Tree Surgeon in London

A tree surgeon is a trained professional responsible for planting, pruning, felling and the general maintenance of trees. Qualified local tree surgeons will usually offer a range of services related to the management and care of trees.

An experienced local tree surgeon will be able to assess the health of trees, identify any potential dangers, remove dead or weak branches and even remove full trees, if needed.

It’s a physically demanding job being a tree surgeon, meaning that they do a lot of work outdoors at heights, dealing with heavy loads, and using power tools on a daily basis. You can think of a tree surgeon as a horticultural engineer whose work focuses on maintaining and repairing trees.

Some of the common tasks performed by a tree surgeon in the UK include:

• Tree felling

• Stump grinding

• Timber milling

• Dismantling

• Crown reduction and thinning

• Removal of dangerous trees

• Sectional felling

• Pruning

• Delivery of logs and woodchip

If you have a tree that needs cutting down, a tree stump that you want grinding, or there are damaged or dangerous trees that you need removing, call a local tree surgeon.

What’s the difference between an arborist and tree surgeon?

The terms arborist and tree surgeon are very often used interchangeably, as if there were the same job. Which is understandable as there can be a lot of crossover between the two types of work. That said, there are some key differences between the two.

A tree surgeon is trained in safely and efficiently repairing or removing trees, including emergency tree care, felling, pruning, stumping, and site clearance. They are very much focused on the physical side of tree maintenance, which requires a lot of skill and dedication, as they are regularly performing dangerous tasks – particularly when felling whole trees.

An arborist, on the other hand, doesn’t typically work with forests or large areas of plants, as they are more focused on the health of individual trees and plants. Arborists carry out tree and plant inspections, they can diagnose diseases in trees, and offer guidance and recommendations for the best care of plants and trees.

If you have trees that need attention from a professional, you can find local arborists and tree surgeons using our quick and easy search.

The average tree surgeon cost in London depends on the type of tree surgery work that you’re hiring them to do. As a general rule, you can expect a tree surgeon cost to be somewhere in the region of £250 - £400 per person per day.

If it’s a big job that requires multiple people, a team of 3 tree surgeons costs around £700 - £950 per day.

To help you plan a budget for the work, here are some average tree surgeon costs that you can expect to pay:

• Tree felling – £300 to £3,000

• Large oak at height with team – £1,000 – £3,000

• Medium birch tree with medium team – £500 to £800

• Tree debris disposal – £50 to £100

• Tree trimming – £100 to £500

Tree surgeon hourly rate

The average tree surgeon hourly rate in the UK is around £40 per hour – depending on the experience of the individual tree surgeon. If you require a team of tree surgeons, you’re looking at an hourly rate of about £120 per hour for 3 people.

Factors affecting tree surgeon prices

As with most home improvement work, there are a number of factors that will affect the price you pay for a tree surgeon’s work. The most important factors to consider are:

• Tree inspection costs

• Size and quantity of trees

• Condition of trees

• Type of work that needs doing

• Access to the trees

• Any prep work needed

• Disposal of waste materials

Quotes for tree surgeons in London

As with all tradespeople, we recommend obtaining at least three quotes from local tree surgeons in your area. By shopping around you can make sure you're paying a fair and competitive price for the work.

Thankfully, we've got a tool that makes finding multiple quotes super easy. Our request a quote feature is perfect for getting quotes: you post details about the work you need doing and we’ll send it out to local tradespeople in your area. Try it out – it's quick and easy!

When you’re looking for a tree surgeon in London, it’s important to make sure that you’re hiring a reliable, qualified and highly skilled tradesperson for the job. Repairing, maintaining and removing trees can be extremely dangerous, so you need to know you’re in good hands for the health and safety of you and your loved ones.

To help you hire the best tree surgeons near you, we’ve put together our top tips for finding a tree surgeon you can trust...

1. Read their customer reviews

As well as recommendations, online customer reviews are another good way to see what level of service local tree surgeons offer. It should be easy to find reviews and ratings for reputable local tree surgeons where you can see what other customers in the London area have to say about their service. A great place to start is their profile here on Checkatrade.

2. Check their credentials

We recommend you only hire tree surgeons who are qualified to do the job and come with a suitable accreditation, such as being an ARB Approved Contractor (ArbAC). The ArbAC scheme is run by the Arboricultural Association (AA) and it’s the only comprehensive accreditation scheme for tree surgeons in the UK.

3. Ask for quotes (and compare them)

For any tree surgery work that you need to hire a local tree surgeon for, make sure you get a quote from them before agreeing to hire them. You want to make sure that the tree surgeon prices you’re being quoted are fair and competitive.

Want to get quotes now? You’re in luck as we’ve created a handy request a quote tool that makes it quick and easy to find multiple quotes from reliable tree surgeons in your area. All you need to do is post details about the job and we’ll send it out to local tree surgeons in your area. Try it out – it's quick and easy!

4. Follow up on their references

A good tree surgeon will happily give you references from previous customers that you can talk to if you want to verify the quality of their work before hiring them. Having a brief chat with their previous customers is a great way to find a tree surgeon that you can trust.

To give you a better idea of exactly what tree surgeons do, here’s more information on some of the most common tasks that arborists and tree surgeons are hired for in the UK:

Tree inspections

Usually both arborists and tree surgeons can carry out tree inspections. A tree inspection involves performing a hazard assessment to identify any potential dangers that a tree might cause, as well as looking at the tree’s general health.

The results of a tree inspection will allow the tree surgeon to decide what work needs to be carried out, how urgent that work is, how much it will cost, and what measures will need to be taken to ensure the safety of private customers and/or the public.

Removing branches

One of the most common jobs for a tree surgeon is to remove weak or dead branches from trees. Pruning trees in this way helps to improve the overall health of the tree. Removing branches can prevent more serious issues down the line, such as trees collapsing.

Stump removal

If you’ve had a tree fall down in the past and have been left with a tree stump that you want to get rid of, a tree surgeon can grind it down and remove it completely. They’ll do this using specialist tools, including a stump grinder.

Removing trees

Often, tree surgeons are called upon to remove entire trees, either for public safety or in the case of extreme disease. Arborists and tree surgeons will try their best to save trees where at all possible, but in the event that a tree must be removed they will do so with care. Tree removal is a big job and there are several key stages to the process, which must be carried out properly.

Site clearance

In the event that a large area of land needs to be cleared for development or land management projects, tree surgeons will be hired to clear an entire site of trees and plants. When finished the site will be completely clear of all vegetation.

Planting trees

Given the majority of their work involves cutting or removing trees, it might be a surprise to learn that tree surgeons are often involved in planting trees. At the end of the day, their passion is keeping trees alive, so it makes sense that they’d also want to plant new trees.

Need a tree surgeon? Find the best local tree surgeons in the UK by using our quick and easy search, or request a quote and we’ll get you multiple tree surgeons quotes for you.