Domestic

Domestic Services

The value of our gardens and green spaces for our mental and physical well being is well documented. Having operated in the green industry for several decades, we fully recognise the many benefits that trees confer to the majority of our clients. Trueman Tree Services offer a complete and efficient tree and vegetation management service for domestic customers, from caring for and maintaining your trees in good health to removing trees that for a variety of reasons are no longer suitable to retain and to planting suitable additional or replacement trees.

We are fully insured with cover for Public Liability (£10 million), Employers Liability (£10 million) and Professional Indemnity (£500,000), and are a Trustmark registered firm (Please see our health and safety page for more information). All arising woody waste material from our tree work is removed from site and returned to our depot for recycling unless the customer wishes to retain it for their own use. The waste is either composted and returned to the land as mulch on amenity planting or is removed to the biomass power generation industry. Timber is converted into firewood. We take pride in cleaning up fully and leaving everything neat and tidy on completion of our work.

Tree Preservation Orders, Conservation Areas, Planning Conditions, Felling Licences or Restrictive Covenants legally protect many trees in the UK. Before carrying out any work, we can make suitable enquiries with the local planning authority as to the legal status of your trees and any protection afforded to them and where necessary complete applications or notifications on your behalf.

Examples of the type of tree work operations that we carry out are as follows:

Formative pruning
The main aim of formative pruning is to produce a tree which in maturity will be free from any major physical weaknesses and which will complement the management objectives for the site. It is carried out in the early years after establishment of a young tree.

Crown Thinning

In crown thinning, an even density of foliage should be retained throughout a well-spaced and balanced branch structure. Crown thinning should be kept to the minimum required to achieve the objective and should not exceed 30% of the crown volume. Material should be removed systematically from throughout the tree rather than from the inner crown only

Crown lifting

Crown lifting involves pruning to achieve a desired vertical clearance above ground level or other surfaces. This is sometimes necessary to clear roads and footpaths or facilitate site usage. Extensive crown lifting should if possible be phased over a number of years, with a view to providing some opportunity for adaptation to the resulting wounding and branch removal.

Crown reduction and reshaping

Crown reduction alleviates biomechanical stress by reducing both the leverage and the sail area of the tree, and can allow retention of a tree in a confined space. It can also be used to create a desired appearance or to make the tree more suited to its surroundings. Unlike topping, it retains the main framework of the crown and therefore a high proportion of the foliage-bearing structure, which is important for the maintenance of vitality. Not all species or individual trees are appropriate candidates for reduction. In crown re-shaping, the height and/or spread of one or more portions of the crown are selectively reduced, while not necessarily reducing the height and spread of the tree as a whole

Selective pruning

This involves the removal or shortening of individual branches where a need for the work has been clearly established. Specific objectives might include the removal or shortening of branches on one side of the crown interfering with buildings, landscape features or other structures, or the removal or shortening of branches that would otherwise probably fail. If such work is necessary, the amount of material to be removed and the diameter(s) of the pruning cut(s) should be the minimum required for the purpose.

Pollarding

Pollarding is a method of pruning that keeps trees and shrubs smaller than they would naturally grow. It should preferably start soon after the tree has become established and is between 25 mm to 50 mm in diameter at the selected height of pollarding (often 2 - 3 m). The initial pollarding cut should be made at a height which reflects site usage but which, if possible, allows some of the existing foliage to be retained, in order to maintain physiological function and thus reduce the probability of dieback or death. Once initiated, a pollard should be maintained by cutting the new branches on a cyclical basis. The frequency of the cycle should be decided according to site management objectives, species, age, condition and/or any product that might be required.

Tree felling

Trees should be felled only if their removal or coppicing is assessed as providing the best solution in the circumstances. A tree can be felled in one piece only when there is no significant risk of damage to people, property or protected species. Where restrictions (e.g. lack of space, buildings, other features, landownership or use, or other trees which are to be retained) cannot be overcome, trees should be dismantled in sections.

Stump grinding

In some cases it is desirable to remove the stump of a felled tree by mechanical means. Where possible, this is achieved by the use of a stump grinder

Tree Planting

Tree planting provides many benefits to the local and wider environment. How well a tree grows depends on the type of tree selected and the planting location, the care provided during planting and the follow-up care after planting. To ensure that new trees get the best possible start we offer advice, supply quality stock, plant trees properly and provide aftercare if required.