Arboriculture Australia, Tree Contractors Association, and International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).
We are ISO 14001 Certified, ISO 45001 Certified, and ISO 9001 Certified.
If there’s a big gum leaning over your roof, the question on your mind probably isn’t whether it should come down. It’s what it’s going to cost. Every tree is different, so the ranges on this page are a guide only, and your written quote, after a free visit, is the price that counts.
Nobody wants a surprise bill. So in this guide, we share the price ranges we see across our own jobs, what pushes a price up or down, and a few real jobs that show where the cost of a big removal really comes from.
Quick answer: Our quotes are always free. As a rough guide, the tree work itself costs from about $100 to $1,900 plus GST for a small tree, $2,000 to $5,000 plus GST for a medium tree, and from $5,100 plus GST for a large tree, with access the biggest factor. Our minimum charge for any job is $900 plus GST, so smaller jobs are often combined into one visit.
Yes, our quotes are free, and there is no obligation to proceed. One of our senior arborists will visit to assess the tree and the site, talk you through your options, and then send you a written quote by email. If our advice is to keep the tree, that is all part of the free quote.
A verbal consultation is different. It gives in-depth advice about a tree’s health or your options without a specific job being priced, and it is a paid service. Our office team will tell you which type of visit you are booking.
Our minimum charge for any job is $900 plus GST. It’s the least we charge to bring a trained crew, a truck, a chipper and safety equipment to your property. If a small job would come in under that, it’s worth adding other work to the same visit, such as pruning another tree or trimming a hedge.
These are the price ranges we see across our own jobs, as a guide only. Two trees of the same size can cost very different amounts, depending on what sits around them and how we reach them. All prices exclude GST.
| Tree size | Removal | Pruning |
|---|---|---|
| Small tree, easy access | $100 to $1,900 | $100 to $1,200 |
| Medium tree | $2,000 to $5,000 | $1,300 to $2,000 |
| Large tree | $5,100 to $100,000 | $2,100 to $10,000 |
Most large trees we remove sit close to houses, pools and fences, so the large tree range already allows for that care. On a site cleared for a house demolition, removal often costs 30 to 50 per cent less. Stump grinding is quoted separately.
Access is the biggest factor in the price of removing a large tree. Picture two gums of the same size. One stands in an open backyard, with room to lower branches onto the lawn. The other leans over a roof, beside a pool, at the end of a narrow side path. The second costs far more, and almost all of the difference comes down to how we reach it and what we have to protect.
Where branches can’t simply be lowered, our climbers rig each section down on ropes, or a crane lifts it over the house. Near power lines, we book what the job needs in advance, such as an electrician or covers over the street wires. Cranes are often the largest single cost on a big job. We hire them in rather than owning them, because each job needs a different size, and hiring the right one keeps your cost down. Our page on tree removal in Sydney explains how we take down big trees beside houses.
1
Larger trees take more time and labour, and often need a bigger crew, rigging and sometimes a crane.
2
Some species cost more to dispose of. Logs from palms, coral trees, camphor laurel and pines can't be reused, so they cost more to take away.
3
The biggest factor. A tree over a roof, beside a pool or at the end of a narrow side path costs far more than one in an open backyard.
4
A dead tree often needs a crane, because it can't safely take a climber's rigging.
5
Cutting, chipping and green waste are included. Larger trunk sections go out on a log truck, usually at no extra cost when the timber can be milled or used for firewood.
6
Urgent after-hours or weekend work costs about 30 per cent more.
Most of our quotes include everything: cutting, chipping, green waste and a full clean-up. A few costs depend on the job, and we always talk you through them first.
Larger trunk sections go out on a log truck, at about $450 to $700 a load, but there is usually no extra cost when the timber can be milled or used for firewood. Logs from palms, coral trees, camphor laurel and pines can’t be reused, so disposal costs about $1,700 a full log truck load, plus haulage.
