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Tree surgeons and arborists · Chester and the villages · since 2009

Every branch lowered. Nothing dropped.

Crown work, felling in sections, stump grinding and storm call-outs for Chester’s gardens, from the villas of Hoole to the oaks of Upton. Insured, NPTC-certified climbers, and the council paperwork done for you.

Get a free quote Can I cut my tree?
  • 4.9 from 212 Google reviews
  • £10m insured
  • NPTC certified
  • Work to BS3998

Read the rings

Your tree was here before you. We cut it like we know that.

Most of the trees we are called to in Chester are older than the houses’ owners, and plenty are older than the houses. A good tree surgeon’s job is to make them safe and let them go on, and to take one down only when it has to come down.

How old is my tree?

cm

About 112 years old: planted around 1914.

Alan Mitchell’s rule of thumb, about 2.5 cm of girth a year for a tree in the open. A guide to within a decade or two, not a ring count; we never core a healthy tree to find out.

Years in Chester’s trees
17
Trees cut, reduced or saved
6,400+
Council applications written
380
One ring a year, pith to bark

    What we do

    Everything from the roots to the top of the crown.

    Two climbers and a groundsman on every job, our own chipper and stump grinder, and every cut to BS3998, the British Standard for tree work.

    • Crown reduction and thinning

      Less shade on the lawn, less weight over the roof, the same tree. Cut to BS3998 at natural growth points, never topped.

      From £380

    • Felling and sectional dismantling

      Taken down from the top in sections and lowered on ropes, so nothing lands on the greenhouse, the shed or next door’s car.

      From £350

    • Stump grinding

      Ground out 30 cm below the surface with a machine that fits through a 70 cm side gate, and the hole backfilled with the chippings.

      From £120

    • Hedges and leylandii

      Trimmed both sides and the top, or a runaway leylandii brought down by a third. Cuttings taken away, path swept.

      From £180

    • Storm damage, seven days

      A tree down or a limb hanging: made safe the same day, cleared properly after, and photographed for your insurer.

      £195 call-out

    • Tree surveys and BS5837 reports

      Condition reports for buyers and insurers, and the BS5837 survey, constraints plan and method statement the planners ask for.

      From £295

    • TPO and conservation applications

      We check the council’s map, write the application or the six-week notice, and deal with the tree officer for you.

      Free with the work

    • Ash dieback

      Most of Cheshire’s ash is infected. We tell you honestly whether yours can stay, and take down the ones that cannot before they become brittle.

      Assessment £95

    Crown work

    Same tree. Three ways to make it lighter.

    1. A mature sycamore in a Hoole back garden: heavy over the lawn, brushing the roof, dark in the kitchen by three in the afternoon.

      Survey and photos first

    2. We take out a fifth of the smaller inner branches, evenly through the crown. The outline stays the same; the light and the wind come through it.

      Usually 10 to 20 per cent

    3. Every outer branch shortened back to a healthy side branch, so the whole crown is smaller and keeps its natural shape. Not topped, ever.

      Usually 1.5 to 3 m off

    4. The lowest branches removed or shortened to give clearance over the lawn, the drive or the road. Highway guidance asks for 2.4 m over a footway and 5.2 m over a road.

      Clearance to 5.2 m here

    A broad oak on its own in a field, willowherb flowering in front of it

    Before anyone picks up a saw

    Can I cut this tree?

    Five questions, and the answer Cheshire West and Chester Council would give you. A guide to the rules as they stood in October 2026, not legal advice: we confirm it on the council’s map for your address before we quote, free.

    1Does the tree have a Tree Preservation Order?
    2Is it in a conservation area?
    3What do you want done?
    4Is the trunk more than 7.5 cm across, 1.5 m off the ground?
    5Whose tree is it?

    The short version

    A TPO tree needs consent. A conservation-area tree needs six weeks’ notice. Anything else, usually nothing.

    • Tree Preservation Order: apply to Cheshire West and Chester Council for consent. The council aims to decide within eight weeks, and there is no fee.
    • Conservation area: give the council six weeks’ notice for any tree over 7.5 cm across at 1.5 m. No fee.
    • Either way the council puts a notice up on site for 14 days so neighbours can comment.
    • Not sure? We check the council’s map for your address before we quote.
    Ask us to check your address

    Guide prices

    What tree work costs in Chester, 2026.

