Trees that are too tall and have not been managed or topped

There is no legally defined correct or maximum height for a tree. Current industry guidelines suggest that topping trees is bad practice as it often leads to dense regrowth and points of weakness. This can have an adverse impact on the tree's structure and increase the likelihood of branch failure as the regrowth matures.

Pollarding differs from the practice of topping in that tree crowns are reduced to a suitable framework on a cyclical basis.

Pollarding is not suitable for all trees or locations and requires a relatively high level of ongoing management. We will only pollard trees where it is absolutely necessary because of the onerous ongoing maintenance costs.

Please also see our High hedges page for more information about excessively high hedges.