Crown reduction

[Coop]

Hi all

Many apologies if this has been posted before, recently I applied for a application for mulitipal tree works, most of them where for 30% crown reductions because that is what I have always applied for. Had email back asking for how many feet/meters I wanted to remove?

This throw me a bit as how much do you say, and if the tree is heavy on one side do you take the amount you applied for on that side a blend everything else in?

Just wondering what the rest of you have done in the past? Guess I need to re read the tree law as this came in in 2010, even though this is the first time I have been asked for feet/meters.

Cheers

[Adam Bourne]

It seems your local authority have just gotten up to speed also! Just adjust your reduction into metres it's not hard to work out what you need to take of. You may be in a situation where it's 1/1.5m height reduction, 2m east facing side 2/3m South facing and 1.5/2m west facing ect. Of cause this is just an example as we have not seen the tree in hand!! Can I ask you why you have always applied for a 30% reduction? Do you mean on all the trees you do? Or did you just mean as percentage?

Edited November 20, 2014 by Adam Bourne

[Coop]

As a basic theory, reduce the crown by a third, but if the tree was heavily lob sided then that bit would have slightly more off.

To be able to judge how many meters a tree needs off from the ground is not an exact science, what I a more worried about is, if you say will reduce by 1.5m but in places need to do 2m are the council going to come down on you like a tonne of bricks?

[Adam Bourne]

Then apply for a 1.5/2m reduction or what ever you feel necessary, when doing application for some local authorities near me I try to be exact as possible, but obviously this is not always possible, the good thing is that they also know this! Or at least some do. So approximations are just as good still.

 

State that you would like to for example remove 1m to 1.5m from the top 1.5m to 2m of the sides maybe one limb needs 3m so suggest that ect ect... Just use metres now instead of percentages as percentages are not clear enough to understand to some general puplic and there not exact measurements for the LA.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Ps not every tree needs reducing heavy

 

Adam

Edited November 20, 2014 by Adam Bourne

[Chris at eden]

As a basic theory, reduce the crown by a third, but if the tree was heavily lob sided then that bit would have slightly more off.

To be able to judge how many meters a tree needs off from the ground is not an exact science, what I a more worried about is, if you say will reduce by 1.5m but in places need to do 2m are the council going to come down on you like a tonne of bricks?

 

The council would have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that you had took off an extra half metre and by doing so damaged the tree. Good luck with that. What if you applied to reduce by 30% of the extension and you reduced by 35, could the council prove that. As long as you haven't mullered the tree you should be fine. The reason you can't use percentage is that it is ambiguous. Do you mean 30% extension or 30% leaf area? They are very different. That is what 3998 says.

 

You can make it easier by specifying to what is left rather than what you remove. That would solve the issues of pruning unbalanced canopies. For example, reduce tree to a height which is no lower than 15m and reduce radial crown spread to 8m all around.

[Mark Bolam]

I did loads of '30%' rjs when I started out for my old gaffer.

 

We took it as basically a 1/3, so a 60' tree would become a 40' tree etc.

 

Most of those trees are now felled, dead, or can be confused with toilet brushes now.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

[Joe Newton]

I did loads of '30%' rjs when I started out for my old gaffer.

 

We took it as basically a 1/3, so a 60' tree would become a 40' tree etc.

 

Most of those trees are now felled, dead, or can be confused with toilet brushes now.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

 

 

 

There is also confusion between a percentage of the canopy to be removed, and a percentage of the overall height of the tree, which is invariably harsher.

 

I won't get into the minefield that is reduction specs, but as long as you carry out your work to a good standard you shouldn't get any quibbles reducing a couple of branches an extra half metre to bring into shape. It's academic really since you'll be pruning to the growth point nearest the specified length (or should be), as opposed to literally pruning back 2m and leaving an internodal stub.

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

Hi all, good discussion here.

 

As a comparison, BS3998 (2010 of course ) indicates a 30% 'volume' crown reduction equate to a 12% linear / radial reduction.

 

Hence, simplistically (MY middle name), if a tree has an average radial crown of 10m, a 30% volume would be approx. 1.2m or spec'd as 1.0-1.5m I would suggest to give the arborist a bit of lea-way for selecting the best pruning point.

 

Interestingly, previous TPO application guidance issued with the advent of the 1APP also indicated LPAs would like to see finished dimensions cited, e.g. to crown reduce all round to finished dimensions of 16m high by 12m spread, or similar. This is a clear 'datum' point from which they can then measure to establish if works have exceeded the consent (not many insist on this tho...phew )

 

Thanks all..

Paul

[Ian C]

Leeds council don't condone crown reduction at all and will only allow lateral reduction, they class height reduction as topping!!!

[Tothetree's!]

Out of interest, what do lpa's use to measure the height of trees?