Ash tree crown reduction excessive

[ashtreeguy]

London UK

 

Ash Trees approx 20 years old have had a severe crown topping and thinning. Second one in 2 years. It seems to extreme as they looked brilliant beforehand and now very thin in early summer but if any UK specialists want to comment, I'd be really happy to hear your views.

 

It was professionally done but done by the managing agents without much say given to residents and with no warning.

 

I have a special love for them 

 

Images added 

Topped tree 1

Topped Tree 2

How the tree looked generally beforehand (can get a better photo later)

 

Thanks in advance 

Edited June 10 by ashtreeguy
Add pics

[Mick Dempsey]

Post pics. 

[Stubby]

8 hours ago, ashtreeguy said:

London UK

 

Ash Trees approx 20 years old have had a severe crown topping and thinning. Second one in 2 years. It seems to extreme as they looked brilliant beforehand and now very thin in early summer but if any UK specialists want to comment, I'd be really happy to hear your views.

 

It was professionally done but done by the managing agents without much say given to residents and with no warning.

 

I have a special love for them 

 

Thanks in advance 

Can't see them ? 

[ashtreeguy]

8 hours ago, Mick Dempsey said:

Post pics. 

Done 

[ashtreeguy]

6 hours ago, Stubby said:

Can't see them ? 

Apologies. On there now 

[Mick Dempsey]

Yeah, bit brutal.

Problem is, you have a bus stop under one (the one that’s not too bad) and a big spready ash is a bit of a risk, so they wanted to minimise it.

It will probably come back ok.

The other one does look a bit shit Tbf.

 

[Steven P]

Ash has a lust for life so will probably bounce back OK, but not this year. They will be in a cycle of reductions though, so expect them to come back and do similar in  few years time

[Tree monkey 1682]

It's a street tree ,the get pruned heavily due to the liability aspect or what the tree contract dictates 

[ashtreeguy]

Yes, there's a path too to decrease liabilities. Not that I've ever seen a branch fall. At least it'll recover as you've said. Thanks for your replies 

[Tree monkey 1682]

On 10/06/2025 at 21:40, ashtreeguy said:

Yes, there's a path too to decrease liabilities. Not that I've ever seen a branch fall. At least it'll recover as you've said. Thanks for your replies 

The was quite a famous one not that long ago in Richmond park where a girl was sitting under a poplar tree reading a book...the tree was a poplar ...it randomly chucked branch  which ended up in the girl/ woman being killed.

The also was a junior school girl in the north east that got killed by a falling tree.. I can't find the link .

And in bham, year being 98/99 the was a mature tree (ash) that came down across three lanes of traffic ...the firebrigade couldn't get the bodies out until they were craned off .  

If trees weren't fkrs and failed and killed people we wouldn't need tree surgeons or arborist!

[krummholz]

It may be that they're establishing a Pollard structure given that the trees are so young. Were the previous works a reduction or a crown raise? Your last image (the "before" pic) has a few pruning cuts on the ash lower down.