Tree Removal
Whole-tree takedowns and sectional dismantles, including trees with nowhere safe to drop a stem.
Learn more →What lopping should actually mean
Reducing the height or spread of a tree that has outgrown its position, with every cut taken back to a lateral branch big enough to take over as the new leader. That lateral keeps sap moving to the cut region, the wound seals, and the tree keeps a natural outline instead of a flat top.
The alternative — the one that gives lopping its bad name — is cutting limbs off at a convenient height and leaving stubs. The tree responds with a mass of epicormic shoots from dormant buds under the bark. Those shoots grow quickly and look like a recovery. They are anchored only in the outer wood, and in five or six years they are heavy enough to tear out in the first strong easterly.
We will not do the second kind on a healthy tree. If the height that has to come off is more than the tree can carry, the honest options are removal and a replacement planting suited to the space.
When a reduction is the right job
- The canopy is over the roof and the gutters, but the tree is otherwise sound.
- Wind sail needs reducing on an exposed block before summer.
- A long horizontal limb over a driveway, pool or patio needs shortening — particularly on lemon-scented gums, which drop limbs in still summer heat.
- One side of the crown has become dominant and the tree is leaning.
- The tree shades a solar array, a garden or a neighbour's yard more than anyone wants.
When it is not
- The tree is dead or the trunk is failing. Reducing it does not fix either.
- The root system is lifting a slab, wall or footing. That is a root problem, not a canopy one.
- The species is simply far too large for the position and a reduction would have to be repeated every second year.
- The tree is a verge or street tree. Those belong to the council no matter which local government area you are in, and the application goes to them.
Lopping, pruning and the difference in practice
Pruning is selective — deadwood out, a defective limb removed, the crown thinned or lifted. The tree's overall size stays roughly the same. A reduction changes the size. Most jobs on established Perth gardens are actually a combination: reduce the two limbs over the house, lift the crown off the fence, take the deadwood out, and leave the rest alone.
The council question
Western Australia has no statewide tree preservation order, so pruning a tree on your own land is unregulated in much of Perth. The exceptions that matter are trees on a significant tree register — the City of Melville and the City of Fremantle both maintain one — trees carrying a subdivision or planning condition, and anything on the verge. The service areas page lists which council covers each suburb.
For the Perth-specific version of this, including how local species respond, see tree lopping in Perth. For pricing, the cost guide. Otherwise, call (08) 9516 2804 for a free onsite look.
More services
Explore our other services
Tree Pruning
Deadwooding, crown thinning, crown lifting and roof and powerline clearance on established trees.
Learn more →Stump Grinding
Stumps ground below grade so you can turf, pave or replant over the top. Fast work in Perth sand.
Learn more →Stump Removal
Full stump and root-plate extraction where the ground has to be clear for a slab, pool or footing.
Learn more →
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Is tree lopping bad for the tree?
Indiscriminate topping is. Cutting limbs back to bare stubs removes the tree's ability to seal the wound and triggers a flush of epicormic shoots that are attached only to the outer wood. Those shoots grow fast, get heavy and fail. A reduction cut back to a suitable lateral branch is a different operation entirely and a sound tree tolerates it well.
How much height can come off?
As a working rule, no more than about a quarter to a third of the live crown in one visit, and less on a stressed or mature tree. If you need more off than that, the honest conversation is about whether the tree suits the position at all.
Will it grow back thicker?
After a proper reduction it regrows at a normal rate and keeps its shape. After a topping it regrows very fast, denser and weaker, which is why topped trees need doing again in two or three years. Paying twice is the real cost of the cheap quote.
Can you lop a tree overhanging my neighbour's yard?
You are generally entitled to cut back to the boundary line, and the cut material is technically theirs. In practice, telling the neighbour first avoids most of the trouble, and cutting only to the boundary on a one-sided canopy can leave the tree unbalanced. A reduction across the whole crown is usually the better result for everyone.
What time of year is best?
Late winter into early spring for most species in Perth, while growth is slower and the structure is easy to read. Avoid taking substantial live crown off in the middle of a hot, dry summer if you can — the tree is already under water stress and the newly exposed bark can scorch.
Free, no-obligation