Large purple-leaved tree in a back garden before tree surgery, beside a fence and neat lawn — Large purple-leaved tree before work, beside a fence and lawn

Tree cut back to a bare framework with a pile of leafy branches on the lawn — Tree reduced to its main limbs, with cut brash heaped on the lawn

Close view of a heavily reduced tree showing fresh cut ends on short limbs — Close view of the cut limbs and fresh cut ends against the sky

This Halesowen job involved a large purple-leaved tree standing at the back of a well kept lawn, close to a fence and the neighbouring houses. We cut the crown right back to its main limbs, working from the top down and lowering the cut growth to the ground. The photos below show the tree before we started and the bare framework left afterwards.

How a heavy reduction is done

A cut this size is planned from the top of the tree downwards. The climber removes the outer growth first, then works back towards the trunk, choosing cuts that leave a balanced shape. Branches are lowered on ropes where they might land on fencing or planting. Every cut is a decision, so heavy reductions are not something to rush. The leaves usually return in the following growing season, and new shoots grow from the cut points.

What the photos show

In the first photo the tree fills the sky above a lawn, with shrubs and a panelled fence behind it. The later photos show the same tree stripped to a short trunk and a branching frame with fresh pale cut ends, while a large heap of leafy brash sits on the grass. Clearing that heap, and the lawn around it, is the final part of any job like this.