FAQs

Tree surgery is a specialised field of arboriculture (the cultivation of trees and shrubs) focused on the management and care of trees.

Tree surgeons – also called arborists – are qualified and highly trained professionals who perform maintenance, pruning and removal. We can also diagnose and treat tree diseases or infestations, carry out professional tree surveys and reports, and provide expert advice.

Chris Arnold Tree Surgery has almost 20 years’ experience providing tree services and vegetation and forestry clearance in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. We perform all works to BS3998 standards, with comprehensive public liability insurance of up to £5m to give you total confidence.

On average, tree surgery in the UK can cost £600-£900 a day for a team of three people.

But there are a lot of factors that go into quoting a price, such as:

• The type of service you need
• The number of trees or hedges
• Size, condition and location of trees

To find out how much your tree surgery, hedge maintenance or forestry project could cost, enquire online today.

Most homeowners or business managers can prune small branches and hedges themselves. But if you need extensive pruning, maintenance or removal, it’s always best to call a local tree surgeon. If you are only in need of minor pruning or trimming services, it may be best to call a local gardening service.

Tree surgery involves working at heights, which can be very dangerous without specialised equipment and experience. Improper pruning can also cause further harm to your tree and compromise its long-term health.

Under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) prohibits the cutting down, uprooting, lopping, pruning, crown lifting, reduction, and wilful damage or destruction of a tree without written consent from the local planning authority (LPA).

If you break a TPO, you could be fined up to £20,000.

However, trees that are dead, dying, diseased or dangerous are exempt from TPOs. The same applies to fruit trees grown for commercial fruit production.

You can easily check whether your property is in a conservation area or if any TPOs apply by visiting your local authority website.

If you’re not sure whether a TPO applies, don’t worry. When you contact us, we can carry out these checks on your behalf.  As part of our service, we will apply for planning on your behalf to work on trees with a TPO, saving you time and effort. That way, you’ll always know that your tree surgery is legal and compliant.

You don’t usually need permission to carry out tree care and maintenance. But if your tree is in a conservation area, you’ll need to seek permission from your LPA.

How do I get permission to remove a tree?

If your tree is in a conservation area, you’ll need to give your LPA six weeks’ prior notice (known as a ‘section 211 notice’) before removing it or carrying out works.

This gives the LPA a chance to consider whether a TPO should be placed on the tree or if your works should be permitted.

However, with Chris Arnold, we apply for permission on your behalf, free of charge, as part of your overall service.

It’s typically assumed that tree surgery and hedge trimming and maintenance is carried out after leaves fall but before new buds burst. This is usually during winter to early spring, while the plants are dormant.

But this isn’t true for all species. Cherry, maple, birch, magnolia and walnut trees for example all need to be maintained at other times of the year to prevent accidental damage.

To ensure your trees and hedges get the proper care, we can visit your site to evaluate them and recommend the ideal time to carry out tree surgery and hedge maintenance.

Clear signs of damage, ground erosion, infestation or disease suggest that your tree is at risk of collapsing and causing damage.

Contact Chris Arnold Tree Surgery immediately if you notice:

Cavities

Decayed wood along the trunk or branches

Fungus at the base of the tree

Bare roots

Leaf damage or discolouration

Wilting leaves in season

As qualified arborists, we can evaluate your trees and provide a written assessment recommending necessary work and care.

While you can’t force your neighbours to prune their trees or hedges, you have the right to prune or remove branches that grow onto your property and overhang your boundary.

However, you must make sure that your pruning doesn’t harm the health or stability of the tree, or breach legislative protections such as TPOs.

There are a few other rules that could prevent you from pruning trees that grow over onto your land. So it’s always best to consult a professional arborist like Chris Arnold Tree Surgery before you take action.

This depends on the type of service you need.

Most of the time, we remove and recycle all the waste from tree surgery or maintenance to keep your site tidy.

But if you need forestry services, we can instead chip any valuable waste into biomass. You can sell this yourself or through a woodchip brokerage for extra profit.

On the other hand, after forestry mulching we leave the shredded trees, brush and grasses to decompose. This allows their rich nutrients to feed the soil, promoting the healthy growth of native plant species and helping prevent erosion.

Whichever service you choose, we ensure your debris is handled in the best way possible.

Forest management is any planned human intervention in a forest ecosystem. This is typically done to achieve a specific environmental, economic or social goal, and can include:

• Forest management planning
• Timber harvesting
• Tree thinning and clearance
• Fire prevention and management
• Reforestation and planting

The Royal Forestry Society has published a detailed introductory guide to woodland management.

This covers:

• Getting to know your woodland
• Improving your woodland
• Native tree and shrub species
• Using products from your wood
• Ancient woodlands
• Biodiversity

The Forestry Commission has also created a collection of resources for https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/how-to-manage-your-woodland, making it healthier and more resilient to pests, diseases and climate change.

Chris Arnold Tree Surgery supports woodland managers and local councils with a wide range of vegetation and forestry services, including thinning, full site clearance and forestry mulching. We also provide professional tree surveys and reports to help you make informed decisions for tree management.