TL;DR — Tree Felling Cost At A Glance
- Most UK households pay £400–£1,400 to have one established tree felled and removed in 2026. A small garden tree can be done for £150–£450; a mature oak over a house can pass £4,000.
- Height is the main driver, and the trade prices in bands. Roughly £150–£450 up to 5m, £400–£850 for 5–10m, £700–£1,400 for 10–15m and £1,200–£3,000+ above 15m.
- Much of this trade quotes by the day, not by the tree. A two-person crew is £400–£700 a day outside London and £550–£900 in it; a three-person crew with a chipper runs £600–£1,000 and £700–£1,200.
- London and the South East run 20–35% above the rest of the UK, and access matters as much as postcode — a tree that has to be dismantled and carried through a house can cost two to three times the same tree felled beside a driveway.
- Two costs are almost always quoted separately: the stump and the waste. Stump grinding adds £85–£350 (more on a stump over 90cm across), and taking the arisings away adds £90–£500.
- If the tree is protected, budget time as well as money. A Tree Preservation Order application is free but takes up to eight weeks, and a conservation-area notice needs six weeks' notice before a saw touches the tree.
Add to Preferred Sources How Much Does Tree Felling Cost In 2026?
Tree felling is priced on three things: how big the tree is, how hard it is to get to, and what has to happen to the timber afterwards. Everything else is detail.
Tree removal prices vary widely because the term “large tree” can cover very different heights, access conditions and levels of complexity. As a guide, a tree around 50ft may cost roughly £650–£1,700 to remove, while very large or extra-large trees can reach £2,500–£4,200 or more. The table below converts the typical height bands into metres and shows the wider price range you can expect.
Crew day rates are also common for larger jobs. If you need several trees removed along with hedge work, it may be more cost-effective to book a crew for the day rather than price each task separately. These estimates assume the tree is on your property, is not protected, and that access is suitable for equipment such as a chipper without excessive carrying distance.
| Unit of sale | Rest of UK | London & South East |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum call-out / half-day charge | £150–£250 | £200–£350 |
| Two-person crew, per day | £400–£700 | £550–£900 |
| Three-person crew with chipper, per day | £600–£1,000 | £700–£1,200 |
| Per climber, per hour | £40–£50 | £60–£100 |
| Small tree, up to 5m | £150–£450 | £200–£600 |
| Medium tree, 5–10m | £400–£850 | £520–£1,100 |
| Large tree, 10–15m | £700–£1,400 | £900–£1,850 |
| Very large tree, over 15m | £1,200–£3,000+ | £1,550–£4,000+ |
| Stump grinding, quoted separately | £85–£350 | £110–£450 |
| Green waste and arisings removal | £90–£500 | £120–£650 |
| Emergency or storm-damage call-out | £250–£1,200+ | £300–£1,500+ |
Tree Felling Cost By Tree Type
Species matters, but not for the reason most people assume. Nobody charges extra for oak because it is oak — they charge because a mature oak is 25m tall, weighs several tonnes, and every limb has to be roped down individually. Height, spread and timber density do the work; the species name is shorthand for them. Figures below are for felling and removal of a healthy specimen at typical mature UK size, arisings chipped and taken away.
| Tree type | Typical mature height | Rest of UK | London & South East |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple, plum or small fruit tree | 3–5m | £250–£400 | £320–£520 |
| Palm (Trachycarpus, Cordyline) | 2–8m | £150–£750 | £200–£950 |
| Holly | 5–12m | £250–£650 | £320–£850 |
| Silver birch | 8–15m | £400–£700 | £520–£910 |
| Rowan, hawthorn, ornamental cherry | 6–12m | £300–£600 | £390–£780 |
| Single conifer or leylandii | 6–20m | £250–£1,500 | £320–£1,950 |
| Scots pine | 15–25m | £900–£3,000+ | £1,150–£3,900+ |
| Eucalyptus | 15–25m | £1,200–£2,000 | £1,550–£2,600 |
| Ash | 15–25m | £600–£2,000 | £780–£2,600 |
| Horse chestnut | 15–25m | £800–£2,000 | £1,050–£2,600 |
| Sycamore | 15–25m | £900–£3,400 | £1,150–£4,400 |
| Beech | 20–30m | £1,200–£3,000 | £1,550–£3,900 |
| English oak | 20–30m | £2,800–£4,800 | £3,650–£6,200 |
Two caveats. The low end of each row is an immature specimen, not a mature one on a good day — the trade publishes these bands across a tree's whole life, so a 6m holly is priced off the height bands above, which is why several low ends sit under the height-band floor for the mature height shown. Match your tree's real height to the first table, then read the species row for the handling premium. Oak is anchored on MyJobQuote's £2,800–£4,800; Checkatrade's much-quoted £1,430 is a 15m oak, not a 25m one.
Palm Trees
A palm is short but awkward. The trunk is fibrous rather than woody, so it will not split, will not season into firewood, and will jam a standard disc chipper — a drum chipper or skip disposal is needed instead. That is why palms cost a lot for their height: Checkatrade puts a 3m palm at £70–£140 but a 13m specimen at £600–£1,050, and MyJobQuote runs £150–£250 at 2–3m up to £750–£1,200+ above 6m. One upside — mature palms have real resale value to landscapers, so ask whether yours can be lifted and sold instead.
