Pruning trees

Hello everyone, does anyone know the relevant law that states how far you are allowed to cut trees? (Goal: to prune the tops of fir trees) I would like to "cut" down to ground level (I have to apply for it but it is only permitted from October)...

Look into the tree protection ordinance of your municipality/city. In my opinion, you can cut down fir trees without a felling permit. Otherwise, there is a felling ban from April 1st to September 30th.

Rhenish greetings from the road
Construction expert

I thought they had been cut down long ago?!
Boundary distance trees after property division

Very good attention :) No, the trees are still standing, including those on the private property. Felling is only permitted from October to the end of February and MUST also be applied for in the case of coniferous trees, as these trees are associated with a building permit. Since the processing time for the felling application is at least 4 weeks, we initially decided to forgo it and will shorten the trees (since tree height > distance from tree to house) and then submit the application for felling starting in October. According to the head of the office, shortening the trees WITHOUT an application is possible, but I forgot to ask what exactly shortening means. Well, the tree protection statute does not specify a concrete measurement but uses bureaucratic clichés...

Tree felling was actually only allowed until the end of February this year. Since nature has signaled spring much earlier in recent years, as have the animals, the period was changed.

Shorten... if in doubt, by up to half. What bureaucratic phrases are in your statute?

According to the head of the office, cutting back the trees is possible WITHOUT an application, but he had forgotten to ask what exactly cutting back means. Well, the tree protection statute does not specify a concrete measure but bureaucratic phrases...

Cutting back means for us "cutting back without restrictions." That's the pointless part - if you don't get a felling permit, you simply cut the tree down to 1 meter and it dies on its own :( This makes the whole procedure pointless (at least it is like that for us). Don't forget: If the trees are marked in the development plan and designated as "worth preserving," they possibly must not even be cut back. Possibly sick trees then have to be replanted.