Tall tree with long drooping leaves under falling snow at night, lit from below — Snow falling on a tall tree with drooping branches at night

Night view of a tree beside a garage with a broken limb lying across a hedge and fence — Tree with a torn limb resting on a hedge beside a house and garage

Long snow-covered branch lying across a hedge and fence beside a lit house wall, with snow on the ground — Large broken branch lying across a fence and hedge in the snow

These night-time photos come from tree work in Birmingham. Snow was falling, and a tall tree with long drooping leaves had lost a large limb, which ended up across a garden fence and a hedge beside a house. The pictures show the tree and the fallen branch under floodlight before the clearing work began.

A large limb down in snow

The first photo shows the tree in falling snow, with heavy branches bowed under the weight and the leaves hanging down. The second, taken from beside the house, shows the break high on the trunk where a limb has torn away and now rests on the hedge and fence below, with a pale split in the wood.

Broken limbs can still be under strain and can shift as they are cut, so they are approached with care. Photographs like these help to show what needs to be made safe first, and where the cut sections can safely be moved. Snow and low light make the ground slippery, which is another reason for slow, careful working.

Working at night

The third photo shows the fallen branch stretched across the snowy ground beside a wall, and a floodlight on a stand is visible by the house in the second picture. Cut sections have to be lowered or dragged clear of the hedge and fence, and green waste is taken away once the work is done.

After work like this, it is worth looking again at the rest of the tree. The remaining crown may need reducing or other attention, and checking for protection orders still applies, so a daytime visit to look over what is left is a sensible next step. Anything left hanging in the crown is a risk, so it is worth having the remaining branches looked over soon.