Crown Lifting

Crown Raising or Lifting

Crown raising is simply removing branches from the bottom of the crown of a tree to provide clearance for pedestrians, vehicles, buildings or lines of site. For street trees, the minimum clearance is often specified by municipal ordinance.

When pruning is complete, the existing living crown should be at least two-thirds of the total tree height. Example: a 36-foot tree should have living branches on at least the upper 24 feet.

On young trees, “temporary” branches may be retained along the stem to encourage trunk taper and to protect trees from vandalism and sunscald. Less vigorous shoots should be selected as temporary branches and should be about 4 to 6 inches apart along the stem. They should be pruned annually to slow their growth and should be removed eventually.