Pine Trees
Pines are tall, top-heavy and brittle, and a Scots pine at 20m has almost no low branches to climb, so crews often need a MEWP or crane rather than a rope ascent. Expect £150–£450 under 8m, £400–£850 at 8–15m, £900–£1,350 at 15–23m and £1,400–£3,000+ above that. Resin gums up saw chains and gets on everything below it.
Holly Trees
Holly is the cheapest of the three to fell and the most awkward to handle. The wood is dense, the canopy tangled, mature specimens often carry several trunks, and the leaves are genuinely painful — so the crew works slower and in heavier kit. Removal runs £250–£650, or £350–£750 with the stump ground. Do grind it: holly suckers vigorously from a live root plate.
What Affects The Cost Of Tree Felling?
1. Height And Trunk Diameter
This is the dominant factor and it is not linear. Doubling a tree's height roughly quadruples the timber volume and the time on site. A 5m tree is two hours for two people; a 20m tree is one to two full days for three, plus a chipper and possibly a crane — the difference between £150–£450 and £1,200–£3,000+.
2. Access — Roadside Or Rear Garden
A tree beside a driveway can be dropped, snedded and fed straight into a chipper parked next to it. The same tree in a rear garden behind a 900mm side gate has to be cut into carryable pieces and walked out by hand, and that can double or triple the labour. MyJobQuote puts straight felling in open ground at £250–£350 and the equivalent sectional dismantle in a confined space at £1,000–£2,500. Where a road closure or traffic management is needed, add £100–£300 on top.
3. Straight Felling Or Sectional Dismantling
If there is a clear drop zone the whole tree comes down in one cut, which is fast and cheap. If there are sheds, greenhouses, conservatories, overhead cables or a neighbour's fence in the way, the tree is climbed and taken apart from the top in roped sections. Sectional dismantling typically carries a 50–100% premium over straight felling. Where a grapple saw or crane is the only safe option, budget £500–£1,500+ for the machine, or £1,000–£3,000 a day for a mechanised removal with operator.
4. Timber, Arisings And Disposal
Felling a tree creates several tonnes of material and someone has to move it. Chipping on site is cheapest, and many crews leave the chip as free mulch. Taking it away costs £90–£500 by volume, and Checkatrade's garden waste figures reach £800 for the biggest clearances. Keeping the cordwood for a log burner usually knocks money off — ask. Our garden clearance cost guide covers per-load and skip pricing.
5. Protected Trees: TPOs And Conservation Areas
Applying is free. Waiting is not. A works application on a tree under a Tree Preservation Order takes the council up to eight weeks, and in a conservation area you must give six weeks' notice for any tree with a trunk over 75mm across, measured 1.5m up — the threshold in regulation 15 of the Town and Country Planning (Tree Preservation)(England) Regulations 2012, or 100mm for thinning to help other trees grow. If the council wants evidence, a basic arboricultural report is £295–£760 and a full BS5837 package £400–£1,500+; some tree surgeons charge around £145 to prepare and submit the application. Destroying a protected tree without consent is an offence under section 210 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, carrying an unlimited fine in the magistrates' court as well as the Crown Court — the old £20,000 cap went on 12 March 2015. Lesser breaches fall under section 210(4) and carry up to level 4 on the standard scale, currently £2,500.
6. Your Location
London and the South East sit 20–35% above the rest of the UK — MyBuilder puts London crew day rates at £700–£1,200 against £400–£650 in Nottingham and £450–£750 in Birmingham, with rural Scotland and Wales cheapest at £250–£500. Urban work also carries parking suspensions, congestion charge and longer carry distances.
What's Included — And What's Not
A standard tree felling quote covers:
- Site assessment and a written method statement
- The felling or sectional dismantle, with rigging where needed
- Cutting the trunk down to a low stump, usually 100–300mm above ground
- Chipping branchwood on site and raking the ground clear
- Public liability insurance for the work
- Flagging anything they spot — decay, disease, nesting birds
Charged as extras:
- Stump grinding or excavation — £85–£350, and up to £710 on a stump over 90cm across
- Removing arisings and cordwood — £90–£500
- MEWP, crane or grapple saw hire — £500–£1,500+, or £1,000–£3,000 a day
- Road closure, traffic management or parking suspension — £100–£300
- Arboricultural report for a TPO or planning condition — £295–£760
- Ecological survey where bats or nesting birds are suspected — £300–£800
- Repairing lawn, fencing or paving damaged by machinery — £150–£1,000
- A replacement tree, where the council makes it a condition of consent
Confirm all of the above in writing before work starts.
Can You Do It Yourself?
Sometimes — and it is worth being straight about where the line is.
A small tree you can reach from the ground, under about 4m, with a clear drop zone and no structures nearby, is a reasonable DIY job. A small chainsaw is £80–£200, loppers £30–£80, a hand saw £20–£50, plus £30–£60 minimum for chainsaw trousers, helmet, visor and ear defenders. Then deal with the material: a black bag of green waste is about £5 through a collection service, a jumbo bag £55, and a council garden waste subscription is free to £70 a year.
