Crown Lifting

What is a Crown Lift?

Crown lifting is simply the term used for increasing the space between the lowest branches of the tree and the ground.

So let's have some more details...

An example of when crown lifting could be needed is in order to allow safe passage for either vehicles or pedestrians on roads or pavements. This is also requested for gardens, driveways or near houses to gain maximum space underneath the tree. This can simply be done by pruning the affected branches to a height of either 5.2m over the highway, or 2.4m over a footpath, and usually via the removal of small diameter branches. In some cases, where the trees have been left for a long time unmanaged, primary branch removal may be needed. As crown lifting is often needed in public areas, you can find trees are covered by a TPO (Tree Preservation Order) and will need to have applications submitted to the LPA (Local Planning Authority), depending on the area and borough. However our team will handle all TPO applications from start to finish, so you don’t need to worry.

Crown lifting within a residential environment has many positive benefits. For example, a large, dominating tree which is close to the property and potentially causing excessive shade may benefit from a crown lift in order to increase the amount of light coming in from below the crown. By doing this, you increase the height of the low lying branches and aim to benefit from increased light within the early hours of the day.

The height of a residential crown raise is usually to the height of around 4m from ground level, as this does not remove unnecessary branch mass but allows adequate clearance. This is, of course, entirely dependent on the environment and differs from garden to garden.