Stump grinding is quoted as its own item. Crane hire, traffic control and road permits are estimated at the visit and confirmed once you approve the quote. If your council needs an application or an arborist report, we tell you at the visit.
Julian Parry, Arbor Pride’s founder, is an AQF Level 5 Consulting Arborist and a VALID and QTRA tree risk assessor. He leads a fully insured team, backed by $20 million public liability cover.
This guide is general information, not a site-specific assessment. Council rules and tree protection vary by area and change over time, so we confirm what applies to your tree at the quote visit.
TESTIMONIALS
Very happy to recommend this local business. They did a thorough survey of our trees and provided a competitive quote, with all the costings explained clearly in advance. Turned up on time on the day of the work, did a safe and thorough job and were very polite, friendly and professional.
Julian and the team at Arbor Pride were extremely professional in their engagement at my property. I had tree work done on multiple trees to prune them back. Communication was handled extremely well and at no time was I left wondering where or when the team were going to turn up. They even sent me a letter to give to the neighbours of the impending work. Work was done well and the cleanup was wonderful.
Very happy with the service and work carried out by Arbor Pride, from the initial quotation through to completion of the job. I was particularly impressed by how well the quotation was prepared. The objectives and scope of the engagement were clearly set out, so there was no ambiguity about what work was included or what was expected. All the relevant documentation, including insurance details, was also provided upfront. This gave me considerable peace of mind and greatly reduced the possibility of misunderstandings or disputes later.
Price ranges only tell you so much. These three jobs show where the cost of a big job really comes from.
A Sydney Blue Gum almost 50 metres tall, between the house and the pool, with only difficult side access. Our climbers took it down over three to four days, after Hornsby Council approval and a geotechnical engineer’s report, and six palms cost more to dispose of than gum. As a guide, a removal like this sits in our large tree range, from $5,100 plus GST.
Dead trees can’t safely take a climber’s rigging, so we brought in a 40-tonne crane, with heavy timbers across the driveway to spread its weight. The job was finished in a day. As a guide, from $5,100 plus GST, with the crane priced separately.
We made this 26-metre Norfolk Island pine safe by taking eight metres off the top, once Ku-ring-gai Council approved it. It needed a 60-tonne crane, one lane closed and traffic control, over two days. As a guide, this sits in our large tree pruning range, $2,100 to $10,000 plus GST, with the crane and traffic control priced separately.
Most of our jobs take a day. Large, complex trees take longer: the Bobbin Head Road pine took two days, and the Thornleigh Blue Gum three to four. If a tree has come down in a storm, see our emergency tree removal page.
Sometimes. It depends on your policy and why the tree needs to come down, and storm damage is more likely to be covered than a healthy tree. Check with your insurer early, and see our guide to whether home insurance covers tree removal.
Usually, yes, and it is often better for the tree too. As a guide, pruning a large tree costs from $2,100 plus GST, while removing one starts at $5,100 plus GST. At the quote visit, we will tell you honestly whether pruning would do the job.
We don’t lop trees. Lopping cuts branches back to stubs, which weakens a tree and leads to unsafe regrowth, and it doesn’t meet AS 4373, the Australian Standard for pruning amenity trees. We prune to that standard instead, and our pruning price ranges are listed above.
It is always better if someone can be home, so we can talk through your options together. If that isn’t possible, just let our office team know when you book. They will confirm the details with you and make sure our arborist can get to the tree.
If you are sharing the cost with a neighbour or splitting the work into stages, just ask our office team when you book. They are happy to talk through what works for you.
You may. It depends mostly on your local council’s rules, which differ across Sydney. We check this at the quote visit and tell you if an application or an arborist report is needed. Our council regulations pages cover the councils we work in most. Removing a protected tree without approval can lead to a fine.
They may be. The NSW Government is considering changes under a proposal called Protecting our trees, including higher penalties, replanting as a condition of permits and tighter exemptions for dead, dying or imminent-risk trees. It is still a draft, and the details are on the NSW Planning Portal. Please check with your council before any work.
