How to quote a tree service job

Tree work is quoted per tree, and never by the hour, because the hours depend almost entirely on what is standing underneath it. The same oak is a morning's work in an open field and a full day with a crane over a conservatory, and nothing about the tree itself has changed.

Assess the tree and its target zone together

  1. Record height and trunk diameter

    These set the volume of wood and roughly how long the work takes in clear conditions. They are the starting figure everything else adjusts.

  2. Look at what is under the canopy

    A roof, a fence, a greenhouse, a neighbour's garden or a power line means the tree comes down in controlled pieces rather than in sections dropped freely. That distinction is most of the price.

  3. Decide crane, climb or bucket

    Each is a different day rate and a different crew size, and access decides which are even possible. A tree reachable only through a side gate rules out two of the three before anybody quotes.

  4. Judge the tree's condition, not just its size

    Dead, storm-damaged or rotten wood cannot be climbed safely and cannot be rigged the same way, so a smaller dead tree can cost more than a larger healthy one.

Debris is a separate decision

Chipping brush, hauling logs and grinding the stump are three services, and clients frequently want some and not others — firewood left on site, chip spread on the beds, the stump left for now. Price them as lines that can be taken out, because a client who only wanted the tree down should not be comparing your full-service figure against somebody else's bare one.

What has to be excluded

What moves a tree number up

  • Proximity to power lines, which may require the utility to attend before any work starts
  • No vehicle access, which means every log and every barrow of chip is carried out by hand
  • Protected trees or conservation areas, where consent has to be obtained before a saw is started
  • Roots at the stump wrapped around services, which limits how deep a grinder can safely go
  • Working over a roof or a neighbouring property, which adds rigging, matting and often a spotter

Hold the price for thirty days

Valid for 30 days from the site visit, and the site visit is the operative phrase. The figure describes a tree in a condition somebody looked at; if it has since dropped a limb or lifted at the base, it is looked at again before the work is booked.

Start from the tree service quote template

Common questions

Why is tree work not quoted by the hour?
Because the hours are decided by what is beneath the canopy rather than by the tree. The same specimen is a short job in an open field and a long one over a conservatory, and an hourly figure gives the client no way to compare quotes.
Does a dead tree cost less to remove?
Often more. Dead or storm-damaged wood cannot be climbed or rigged the way sound wood can, so a smaller dead tree may need a crane or a bucket where a larger healthy one would not.
Should stump grinding be included?
As a line that can be declined. Many clients leave the stump, and others want the grindings removed as well as the stump ground — three different prices that should be visible rather than bundled.

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