Tree Surgery Services

Tree Work for Domestic Gardens

Tree surgery is a separate craft from general gardening. It involves climbing or aerial-platform access, mature handling of chainsaws, knowledge of how trees respond to different cuts, and a careful awareness of conservation laws and Tree Preservation Orders. We have qualified tree surgeons on the team, with the right kit and the right training, and we are happy to take on the full range of domestic tree work — from removing a single dead branch to felling a sizeable conifer in a Middlesbrough back garden.

We do not take on commercial forestry contracts or work in inaccessible locations. Our remit is domestic gardens, mature urban trees, hedge work above the standard four-metre limit of our gardening service, and emergency tree work after storms. The trees we deal with most are silver birches, conifers (particularly Leylandii hedges that have got out of control), sycamores, ash, and fruit trees that need pruning back into shape after years of neglect.

Tree Surgery Services We Offer

Tree work is heavily condition-specific and we always inspect on site before quoting. The list below covers the typical scope, but if your tree problem is not on it, ask us anyway.

• Crown reduction (reducing the overall size of a mature tree's canopy)
• Crown thinning (removing selected branches to let light through)
• Crown lifting (raising the lower edge of the canopy)
• Pollarding (severe cutting back to a fixed framework)
• Selective pruning of fruit trees and ornamental trees
• Felling: full removal of trees up to typical garden sizes
• Sectional dismantling of trees in tight spaces
• Hedge reduction beyond standard 4m gardening height
• Stump grinding and stump removal
• Dead-wooding: removing dead branches from a live tree
• Storm damage clearance and emergency work
• Wood-chip and waste removal

Tree Preservation Orders and Conservation Areas

Before we start any significant work on a tree, we check whether it is covered by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) or whether the property is in a Conservation Area, in either of which case formal permission from Middlesbrough Council is required before work can be carried out. We are happy to handle the application on your behalf — typically a six-week notification period in a Conservation Area, or a full permission application for a TPO tree. Carrying out unauthorised work on a protected tree can result in significant fines, and we will simply not undertake work that has not been properly authorised.

We are also conscious of the bird-nesting season. The recommended approach for tree work in the UK is to avoid major work between March and August, particularly on hedges and on trees with visible nest activity. We will inspect any tree before starting, and we will reschedule if we find evidence of active nesting.

Stump Removal

Tree felling leaves a stump, and stumps in domestic gardens are an unsightly trip hazard and a magnet for fungal regrowth. We remove stumps either by stump-grinding (using a powered grinder to reduce the stump to wood chip below ground level), or by full excavation where the entire root ball is removed. Grinding is faster and cheaper and is fine for most domestic stumps; full excavation is used where you want to plant another tree in the same spot or where the root ball is interfering with foundations or paving.

Quotes and Coverage

Tree surgery is condition-specific and we always carry out a free site inspection before quoting. For larger or more complex jobs we can provide a written method statement on request. Get in touch by email for emergency tree work or via the contact form for non-urgent enquiries.

Frequently Asked Questions