A Vancouver city arborist was killed while trimming trees on Thursday.

The worker was elevated several metres in a boom-mounted bucket pruning back a tree around 9:30 a.m. PT in Connaught Park.

"It appears a large diameter tree limb crushed the worker against the inside of the bucket," said Brett Mineer, a spokesman for WorkSafeBC.

He was taken to a hospital, but died.

WorkSafeBC is now investigating.

The city said the worker was in his 40s but won't be identified until relatives are notified.

"The City of Vancouver and the Park Board are deeply saddened to report that a workplace fatality of a Park Board arborist occurred this morning," it said in a statement.