Up until very recently, the advice in relation to stress loading on the tree due to high winds was to reduce the sail effect of the crown of the tree. This was done by crown reduction in % terms or by crown thinning. New studies using highly sensitive equipment have shown that by removing branches the tree stem and main limbs will experience higher stress loading than if the branches were left there. This goes against everything that was being said previously. The branches now, rather than acting as a sail are actually acting as buffers to the wind, deflecting the wind and dissipating it, naturally reducing the stress on its main structural parts. Trimming and pruning should be done by experts who can physically do the work but who also understand the science behind what they are doing. People like us.