Preventative Maintenance & Care for Residential Homeowners in Exeter

Tree work in Britain is normally specified against BS 3998, the British Standard for tree work. Common operations include crown lifting, which removes lower branches to give headroom; crown thinning, which removes a proportion of smaller branches to let light through; crown reduction, which shortens the overall height and spread; and deadwooding. Topping a mature tree, cutting it back hard to stubs, usually leads to decay and vigorous regrowth, so a good quote will explain an alternative. Ask each tree surgeon to describe the work in these terms, with approximate reduction amounts, so quotes compare like for like.

Check whether the tree is protected before any work is agreed. Your local planning authority can confirm whether a Tree Preservation Order applies or whether the property is in a conservation area, where six weeks' written notice is needed before most work on trees above a small trunk size. Unauthorised work on a protected tree is a criminal offence and fines can be substantial. Many tree surgeons will prepare the application or notice for you, but the responsibility stays with the owner.

Timing matters for wildlife and for the tree. Nesting birds are protected, so hedge and tree work between March and August needs a careful check first, and bats can roost in holes and loose bark in older trees. Many species are best pruned in late autumn or winter while dormant, although cherries and plums are usually pruned in summer to reduce the risk of silver leaf disease, and birches and maples bleed sap if cut in late winter.

Neighbours often come into it. You are generally entitled to cut back branches that overhang your boundary, but only up to the boundary line and without harming the health of the tree, and the cuttings belong to the tree's owner, so it is courteous to offer them back. Talking to the neighbour before work starts avoids most disputes, and a protected tree still needs consent even when its branches cross into your garden.

On the day, expect the crew to set up an exclusion zone, protect lawns and borders where access is tight, and lower larger branches on ropes rather than dropping them near buildings. Agree in advance whether logs are left for you, whether chippings can stay as mulch, and whether the stump of any removed tree will be ground out. Ask how the garden will be left at the end of the day.

When comparing quotes from the tree surgeons you are introduced to, look for a written specification of the work, clarity about waste removal and access, public liability cover suited to the job, and evidence of training for climbing and chainsaw use. A lower price that only says "trim tree" leaves too much open to interpretation, and makes it hard to tell afterwards whether the work was done as agreed.