold branches, which in turn, are the basic limbs seen in a tree’s canopy.

If you are looking for tree thinning specialists for crown thinning, call ALS Tree Service today. Our crown thinning services are available for residential and commercial properties in the Greater Sydney and the Blue Mountains regions.

Thinning branches in a tree structure is a complex process that requires utmost care and expertise. Thinning the crown has a number of advantages, but the technique needs to be right.

Standard Thinning Measurement is 10%

Thinning is performed mainly on trees with broad leaves. The process is also used when pruning fruit trees. The correct technique involves removal of secondary branches thereby reducing the density of the canopy without impacting the tree’s shape and size on the whole.

A standard thinning cut should be between 10% and 15% of the live crown. The maximum limit on thinning is 25%, especially in the case of mature trees. For best results, thinning should be carried out once a year.

Excessive thinning can have an adverse impact on tree health. It also affects the overall evenness and density of the tree’s branches, making the tree look unsightly.

Thinning Should Include Crown Cleaning

Crown cleaning involves selective removal of branches that are weak, dead, diseased or are on the verge of death. It also includes removal of water-sprouts.

By not including crown cleaning in the process, such defective branches are left ignored, which can impact other branches and result in the deterioration of tree health.

Improper Thinning Deprives Trees of Several Benefits

When done the right way, thinning of the crown delivers the following benefits:

• Increasing light in the midst of the tree- Improved levels of sunlight are essential for the healthier growth of a tree.
• Improved air movement – This is essential for the well-being of the tree
• Lighter canopy – A lightweight open canopy gives a fresh and beautiful look to the tree and the landscape
• Healthy branch volume – Excessive branch growth not only affects the air movement and light levels entering the tree but also the growth of other plants in the neighbourhood.

Expert thinning removes branches the way they need to be, allowing enough space for the tree and all other plants in the vicinity to thrive.

• Better pest management - A thicker canopy attracts fungus and pests such as birds and rodents as they have a moist and darker space to breed and thrive. With proper thinning, pest mess can be reduced.
• Increased tree safety – With proper thinning, trees have a well-formed canopy that can handle wind resistance This is important to protect trees from causing damage to property and injury to people during heavy storms and rainfall.

By thinning out limbs, wind load on the branches is eased and risk of damage is reduced.

ALS Tree Service Sydney offers other pruning techniques including crown reducing / crown reduction and crown lifting. We also offer a range of other tree maintenance and tree removal services under a single roof.

Call us at (02) 4774 8064 for more information.