Got a tree that
needs to come down?

Tree felling, what you need to know

Tree felling, also called tree removal, is the process of cutting down a tree and bringing it to the ground. It is different from general tree surgery, which covers tree pruning, crown reduction, crown thinning, deadwooding, hedgerow maintenance and tree health work. Felling is usually done because a tree is dead, diseased, dangerous, or in the way of building work. Sometimes healthy trees need to come down too, if they are outgrowing a space, blocking light, or causing subsidence. We also carry out regular tree pruning, formative pruning for young trees, maintenance pruning for established ones, and safety pruning to remove dead or hazardous branches before they become a problem.

How we fell a tree

There are two main methods. Straight felling is used when there is enough open ground for the tree to fall in one piece. The tree surgeon cuts a directional notch at the base of the trunk, sometimes called a face cut or gob cut, then makes a back cut on the opposite side. The hinge wood between the two cuts guides the tree as it falls. A felling lever or wedges help if the tree needs encouragement. Sectional felling, also called sectional dismantling, is used in tight spaces, near buildings, or when there is no clear drop zone. The climber works from the top down, cutting branches and trunk sections and lowering them on ropes. This takes longer than straight felling but is safer when space is limited. Both methods need proper training. All our arborists hold NPTC qualifications and work to BS3998, the British Standard for tree work.

Permits and regulations

Before any tree comes down, we check the legal situation. If the tree has a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) or sits in a conservation area, you need permission from the local council. For larger-scale felling, typically more than 5 cubic metres of timber per calendar quarter, you may also need a felling licence from the Forestry Commission. Felling protected trees without permission can mean a fine. We check all of this during the free inspection. If permission is needed, we tell you what to apply for and how long it takes. Usually 6 to 8 weeks for a TPO application, though it varies by council.

What happens to the waste

After the tree is down, we deal with everything. Branches go through a wood chipper on site. The timber gets cut into manageable lengths. You can keep the logs for firewood, plenty of people do, especially with hardwood like oak or ash, or we take everything away. The wood chip makes good garden mulch if you want to keep it. If the stump needs to come out too, we use an industrial stump grinder that takes it below ground level so you can turf, pave or plant over it. The site is swept clean before we leave.

What affects the cost

What you pay depends on the tree. Height, girth, how close it is to buildings or power lines, and whether the stump comes out all change the number. Access is the big one, if we can get vehicles and kit close to the tree, it is faster and cheaper. If everything has to be carried through a house or up a narrow alley, it takes longer. We quote a fixed price for the whole job, not a day rate or hourly rate. You know the number before we start. No estimates that drift, no extras added at the end. Call 07503 512953 and we will come and look, free, no obligation, usually same day or next.

Where we work

We work across County Durham and the North East, from Durham city and Darlington up through Consett and the Durham Dales, across to Richmond and North Yorkshire. After Storm Arwen and more recent winter storms, we have dealt with emergency callouts for fallen trees and dangerous limbs across the region, including large-scale clearances where multiple trees came down across roads and properties. Further afield, we have carried out work as far south as Portsmouth and regularly cover Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Leeds, York, Harrogate, Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham and London. Distance is rarely the issue, access and what the job needs are what matter.

Local knowledge

In County Durham, ash dieback has become a growing problem. We have felled dozens of infected ash trees across the region, they become brittle, unpredictable, and dangerous to climb. We are also seeing more TPO applications go through Durham County Council as homeowners realise their trees are protected. If you are not sure whether your tree is covered, the free inspection covers that. We check the council's TPO register and the conservation area boundaries before anybody picks up a saw.