[optrex]

Willow is a very weak wood and broken branches are a continual hazard.

The trees can go right back to the trunk and will still grow back and form a good canopy. Its all part of good tree management. I think the reason was down to weakened main branches, caused by the fast flowing water through their smaller hanging branches during the floods. The ground and root structure may also have been weakened sufficiently to be a danger to a large tree with a substantial canopy. I'd rather have the tree lopped and still there than felled or damaged in a strong wind!