Oak Crown Reduction at The Big Cat Sanctuary

Troy’s Tree & Hedge Services carried out a crown reduction on six mature oak trees at The Big Cat Sanctuary near Headcorn in Kent, working above the new decking at the sanctuary’s restaurant and around live big cat enclosures. Our NPTC-qualified, fully insured team takes on commercial tree work as well as domestic jobs, and this one asked for more care than most.

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This crown reduction at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Headcorn was a two-stage job. The oaks were first cleared of every dead, dying and dangerous branch, making things safe over the decking and enclosures below, before each tree was brought in by 2 to 3 metres all round and shaped to the kind of natural finish that suits a mature oak. Part of the work took place inside the snow leopard enclosure itself, where the pruning had to be planned around the animals as much as the trees, right down to leaving them cover to hide in. The sections below run through how each stage was carried out.

Six Oaks Over the New Restaurant Decking

The sanctuary’s restaurant has new decking, and six mature oak trees stand over it. Oaks naturally build up dead wood in their crowns as they age, and dead or dying branches above an area where visitors sit and eat, and above enclosures holding large cats, are a hazard that has to be dealt with before anything else.

Dead, Dying and Dangerous Branches First

The first stage was removing all of the dead, dying and dangerous branches over the decking and the large white lion enclosures, making everything below safe before the crown reduction began.

Reduced by 2 to 3 Metres and Shaped Naturally

All six oaks were then crown reduced by 2 to 3 metres all round. A crown reduction brings the height and spread of a tree back to carefully chosen growth points, so each oak ends up a smaller version of itself rather than being left with a flat, cut-off look. These were shaped naturally, keeping the rounded outline an oak should have.

Pruning Inside the Snow Leopard Enclosure

Three large oaks and one smaller oak grow inside the snow leopard enclosure, which is not a setting the average tree job offers. The cutting there was planned around the cats themselves: the tree was cut so the snow leopard can sit up in the branches, and we left as much coverage as possible, kept clear of the cage, to help the cats hide.

Tree Work for Commercial Sites

If you need a crown reduction or any other tree work on a commercial site, Troy’s Tree & Hedge Services is happy to help. Troy runs every job himself, the team is NPTC qualified and fully insured, and quotes are free with no obligation. Get in touch and we’ll take a look.

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WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY

I wouldn’t use anyone else now, and would not hesitate recommending Troy; prompt in returning enquires, quoted a more than reasonable price as well as knowledgeable in his work. Very polite and personable, worked quickly and professionally, thank you, a very happy customer.
Sarah Abell
We’re new to the area and we’ve already used Troy twice. Super impressed with him and his teams work. Couldn’t fault it from start to finish and will definitely be getting them back for some more work down the line. Thanks so much, Nadine.
Nadine Gorrard-Smith

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