Tree Thinning in Birmingham, AL

Tree thinning – crown thinning, as arborists call it – means taking out selected branches from inside a tree’s crown so that light and wind can pass through it. The tree keeps its natural shape and size. It just gets lighter, healthier and less likely to break in the next storm. We thin oaks, maples, sweetgums and pines all over Birmingham, Homewood and Mountain Brook.

• Less wind load. A dense crown acts like a sail. Thinning lets gusts pass through instead of pushing on the whole tree – it matters in a city where spring storms come through every year.
• Less weight on long limbs. Heavy limbs reaching over a roof or driveway are the ones that crack. Taking weight off their ends makes them much less likely to fail.
• More light underneath. Grass and gardens under a big water oak or maple often struggle in the shade. A thinned crown lets dappled light through.
• Healthier crown. We take out dead, crossing and rubbing branches, which are where decay and insects get in.
• Better view and airflow around the house – fewer leaves in the gutters, too.

A climber goes up into the tree and works limb by limb. Each cut is made back to a branch junction or the trunk, just outside the branch collar, so the tree can seal the wound. We don’t leave stubs and we don’t use climbing spikes on trees that are staying – spikes wound the bark.

The rule of thumb is to remove no more than about a quarter of the living crown at one time. Take more and the tree throws out a mass of weak new shoots – exactly what you were trying to get rid of. If a tree needs more, we spread the work over two or three years.

Topping – cutting the top of a tree off flat, or cutting big limbs back to stubs – is still common around here. It looks tidy for a season, then the tree answers with dozens of fast, weakly attached sprouts, and the big cuts rot. A topped tree ends up more dangerous than before and costs more to maintain. If a tree really needs to be smaller, the right way is crown reduction: shortening limbs back to side branches big enough to take over.

Late fall through winter is the best time for most trees in central Alabama – the leaves are off, we can see the structure, and there are fewer insects and fungi around fresh cuts. Light thinning can be done any time of year, and broken or hanging limbs should come out as soon as you see them.