    Every tree is different, so these are starting points. Your quote is written and fixed, and it says what will be cut, why, and what happens to the wood.

    • All prices include VAT
    • Waste chipped and taken away
    • Council paperwork free with the work
    • No deposit, pay when you are happy
    A felled trunk with a hollow heart lying on the ground, a chainsaw beside it
    A hollow heart you cannot see from the garden. It is why we survey before we quote a felling.

    1. Tree visit and written advice, up to three trees

      £95

      Within the week, by a climber with a qualification in arboriculture. Taken off the bill if we do the work.

    2. Crown lift over a lawn or drive

      from £280

      Small to medium tree. All cuttings chipped and taken away.

    3. Crown thin, 10 to 20 per cent

      from £420

      Medium tree of 8 to 12 m, climbed and rigged.

    4. Crown reduction, medium tree

      from £480

      Up to 2 m off the outline, cut to BS3998 at growth points.

    5. Crown reduction, large tree over 15 m

      from £850

      Beech, oak, sycamore or lime, two climbers and a groundsman.

    6. Small tree felled and removed

      from £350

      Under 6 m with room to fell. Logs left stacked if you want them.

    7. Tree taken down in sections

      from £850

      Medium tree of 6 to 12 m over a garden, lowered on ropes.

    8. Large tree dismantled over buildings

      from £1,600

      Full rigging, a MEWP where it helps, and a road closure if we need one.

    9. Stump ground out

      from £120

      Up to 30 cm across, ground 30 cm deep, chippings backfilled. Each extra stump on the same visit from £60.

    10. Hedge trimmed, both sides and top

      from £180

      Up to 20 m long and 2 m high. Cuttings taken away.

    11. Leylandii reduced by up to a third

      from £450

      Height and sides, a row of up to ten trees.

    12. BS5837 tree survey for planning

      from £495

      Up to ten trees: survey, constraints plan and report. Impact assessment and method statement quoted on top.

    13. Storm call-out, made safe

      £195

      The first two hours on site, seven days a week, 7am to 9pm.

    A tree brought down across a country road under a dark storm sky

    Storm line, 7 days, 7am to 9pm

    A tree down after the wind? Ring us before you ring anyone else.

    We make it safe the same day: hanging limbs down, the road or the drive cleared, the fence made good enough to keep the dog in. Then we come back and do it properly, and we send dated photos and a report your insurer can use.

    Call 07700 900 563 £195 call-out, the first two hours
    A groundsman in orange chainsaw trousers and a visor cutting up a fallen trunk, sawdust flying

    Recent jobs

    Six trees from the last year, Upton to Kelsall.

    Photographs from our files with the district and the job. Every one of them had a house, a road or a greenhouse underneath.

    1. A climber in a harness high on a bare trunk, the crown already taken off, under a grey sky
      Upton An ash with dieback beside Upton Heath taken down in sections over two greenhouses. Dismantle · 1 day
    2. An arborist roped into the bare winter crown of a big broadleaf tree
      Curzon Park A winter crown reduction on a TPO beech, consent from the council in seven weeks. TPO · 2 days
    3. A climber in a yellow helmet, seen from behind, working in the fork of a tree
      Hoole A lime overhanging Hoole Road thinned and lifted clear of the pavement and the bus stop. Crown thin · 1 day
    4. An arborist in a cherry picker basket cutting into a large tree beside houses
      Ellesmere Port Six poplars along a car park reduced from a cherry picker, out of hours, for a residents’ company. MEWP · 3 nights
    5. A climber at the top of a tall pine stem with a rope running down to the ground
      Mollington A leaning Scots pine dismantled to the ground, the rope run past a conservatory roof. Rigging · 1 day
    6. A groundsman in orange chainsaw trousers and a visor cutting up a fallen trunk, sawdust flying
      Kelsall A windblown oak cleared from a farm track the morning after an October gale. Storm · same day

    Building near trees

    Planning an extension? The planners will ask about the trees first.

    Cheshire West and Chester asks for a tree survey to BS5837:2012 with any planning application where trees could be affected, on your land or next door’s. Kate surveys every tree, grades it A, B, C or U, and draws the root protection areas your architect has to design around.

