trees
Tree surgery
£600 to £1,250 a day covers a two or three person tree crew with a chipper, tipper and climbing kit. Prices for single jobs start near £150 for a light prune and reach £3,500 for a large dismantle over a roof. Quotes are written per job, not per hour.
What this covers
What it costs. Tree surgery is quoted per job in almost every case. Full cost breakdown.
What the job covers
- Crown reduction, thinning and lifting
- Deadwooding and removing hazardous limbs
- Cutting back growth away from a building
- Checking for preservation orders before work
- Chipping and removing the arisings
Worth knowing
In Scotland the same offence covers acts done recklessly as well as intentionally, which is a lower bar than the rest of Great Britain. Northern Ireland works to its own 1985 Order instead.
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as extended in Scotland
What is involved
Tree surgery covers pruning, dismantling, deadwood removal and storm work on established trees. BS 3998:2010 is the British Standard the trade works to, and a quote naming it tells you the contractor has read it. Climbers cut on rope and harness while a ground crew runs the chipper and keeps the drop zone clear. Certificates from City and Guilds NPTC or Lantra are how the Health and Safety Executive expects chainsaw competence to be evidenced, with separate units for aerial cutting and for rigging heavy limbs down.
Access moves the price more than height does. A beech behind a terraced house, reached through one side gate, takes a full day of roping and barrowing; the same tree beside a driveway takes half that. Overhead cables, a conservatory next door and traffic management each add crew hours. Machinery is extra. Cherry picker hire runs £80 a day for ten metres of reach and £300 to £600 above twenty metres, plus £200 to £300 for an operator, and crane hire for a technical dismantle starts around £500.
Public liability cover of £5 million is normal for tree work, and the certificate should carry the contractor's registered name rather than an untraceable trading style. Arisings leave as woodchip, ringed logs or a mix of both, at £90 to £500 depending on volume, and the crew needs waste carrier registration to move them off site. Tree Preservation Orders and conservation area status bind the tree owner rather than the contractor, so that council check belongs to you.
Choosing someone for the job
Which NPTC or Lantra units does the climber hold, and is anyone on site certificated for aerial rescue? How much public liability cover does the certificate show, and when does it renew? Has the council confirmed whether a Tree Preservation Order or conservation area designation applies at this address? Who takes the arisings away, under what waste carrier number, and does the written quote separate machinery hire from crew labour?
Common questions
What qualifications should a tree surgeon have?
City and Guilds NPTC or Lantra certificates of competence are the recognised evidence of chainsaw training, with separate units for ground cutting, aerial cutting and aerial rescue. No licence to practise exists in UK law, so the certificates and the insurance certificate are the documents worth seeing.
Is a tree surgeon the same thing as an arborist?
Arborist and tree surgeon describe the same trade, and neither title is protected. Consultants who write BS 5837 reports for planning often use arboriculturist instead, and that work is desk and survey based rather than climbing.