A few days ago I had one of those surveys where I spent as long dispelling commonly-held misunderstandings of trees as surveying them!

Whether its a certainty that Ivy kills trees or an insistence that Horse Chestnuts are dying because of Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner, its hugely frustrating. I’ve even had clients who were convinced that the removal of a tree would make their house fall down.

Possibly the worst myth of all is that trees need pruning.  

Pruning must always be justifiable.  There are too many trees I see that are regularly ‘hacked’ simply because that’s what is believed to be necessary or ‘what you have to do’.  

A tree is not like a manufactured machine that needs servicing or maintaining in some way.  In general, they are best left alone.

Yes, if there is dead wood that might fall and cause a hazard, by all means remove it. And if the lower branches are getting in the way of a footpath or rubbing against a building, for example, then prune to lift the crown.

But don’t just prune for the sake of it.