The cuts, and when each one is right
Tree lopping covers a set of different operations. Picking the wrong one is how healthy trees end up as hazards, so here is what each actually does.
Branch removal
Unruly limbs threatening a roof, blocking a driveway or growing over a boundary are removed at the branch collar so the wound seals. On anything over a garden bed, a path or a glasshouse the branch is rigged and lowered rather than dropped. Removing a large limb changes how the rest of the tree loads in wind, so which limb goes is a decision, not just a reach.
Deadwood removal
Dead and hung-up material is cleared from the canopy. This does nothing for the tree's health — the wood is already dead — but it removes the thing most likely to land on your car. Mature turpentine, angophora and blackbutt accumulate deadwood steadily and are worth a look every few years.
Selective lopping
Where a tree has a specific structural problem — a limb with included bark at the union, a co-dominant stem that has begun to split, a section over-extended after a neighbour's tree came out — selective work targets that defect rather than reducing the whole crown. It preserves as much canopy as possible while dealing with the actual risk.
Crown pruning
Thinning and reduction across the canopy to improve air movement, let light through and cut the sail area that catches a westerly. On the exposed ridge streets through Gordon, Pymble and St Ives that sail area is the main thing loading a tall tree in a storm. Detail is on the tree pruning page.
Why choose an arborist over a bloke with a chainsaw
Three things. The first is species knowledge — knowing that a lilly pilly and a cypress respond completely differently to the same cut, and that a blackbutt will not compartmentalise a large wound the way a plane tree does. The second is rigging: the ability to lower a two-hundred-kilogram limb past a pergola instead of hoping. The third is the permit position, which on the North Shore is not optional and not simple.
Quotes are free and there is no obligation. What you get is an assessment of the tree, a clear method, and an honest answer if the right advice is to do less than you asked for — or, occasionally, to remove the tree instead of lopping it.
Booking
Ring (02) 9090 4915 with the suburb, the rough height and what the access looks like. The tree loppers page covers the service in full, the removal information page covers the jobs where the tree comes out, and the cost guide explains the pricing.
Frequently asked questions
What does a tree lopping quote include?
The cut work itself, rigging and lowering where branches cannot be dropped, chipping on site, removal of green waste, and a blow-down of paving and beds before the crew leaves. Traffic management, crane hire and council application fees are quoted separately when they apply, so you can see what you are paying for.
Why do some quotes vary so much for the same tree?
Because crews are pricing different methods. One has assumed an elevated work platform up the driveway and a three-hour job; another has looked at the gate width and priced a climbing dismantle with everything lowered on rope. Ask each quote how they intend to get the timber out and the difference usually explains itself.
Can lopping be done in stages to spread the cost?
Yes, and on a stressed or over-mature tree it is often better arboriculture as well. Taking a quarter of the live crown now and the rest in twelve to eighteen months gives the tree time to respond. You do pay two mobilisations, so it is not cheaper overall — just easier on the tree and on the month's budget.