Tree Removal
Full removals on tight coastal blocks, including dismantles by rope and crane-assisted lifts.
Learn more →Reduction, not topping
The single most common problem we are called to in this area is a tree that somebody topped five or ten years ago. Cutting a canopy back to stubs forces a dense flush of regrowth attached to the outside of the old wood rather than anchored in it. That regrowth grows fast, catches the wind off the ocean, and starts shedding in exactly the storms you were trying to protect the house from.
Proper reduction takes each limb back to a suitable lateral so the tree keeps a natural outline and seals the wound. It costs more per visit and much less over a decade.
The work we do most
- Crown reduction — bringing the overall size down on gums, figs, camphor laurels and the older planted exotics in Woollahra and Randwick gardens.
- Deadwooding — removing dead limbs before they come out on their own. Essential on anything overhanging a driveway, a footpath or a pool.
- Crown lifting and clearance — pulling the canopy off roofs, gutters, solar panels, awnings and service lines.
- Selective thinning — opening up a dense canopy so wind passes through it instead of pushing on it, which matters on exposed coastal blocks at Bondi, Coogee and Maroubra.
- Formative pruning — shaping young plantings so they do not become a removal job in fifteen years.
Coastal exposure changes the brief
Trees on the seaward side of the Eastern Suburbs already carry salt damage on the windward face, and they have usually grown lopsided away from the prevailing easterly. Pruning them symmetrically, the way you would prune a sheltered inland tree, removes the sound leeward growth that is holding the whole thing in balance. Norfolk Island pines in particular respond badly to having their leaders cut, and most of the ones along the beachfronts are council assets anyway.
Behind the ridgeline, in the sheltered gardens of Double Bay, Paddington and Rose Bay, the problem is the opposite: shaded, over-dense canopies with a lot of deadwood in the interior and figs that have simply outgrown a Victorian garden.
What to expect on site
Access dictates the method the same way it does for removal. Most pruning here is climbed rather than done from a platform, because there is nowhere to stand a machine. Cuts are made to Australian Standard AS 4373 practice, arisings are chipped and taken away, and the site is raked before the crew leaves.
If the assessment says the tree is past saving, we will tell you and quote removal instead — and if the council needs convincing either way, that is what an arborist report is for. Pricing factors are set out in the cost guide, and the approval side is covered in the permit guide.
Call (02) 9538 7842 or book an inspection.
More services
Explore our other services
Stump Grinding
Stumps ground below ground level so you can turf, pave or replant over the top.
Learn more →Palm Tree Removal
Cocos, Bangalow and Canary Island date palms cleaned up, reduced or taken out section by section.
Learn more →Emergency & Storm Work
Fallen limbs, split trunks and trees on roofs after a southerly or an east coast low.
Learn more →Arborist Reports
AQF Level 5 reports for council applications, development consent and neighbour disputes.
Learn more →
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Do I need approval to prune a tree in Waverley, Randwick or Woollahra?
Often yes. All three councils treat significant pruning the same way as partial removal under their tree preservation rules, and each sets a limit on how much canopy can be taken without consent. Light deadwooding and minor clearance work is usually exempt. Check the specific threshold with your council before booking, because the limits differ.
When is the best time of year to prune?
Late winter into early spring suits most species here, before the growth flush and before the summer storm season. Deadwooding and safety pruning can be done any time. Avoid heavy reduction in the middle of a hot, dry spell, because a tree that loses a lot of canopy at once can scorch the bark it has just exposed.
Can you prune branches hanging over from next door?
In NSW you may cut back overhanging branches to the boundary line at your own cost, and the cut material legally belongs to the tree owner. In practice, tell the neighbour first, and check whether the tree is protected — a preservation order applies to the tree regardless of which side of the fence you are standing on.
Will pruning fix a tree that is dropping limbs?
Sometimes. Deadwooding and weight reduction genuinely lower the risk on a sound tree with a heavy canopy. They do not fix a decayed union, a split trunk or a root plate that has moved. If the failure is structural, reduction pruning only buys time, and an honest assessment will say that.
Free, no-obligation