A Technical Report from The Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories
Trees contribute many benefits to a property including providing shade, reducing erosion, and maintaining privacy. However, with each year, trees become larger and may eventually obscure a desirable view. This is often a concern in resort and coastal areas where homes are built with a view of a mountain, pond, lake, bay or ocean. In these situations, view enhancement is a critical part of maintaining landscape trees. Having a view also increases the value of a property by 20 to 40 percent. Views can be enhanced using various techniques including pruning branches that interfere with the view, selectively removing entire trees, or slowing the growth of trees before they can obscure the view. All of these techniques should only be conducted by a qualified arborist so as not to risk damage to valuable trees.