A dense canopy acts like a sail. When the east winds roll out of the canyons — and along the Wasatch bench they do, every year — an unthinned tree catches the full force of the gust while a properly thinned one lets it pass through. Thinning is the selective removal of interior branches to reduce that wind load, and it’s the single best thing you can do for a big tree before storm season.
It’s also the fix for the ring of dead grass under your maple. Thinning opens the canopy so dappled light reaches the lawn and air moves through the crown, which cuts fungal disease pressure too. Done right, a thinned tree looks almost untouched — just lighter, with daylight visible through the crown.
What you get
Wind-load reduction
The difference between losing a limb in a canyon windstorm and not usually comes down to how much sail the canopy presents.
Light to the lawn and garden
Dappled light through a thinned crown is the difference between moss and grass under a mature shade tree.
Invisible when done right
Good thinning removes weight from the interior and keeps the tree’s silhouette. Bad thinning ("lion-tailing") strips the interior bare and makes limbs weaker — we don’t do that.
How it works
- 1
Canopy evaluation
We identify the overloaded limbs, crossing interior growth, and watersprouts that should come out.
- 2
Selective thinning
Interior cuts distributed through the crown — never stripping limbs bare from the inside out.
- 3
Final balance check
We step back and check the silhouette from every side before calling it done.
Tree Thinning questions, answered
What’s the difference between thinning and trimming a tree?
Trimming works the outside of the tree — clearance from roofs, lines, and walkways. Thinning works the inside: selectively removing interior branches so wind and light pass through the canopy. A trimmed tree fits its space better; a thinned tree handles storms better and grows grass underneath. Big mature trees often need both.
How much should a tree be thinned?
Light hands win. Removing 10–20% of the interior canopy is usually plenty; past 25% you start stressing the tree, and stripping interior branches entirely ("lion-tailing") actually makes limbs more likely to snap. If a company proposes thinning your tree by half, get another opinion — ours is free.