Climber high on a pine stem with lower branches removed above red brick terraced houses — Climber near the top of a stripped pine stem above brick houses

Large leaning pine tree in a back garden with fences, brick houses and conifers behind — Leaning pine standing in a back garden before the work

Climber working on a cut trunk above a pile of pine branches and a chainsaw on paving — Climber on the cut trunk with pine branches piled below

This Stourport-on-Severn job was a large pine growing in a back garden hemmed in by brick houses, outbuildings and fences. There was no room to drop it in one piece, so our climber took it down from the top in sections. The photos follow the work, from the climber on the stripped stem to the cut foliage piled below.

Taking a pine down in a tight garden

With houses on every side, the pine had to be dismantled rather than felled whole. The climber works down the tree, removing branches first and then cutting the stem in lengths, controlling each piece. In the photos you can see the trunk already stripped of its lower branches, with the green top still in place above the climber.

What the photos show

The pine stands at a lean, with several old pruning cuts along its stem and tall conifers behind it. Later shots show a climber working on the trunk, with a heap of pine branches on a paved area and a chainsaw resting nearby, so the job is still in progress rather than finished.

With tall trees this close to buildings, it is sensible to confirm the council's position on tree protection first, and to clear the area below of anything that could be hit by falling pieces. Pine branches are bulky, so the green waste needs a clear route out of a garden like this one, ideally without crossing the neighbours.