Along with structural pruning, trees will require additional maintenance as they grow and mature. Crown raising, crown thinning, crown cleaning, and crown reduction are additional pruning or tree trimming services Connor Tree Service performs in the Greater Charleston SC area.
Crown raising is the removal of primary branches and secondary branches to provide necessary clearance over yards, sidewalks, roofs, and roads. It is important to properly raise the crown in relation to a tree’s overall size, as not to remove too much of its energy source.
Crown thinning is a technique used to make a tree canopy more wind resistant and allow greater amounts of sunlight to penetrate through the canopy. Different types of trees require different amounts of thinning, due to the overall density of the canopy. Also, proper crown thinning requires the amount removed to correlate to the overall size of the tree.
Crown cleaning removes dead, dying, diseased, or weakly attached branches throughout canopy to preserve the overall health of tree. Branches may die or weaken due to lack of sufficient sunlight or as a defense mechanism against pests and disease. Proper pruning of deadwood will eliminate potential entry points for insects and disease to rest of tree.
Crown reduction can be used to reduce the length/size of primary branches of mature trees. For example, large primary branch growing over a house poses a potential risk of breaking under its own weight. A reduction cut should be made to a secondary lateral branch that will provide enough photosynthesis to maintain the integrity of remaining branch. It is important to understand that topping of a tree should never take place.