If there is a contradiction in ideas it's the fact that to promote growth in trees and plants, you need to trim them. That's right. When you cut them back you are actually helping them grow better and faster than if you had left them alone. That's the idea behind tree crowning, a concept that not too many people have heard of in Anaheim, much less practiced, until the past few years.
What is crowning a tree?
In its simplest terms, tree crowning is the removal of the smaller/tertiary branches that are usually found at the outer edges of a tree, the outer edges being the crown. This selective removal of these branches produces not only a more uniform density of foliage around the branches of a tree's structure, but it also encourages future growth of the tree. Tree crowning is done after a careful tree crown measurement is taken to prevent too much being taken off the tree. Tree crowning classes are often given to arborists to teach them the finer points of this process.
Crowning a tree does not, despite popular misconception, mean that the overall size and shape of a tree is affected. This is because the growth that is most often removed is not necessarily that which is largest and whatever does not add to the overall scheme of a tree.
What is a Tree Crown Reduction?
When an arborist in Anaheim, California recommends crowning a tree, they are usually faced with the question of "What does it mean to crown a tree?" In fact, unless a person is a professional, it is often difficult to determine when a tree has had its crown reduced versus being topped, which is usually more obvious.
With a tree crown reduction, it is only those branches that are outside of the more general shape of the tree that are removed. It is similar to crown thinning or crown raising but is most often not as extensive.
Tree Crown Cleaning
When the concept of crown cleaning is discussed, most people get the mental image of royalty having their crowned jewels run through the car wash. To an arborist, however, crown cleaning is something very different, despite the fact that the idea is very similar. When an arborist cleans the crown of a tree, he is removing the dead and diseased limbs and branches from the crown of a tree. A good crown clean tree definition would be close to crown reduction, but not quite as extensive.
Tree Topping
If you have ever seen a tree in Anaheim, CA that you could visualize a clean line across the top, you understand the idea of tree topping. Tree topping is done to both remove excess growth from the top of a tree as well as to encourage the further growth of a tree. Nearly all types of trees can be topped. This includes the palm tree crown, which is usually bunched as well as topped.
Tree crowning is almost as much art as it is a science. It's for that reason that in order to do a tree crown or topping correctly, you should contact the professionals at Anaheim Tree Care. We'll do it right the first time.
