Tall silver birch with a wide bare crown leaning beside a fence in a long garden — Tall silver birch with a full crown beside the garden fence before work began

Silver birch with most of its upper branches removed, standing near a shed and greenhouse — The birch part-way through reduction, with the upper crown removed and the trunk left standing

This project was a tall silver birch growing close to a fence at the bottom of a long, narrow Shirley garden. The first photo shows the tree as we found it, with a wide, full crown reaching well above the neighbouring roofs. The second shows the job under way, with most of the upper branches already taken off and the main stem still standing.

What the photos show

In the first photo the birch leans slightly, with several stems rising from a low fork and a thick spread of fine twigs overhead. Around it sit a shed, a greenhouse and a lawn that runs the full length of the garden. In the second photo the crown has been cut back hard in stages, leaving the pale trunk and a few short side branches. This is a job caught part-way through.

Planning a reduction like this

Birch trees drop a lot of fine growth, so a tall specimen near a shed, greenhouse and boundary fences calls for careful, controlled cutting rather than letting branches fall. Before any work starts, check with the council whether a protection order or conservation area applies. Winter suits many trees, and nesting birds need checking for in spring. Branches and timber should be cleared away at the end.