Ask three people what "a prune" means and you'll get three answers. Arborists use specific terms for specific jobs, because the right technique depends on what you're trying to fix. Here is what each one means in plain language, and when it's the right call.
Need this sorted rather than explained? See our tree pruning & trimming service - free onsite quotes across Waikato.
Crown reduction
Crown reduction makes a tree smaller overall, lowering its height or pulling in its spread while keeping its natural shape. It's done by pruning branches back to a suitable side branch that can take over as the new growing point, not by cutting everything to a stub.
It's the right technique when a tree has outgrown its space, is crowding a building, or needs some weight taken off long limbs. Done properly it looks like the tree was always that size.
Crown thinning
Thinning removes a portion of the smaller inner branches to open up the canopy, without changing the tree's overall size or shape. More light reaches the garden below and wind passes through more easily, which cuts the sail effect in a storm.
It suits dense, leafy trees that cast heavy shade or catch a lot of wind. The aim is a lighter, more even canopy, never a hollowed-out one.
Crown lifting (or raising)
Crown lifting removes the lowest branches to create clearance underneath. This is what you want when branches hang over a driveway, block a footpath, scrape a roof or sit too low over a lawn you need to mow.
There's a limit to how far you can lift before a tree looks top-heavy and the trunk is left bare, so on a younger tree it's usually done gradually over a couple of visits.
Deadwooding and formative pruning
Deadwooding is exactly what it sounds like: removing dead, dying or broken branches. On a large tree over a house or play area it's as much about safety as appearance, since dead limbs come down without warning.
Formative pruning is work done on young trees to build a strong structure early, correcting weak forks and crossing branches while the cuts are still small. A few minutes on a sapling saves major surgery twenty years later.
How much is too much
A healthy tree can usually cope with around a quarter of its live canopy coming off in a single season. Take more than that and you trigger a stress response: a flush of weak, upright watershoots that leave the tree more hazardous than it was before.
This is the line between pruning and topping. Topping, or lopping a tree back to bare stubs, removes far too much at once and creates decay points where the regrowth attaches. It's cheaper on the day and costly ever after.
Not sure which you need?
You don't have to know the right term before you call. Tell us the problem, whether that's too much shade, branches over the roof, or a tree that has simply got too big, and we'll recommend the technique that fixes it without harming the tree.
Call 022 167 1268 for a free onsite assessment anywhere in Waikato.
