Lowering the Height of a Large Tree

Q. I have a view of the valley for a few months of the year when the leaves of many trees behind my property are gone. The partial view is still manageable the rest of the year except for a tree that is very, very full and you can see nothing beyond or through it. I know I can't ask for that tree to be topped. But what would happen if I asked for some branches to be removed in the middle of the tree so that it wouldn't be obvious to anyone? Before I go before a Board and ask such a question, I would appreciate your views on doing this and what the consequences might be down the line.
A. If the tree is pruned using a method called drop-crotching by a certified arborist then you should have no problem with the tree and still maintain its beauty. However most “tree-trimmers” will not know this technique but a certified arborist should.You can remove limbs from the center of the tree as well to "open it up" but be careful of the tree you do this to. Some sunburn easily.

I know you wont be allowing this to happen but this is
a common occurence here.

The technique is the lowering of a tree’s height or removing portions of the canopy by removing entire limbs at the point where they originate inside the canopy. This technique preserves the trees silhouette, general shape and reduces suckering while still accomplishing a smaller canopy.

There are tree butchers out there who have no regard for trees but only concerned with the destruction they can accomplish with a chainsaw. Whether it is a certified arborist or a tree trimmer, if you’ve hired a good one, the removal of a portion of the tree’s canopy will result in a smaller tree but leave you wondering if it was pruned at all.

This pine tree was opened up for power and

telephone lines and look what happened. Be careful.

One of the best arborists I have ever had the privilege to work with was as an artist with trees. A former trumpet player, he started nearly 30 years ago in landscape maintenance but did some of the best tree work I’ve ever seen and went on eventually to be a certified arborist with the city of Henderson.

He has passed on since then but those “tree artists” are out there. Those are the ones you want to hire, not the butchers. These tree artists are proud of their work but sometimes get criticized because the people who hired them paid them a lot of money and the work that they did was not obvious when they were finished. That’s how good they are.