Tree pruning and crown reductions.

When a tree needs pruning rather than felling.

Most of the trees I get called out to look at don't need to come down at all. A tree that has blocked the light from a kitchen window, dropped a limb in a gale or grown out over a neighbour's fence can usually be reduced and rebalanced instead — which keeps the tree, keeps the screening, and costs less than a removal and replant.

Good pruning is about how much you take and where you cut. Reductions are worked back to suitable growth points so the tree can seal the wounds and regrow properly, and I never top a tree or leave stubs. Timing matters too — some species are best pruned in winter, others after they've leafed out, and I'll tell you if a job is worth waiting a few weeks for.

If a tree genuinely has to come down, I'll say so plainly and price it as a removal instead.