    • Tree survey and constraints plan, from £495
    • Arboricultural impact assessment and method statement
    • Tree protection fencing and site visits during the build
    • Most reports in eight working days

    Root protection area

    Protect a radius of 6 m round the trunk: 113 m² of ground.

    BS5837: twelve times the trunk diameter, capped at 707 m². Plan drawn at 1 m to 16 px.

    The tree year

    When we cut what, and why.

    We work all year. Some jobs are kinder to the tree, and to the birds in it, in some months than others.

    • Nesting season, nests checked before every cut Mar to Aug
    • Felling and big reductions, while the tree is dormant Nov to Feb
    • Hedges cut, once the birds have fledged Sep to Feb
    • Birch, maple and walnut pruned, after the sap Jul to Oct
    • Cherry and plum pruned, in dry weather against silver leaf Jun to Aug
    Split hardwood logs stacked to season

    Nothing wasted

    Your tree warms someone’s house next winter.

    Hardwood from our jobs is split and seasoned at the yard for two years, then sold as logs under 20 per cent moisture. Every branch goes through the chipper and onto someone’s borders.

    Seasoned hardwood logs, Ready to Burn certified
    £140 a cubic-metre bag, delivered in CH postcodes
    Kindling, a net
    £6, or free with logs
    Wood chip for borders and allotments
    Free, a tipper load of about 4 m³ when we are working nearby
    A pile of fresh wood chip

    How we work

    From a photo on your phone to a raked lawn.

    1. 01

      Send a photo, or call

      Ring, text or use the form. A photo of the whole tree from the garden tells us most of what we need.

      Reply the same day
    2. 02

      We look, and check the map

      A visit to see the tree, and a look at the council’s TPO map and the conservation-area boundaries for your address.

      Within 5 working days
    3. 03

      A written, fixed quote

      What we will cut and why, what happens to the wood, and any council notice we need to send first.

      Within 48 hours
    4. 04

      The work, and the tidy

      Ropes and ground protection down, everything chipped and away, lawn raked and paths blown before we leave.

      Usually one day
    A hedge trimmer cutting across the top of a conifer hedge in sunshine
    Hedges from September to February, after the birds have gone.
    An old tree stump left on bare ground under young trees
    A stump like this one, ground out and turfed over in an afternoon.

    Reviews

    What Chester says once the chipper has gone.

    4.9 212 Google reviews 96 per cent five-star
    • ★★★★★

      Our sycamore had made the kitchen dark for ten years. They took it back by two metres, it still looks like a tree, and the light came back the same afternoon.

      Claire, Hoole

      Crown reduction · March 2026

    • ★★★★★

      I had no idea how the consent worked. Kate wrote the application, met the council’s tree officer and we had permission in seven weeks.

      Andrew, Curzon Park

      TPO beech · November 2025

    • ★★★★★

      A dead ash right over the greenhouse. Every piece came down on a rope, the greenhouse did not lose a pane, and the lawn was raked when they left.

      Sue and Phil, Christleton

      Sectional felling · January 2026

    • ★★★★★

      Rang at seven in the morning with a limb on the fence. They were here by ten, had it safe by lunch and sent the photos straight to our insurer.

      Mo, Saltney

      Storm call-out · December 2025

    • ★★★★★

      Forty metres of leylandii reduced and three stumps ground out. Quoted to the pound, and they asked before taking the logs.

      Helen, Tarvin

      Hedge and stumps · September 2025

    • ★★★★★

      Our architect needed a tree survey for the extension. Report, plan and root protection areas in eight days, and the planners did not ask a single question.

      Gareth, Upton

      BS5837 survey · June 2026

    Qualified and insured

    The certificates you should ask any tree surgeon for.

    Anyone can buy a chainsaw. Ask to see the climbing certificates and the insurance before anyone climbs your tree; we send ours with the quote.

    • NPTC CS30, CS31, CS38 and CS39 chainsaw and climbing certificates for every climber
    • BS3998 Every cut to the British Standard for tree work, 2010
    • £10m Public liability insurance, certificate sent with every quote
    • Level 4 Diploma in Arboriculture for our surveys and reports
    • Licensed Waste carrier, so every branch goes somewhere legal
    • Aerial rescue Two climbers on every climbing job, one always on the ground

    Who will be in your tree

    • Rob MercerFounder and lead climber. In Chester’s trees since 2009.
    • Kate OwensArboriculturist. Surveys, BS5837 reports and council applications.
    • Jamie TranterClimber. Dismantling, rigging and the big reductions.
    • Sam BellisGroundsman. Stump grinder, chipper and the tidy at the end.