Above that height, or anywhere near a building, boundary or cable, do not. Climbing felling is the most dangerous job in UK land-based work, and household insurance will not cover damage you caused with a chainsaw you were not trained to use. Fell a protected tree yourself and you face an unlimited fine, in the magistrates' court as well as the Crown Court.
If you only want the tree smaller rather than gone, felling is the wrong service. See our tree crown reduction cost guide or the pruning cost guide instead.
How To Save Money On Tree Felling
- Buy a day, not a tree. A three-person day at £600–£1,000 can absorb three or four medium trees that would cost far more quoted individually.
- Keep the chip and keep the logs. Chip left on site as mulch and cordwood stacked for your log burner both remove disposal volume from the quote — the single easiest saving on any felling job.
- Book in late winter. January to March is quiet, and outside the March-to-August nesting season when work often has to be deferred anyway.
- Sort the access before they arrive. Move the car, unlock the side gate, clear the route to the road. Crews price carry distance.
- Get the stump done in the same visit. A separate grinder trip means a second £80–£150 call-out, and doing several stumps together cuts each additional one by around 35%.
- Join the Fantastic Club if you are booking more than one garden service a year — it takes £30 off your service and adds £270 in credits.
How To Hire A Good Tree Surgeon
Ask for two documents before anything else: public liability insurance, and NPTC or Lantra chainsaw and aerial rescue certificates for whoever is going up the tree. A crew that cannot produce both should not be on your property.
Check trade credentials. The Arboricultural Association ARB Approved Contractor scheme assesses firms on site safety and rigging competence, finished work, office and insurance systems, and health and safety compliance — the strongest single signal in UK arboriculture.
Confirm the waste route. Anyone carrying arisings away commercially needs Environment Agency upper-tier waste carrier registration, which costs the firm £191.02 to register and £130.25 to renew, every three years. Ask for the number: fly-tipped waste traced to your address is your problem, and the fine is unlimited.
A proper quote states the tree, the method, the finished stump height, whether the stump is included, what happens to the timber and chip, who handles any TPO application, and the total including VAT.
Red flags: a price quoted over the phone with no site visit; no written method statement; cash only, no paperwork; someone who says a protected tree "will be fine"; and anyone who arrives with a ladder instead of a rope and harness.
Book your tree surgeon today!
Whether it is a dead ash that has become a liability or a sycamore that has outgrown a small garden, felling is one job worth paying to have done properly. Fantastic Services works with qualified, insured arborists across the UK — site assessment, written quote and full clean-up included.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Does It Cost To Remove A Large Tree In The UK?
Expect £700–£1,400 for a 10–15m tree outside London and £1,200–£3,000+ above 15m, with London and the South East 20–35% higher. Species and access swing it further: a mature oak is quoted at £2,800–£4,800. Stump grinding and waste removal are normally extra.
Do I Need Permission To Cut Down A Tree In My Garden?
Only if the tree is protected. You need council consent for any tree under a Tree Preservation Order, and in a conservation area six weeks' written notice for any tree with a trunk over 75mm across, measured 1.5m up. Both are free to apply for. Felling a protected tree without consent carries an unlimited fine, in the magistrates' court as well as the Crown Court, with lesser Tree Preservation Order breaches capped at level 4 on the standard scale (£2,500) — so check with your council first.
How Much Does A Tree Surgeon Charge Per Day?
A two-person crew is £400–£700 a day outside London and £550–£900 in it. A three-person crew with a chipper runs £600–£1,000, rising to £700–£1,200 in London. MyBuilder lists £400–£650 in Nottingham against £700–£1,200 in London. Per climber, hourly rates are £40–£50, or £60–£100 in London.
Is It Cheaper To Fell A Tree In Sections Or All At Once?
Straight felling is far cheaper where there is a safe drop zone — £250–£350 against £1,000–£2,500 for the same tree dismantled in a confined space, on MyJobQuote's figures, a 50–100% premium. You rarely get the choice, though: with buildings, cables or boundaries nearby, sections are the only safe method.
Does Tree Felling Include Stump Removal?
Almost never. Standard felling leaves a stump 100–300mm above ground, and grinding is quoted separately at £85–£350, or £110–£450 in London, rising to £710 on a stump over 90cm across. Get both done in one visit — a return trip means a second minimum call-out of £80–£150. Our tree stump and root removal cost guide prices it by stump diameter.
What Time Of Year Is Cheapest To Fell A Tree?
Late winter, roughly January to March. Demand is low, deciduous trees have no leaves so there is less material to handle, and you are clear of the March-to-August bird nesting season, when damaging an active nest is an offence and work often has to be postponed. Post-storm periods are the most expensive.
Can I Get A Tree Felled For Free?
Occasionally. If the timber is good — oak, walnut, sweet chestnut, a large mature palm — some contractors reduce or waive the fee for the wood, and firewood merchants sometimes take softwood free. It is rare on a domestic tree that must be dismantled over a house, because the labour outweighs the timber value. Always ask.
Tree Felling and Removal Prices
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