Trees are a beautiful feature in gardens with enough space for them. But, they can cause havoc when they’re not maintained regularly. The consequences of neglecting your trees range from sunlight being blocked from entering your garden, to branches falling and harming people and/or your home. That’s why it’s important to care for your trees – and tree surgery is the best way to do it.
Tree surgery is one of those jobs you’ll appreciate having done once the hot weather kicks in and you start spending more time in the garden. That’s when you’ll really feel the effects of overgrown, damaged or unattractive trees! To learn more about the ins and outs of tree surgery, read on.
What is tree surgery?
Tree surgery covers:
- Planting new trees and pruning branches.
- Treating diseased trees to make sure they stay healthy.
- Crown thinning (removing some of the smaller branches to allow more light to pass through into your garden, as well as reducing the weight of the tree).
- Crown reduction (reducing the spread or height of a tree, which makes it more aesthetically pleasing and is important if the tree’s blocking a gutter or power line).
- General maintenance of trees so they stay aesthetically pleasing.
- Removing or grinding down tree stumps.
During tree surgery, a tree surgeon will make sure your trees are structurally sound. A diseased or damaged tree can pose a serious risk of falling and harming a person and/or your home.
Want to plant trees in your garden? Check out our tips on what to look for when buying a tree.
Should you hire a tree surgeon or an arborist?
The terms ‘tree surgeon’ and ‘arborist’ are often used interchangeably. One difference between the two is that some arborists focus more on aesthetics.
Due to the equipment needed and the height at which it’s done at, tree surgery can be a dangerous job. So, it’s best to get an expert tree surgeon in, as they’ll use safety equipment such as harnesses, effective power tools and have public liability insurance.
5 benefits of getting tree surgery
1. Transform your garden for summer
Diseased trees aren’t a good look for summer garden get-togethers! Similarly, overgrown trees that dominate your garden take up precious space that could be used for a BBQ, garden seating or an area for the kids to play in. Unwanted tree stumps do the same, too.
Also, you can get a tree surgeon to relocate existing trees in order to create more space for you to create your dream garden in. Moving or trimming trees will bring more light into your garden and make it feel bigger, which makes more of a difference than you’d expect.
2. Add value to your home
Did you know that having mature trees and other plants in your garden could add £3,716 to your home’s value, according to The Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report? If you’re planning on taking advantage of the extended stamp duty holiday before it ends on 30th September 2021 by selling your current home and moving to a new one, maximise the value of your property by making sure any trees you’ve got are in good shape.
3. Get rid of the effects of bad weather
The weather has been very unpredictable over the past few months, and your trees will likely have borne the brunt of it. Get them checked for viruses or diseases such as wood decay and tree rot as soon as possible, before irreversible damage sets in.
4. Protect your home and family
Healthy trees reduce the risk of your garden flooding, as they absorb rainwater. On the other hand, the branches of damaged trees can break off and cause serious damage to your home, particularly the roof.
In addition, many front gardens are paved over, which forces plants out and has led to an increase in the ‘heat island effect’. This is when urbanised areas are warmer than the surrounding rural areas, which can affect the quality of your health, water and air.
So, the more trees you plant, the better.
5. Improve the biodiversity of your local area
Aside from the aesthetic and safety benefits that trees bring, they also improve the local environment by introducing fascinating insects and birds to your garden. Having an insect-friendly garden is a good thing – you’ll attract bugs that pollenate fruit trees and other plants, and also create a good balance of insects to help get rid of those that damage your plants. And, seeing wildlife in the garden is often a lovely sight!
What kind of trees can a tree surgeon work on?
Tree surgeons can work on all types of tree, whether they’re new or mature. Working on mature or ornamental trees might be more expensive, though. If you can, it’s a good idea to tell the tree surgeon what type of tree you’ve got when you’re asking for a quote.
Tree species commonly found in British gardens include:
- The common box: A popular hedge plant, so you’ll need to get it pruned to maintain its shape. It can be affected by box blight, a fungal disease, which causes bare spots and brown leaves.
- Black pine: A conifer that can live to be 500 years old! Sometimes, the lower branches will die off if they don’t get enough sunlight. You can trim down the surrounding trees, so this doesn’t happen.
- Whitebeam: A compact tree that produces berries, and therefore attracts insects and birds to your garden. Whilst mature whitebeams only grow to about 15 metres tall, sometimes the branches can become unruly and need pruning.
You can find more information on how to tell what type of trees are in your garden on the Woodland Trust website.
How much does tree surgery cost?
The amount you’ll pay for tree surgery depends on a number of things, including:
- The type of trees you’ve got.
- The nature of the work. You can expect that removing a tree will be more expensive than pruning its branches, for example.
- The number of trees that need to be worked on.
- Safety considerations.
- The amount of waste that the tree surgeon will need to dispose of.
- The urgency of the work – some tree surgeons may include a call-out fee in their quote.
How to find a tree surgeon
Post your tree surgery job on Rated People to find a skilled tree surgeon near you. You’ll get up to three quotes for free!