    Chester’s trees

    A walled city that is greener than it looks.

    The limes of the Groves, the planes and beeches of Grosvenor Park, the riverside trees below Queen’s Park, the oaks of Upton Heath and the young woodland of the Countess of Chester Country Park. Ours are the ones in the gardens round them.

    The white suspension bridge over the Dee to Queen’s Park, Chester, through riverside trees
    Chester’s Eastgate clock on the city walls between black and white buildings
    The Old Dee Bridge at Chester under a blue sky, trees and a spire behind
    Chester’s Roman Gardens: lawns, columns and clipped trees under a cloudy sky

    Questions

    What people ask us at the foot of the tree.

    Anything else, ring Kate in the office on 01632 960 418.

    Do I need the council’s permission to cut my tree?

    Only if it has a Tree Preservation Order or stands in a conservation area. Chester has several, the city centre, Queen’s Park and Curzon Park among them, and so do villages such as Christleton and Tarvin. For a TPO tree you apply for consent and the council has eight weeks; in a conservation area you give six weeks’ notice. Neither costs anything. We check the council’s map for your address before we quote, and we write the application for you.

    Can I cut back my neighbour’s branches?

    You can cut branches that overhang your side back to the boundary, from your side, without going onto their land, and you should offer them the cuttings because they are theirs. You cannot touch a protected tree that way without the council, and you cannot harm the tree as a whole. We usually knock on the neighbour’s door first: most say yes to a proper job on both sides.

    Can you work in the nesting season?

    Yes, carefully. Every wild bird’s nest is protected by law while it is in use, all year round, and the main season runs from March to August. We check every tree before we cut and wait if a nest is in use. Bats and their roosts are protected too, and we look for them in old trees with holes and loose bark.

    My ash has dieback. Does it have to come down?

    Not always. Some ash trees hold on with most of their crown for years. Once the crown is more than half dead, the wood becomes brittle and dangerous to climb, so a tree near a road, a path or a house is better taken down sooner, from a cherry picker if it is too far gone. We assess it for £95 and tell you straight.

    How long will a crown reduction take?

    A medium garden tree is usually one day for two climbers and a groundsman, including the tidy. A big tree over a house, or one with tricky access, can take two. The quote gives you the day we start and the day we finish.

    What happens to the wood?

    Branches go through the chipper and are recycled. The trunk can be cut into rings and stacked for you to season, or taken away for logs. If you want wood chip for borders or an allotment, ask: a load is free if we are working nearby.

    Are you insured and qualified?

    Yes. £10 million public liability and £5 million employer’s liability, certificates sent with every quote. Every climber holds NPTC CS38 and CS39 for climbing and using a saw from a rope, and we never climb with fewer than two on site.

    Do you charge for quotes?

    No. The quote is free and written. The £95 advice visit is for when you want a professional opinion on a tree, and it comes off the bill if we do the work.

    The Groves at Chester: the bandstand and a line of trees along the Dee

    Where we work

    From Sealand Road, twenty minutes in every direction.

    • Chester city centre6 min
    • Saltney6 min
    • Hoole10 min
    • Upton10 min
    • Mollington12 min
    • Christleton14 min
    • Mickle Trafford15 min
    • Waverton16 min
    • Ellesmere Port20 min
    • Tarvin20 min
    • Kelsall22 min

    Further into Cheshire or over the border into Flintshire? Ask anyway; for a big job we travel.

    Directions to the yard

    Free quotes

    Tell us about your tree.

    Written quotes, free. A photo of the whole tree from the garden often saves a visit.

    Office open Monday to Friday, 7:30 to 5

    Office hours
    Monday 7:30am to 5pm
    Tuesday 7:30am to 5pm
    Wednesday 7:30am to 5pm
    Thursday 7:30am to 5pm
    Friday 7:30am to 5pm
    Saturday 8am to 12pm
    Sunday Storm line only
    Please tell us your name.
    We need a number to call you back on.
    That email address does not look right.
    A postcode lets us check the council’s map.
    Best way to reach you

    We reply the same working day. We never pass your details on.