Tree Surgery
EDINBURGH ARB APPROVED TREE CONTRACTORS
commercial & domestictree pruning and maintenance
Thomson Trees is an ARB Approved contractor and Edinburgh-based tree surgery company, offering a high standard of service across all aspects of tree surgery. Our teams are fully qualified to undertake pruning operations in accordance with British Standard BS 3998:2010 (Tree Work – Recommendations), and carry out all work with care and professionalism.
At Thomson Trees, our services include:
crown lifting
Crown lifting involves the selective removal of the lowest branches of a tree to increase clearance beneath the canopy. This type of pruning is commonly carried out to allow safe access for pedestrians and vehicles, improve sightlines, or create clearance from buildings, roads and pathways.
When undertaken correctly, crown lifting should not compromise the overall balance or health of the tree. Care is taken to retain a well-proportioned canopy and avoid excessive removal, ensuring the tree continues to develop naturally while meeting practical clearance requirements. All work is carried out in line with current arboricultural best practice.
crown reduction
Crown reduction involves the selective removal of the outermost branches to reduce the overall size of the tree’s crown. This work may be carried out for a variety of reasons, including alleviating wind loading where scaffold branches are structurally weak, or reducing branch spread away from buildings, roads or other structures.
Ideally, the tree should be left with a strong framework of healthy, small-diameter branches and twigs capable of producing a full leaf canopy the following growing season. Crown reduction cuts should be kept as small as possible and should generally not exceed 10 cm in diameter, unless there is an overriding arboricultural reason to do so.
Within Conservation Areas, or where trees are protected by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO), City of Edinburgh Council will only permit crown reductions for the reasons outlined above. Crown reduction carried out solely to reduce shading is not considered sufficient justification, as it can have a detrimental impact on the long-term health of the tree. Thomson Trees is always happy to liaise with the council on a client’s behalf, helping to ensure that any application for works is managed as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
crown thinning
Through selective pruning, we can reduce the mass of smaller branches throughout the canopy to lower overall weight, reduce wind resistance and improve the amount of light passing through the tree. This tree surgery practice is intended to leave the overall shape of the canopy largely unchanged and is often carried out on a regular basis to maintain balanced, uniform growth.
Where the objective is to reduce loading on a specific structural branch, a crown reduction may be a more effective option. Contact us for a free site visit, and we will be happy to advise on the most appropriate tree surgery solution to suit your needs.