Tree Surgery in West Malling

Although we advocate non-removal of trees, but we also know for a fact that this isn’t always possible especially when it involves safety challenges or damage to property. If you’re looking to remove a tree on your property, then you should probably confirm whether or not you’d require a council approval.

In the UK, if the tree you want removed has a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) placed on it, then before you’ll be able to perform any sort of work to the tree ( be it cutting a branch or felling/ removing the tree), you must obtain a permission from the council.

The Tree Preservation Order is created by local planning authorities such as a district, borough or national park with the aim of providing adequate protection to trees which provide amenity values to the public. Any act to the TPO protected tree such as cutting down, topping, lopping, uprooting or wilful damage considered a criminal offence. In other words, if the tree on your property is visible and is enjoyed by the public then there’s a possibility that there’s a TPO placed on it. To confirm whether or not this is the case, you can reach out to your local council’s tree officer for more information.

You will need to fill out an application form and submit to your local authority in order to request permission of remove a tree. In the event whereby you happen to reside in a Conservation Area, the same rules applies as TPO-placed trees but you don’t necessarily need to have TPO placed on them.

If the tree is in your garden without a TPO placed on it and you do not live in a Conservation Area, then you would not need to apply for permission to have it removed.

When home or property owners decide to plant a Leylandii, they mostly think about how great it is as a hedging and screening plant and forgetting it also require a regular maintenance to keep in good shape. One thing about Leylandii are they do not re grow if you happen to cut back into the old wood. Once it turns brown, it will remain like that with no possible solutions to remedy the situation as they have little to no ability to regrow from the old wood.

In order to maintain your Leylandii hedge in good shape and order, that’s not too wide or too tall, then it’s recommended that it should be trimmed at least once a year. By doing this, you’re more likely to cut only into the new green growth which will enable the hedging plant look great and green with no brown patches. So when is the best time to prune a Leylandii hedge plant in a year?

Generally, it’s advisable to cut back mature or overgrown Leylandii hedges in the UK about two to three cuts between the months of April and August. By this time, your hedge plant will already be well established and ready for some maintenance and care. However, if there’s a chance that you might not be able to prune it on a yearly basis, the we’d suggest you get a slower growing alternative instead. Some of the alternatives which are slower growing and unlike Leylandii, can regenerate when cut back into the old wood are several types of Thuja as well as English Yew.

Below are some guidelines you can follow when trimming your Leylandii hedge:

• Do not cut Leylandii hedges during very forsty or hot weather.

• Do not cut the hedges during wet conditions to allow the cut dry and heal quickly.

• Make use of sharp tools.

• Cut on a cool and breezy day.

In many instances tree surgery work can still be carried out on trees that are protected by Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs). Tree surgeons will be able to file the needed forms with the local authority to arrange such work, and advise you throughout the entire process.

Do you have a large tree on your property and wondering how much it would cost to have it totally removed? If yes, then you’ve come to the right place. Generally, the average cost of a tree removal can widely range due to a number of reasons which includes the size, heigh, diameter, location in the garden as well as the type of the tree. And as you would have expected, the larger your tree is the more you’re definitely going to pay to have it completely removed. While being large, another important factor that influences the price is the ease of access. This means that the more difficult it is to get to the tree the more strenuous and longer it’ll take to be felled, hence the more the price that’s likely to be charged when compared to a similar-sized tree which is more accessible.

Generally for a day’s work, a tree surgeon will charge within the range of £150 to £200, and will usually work with one or two general labourer. As a result, you can expect to pay about £300 to £500 in a day as cost of labour if there happens to be up to three labourers.

In short, to cut down a large tree of about 50 feet to 75 feet, this will usually take about one to two days and cost within the range of £650 to £1,200. Meanwhile an extra large tree which is beyond 75 feet will take about 2 to 5 days to cut down and cost within the range of £1,000 to £2,500. However, you should have it in mind that the price that will be charged will be based on a number of factors like the overhang, tree type, access, disposal, closeness to public footpath or road and more.