Hourly rate for someone to prune a beech tree

My gardener is about to do some extensive work pruning bushes and hedges etc. We negotiated a total price for the work - not an hourly rate. Be sure to mention ALL the work you want done when you ask for a rate and do not keep adding other bits in afterwards. There is nothing more annoying to a professional person to have agreed on a rate for the job and than have the client try to add extra tasks for the same price.

It is not your decision how much to pay a professional for a job that you are not qualified to do it is theirs. Therefore get a few quotes and go with the one that suits you.

I did find a tree surgeon.
I'm waiting until October/November to have the tree pruned.
I have been quoted which I consider a very reasonable price of £100 and this includes taking the wood away.
I was told it would take 4 hrs.

I didn't even think about TPOs. I did check out the council site but didn't find anything of help or a list of tree surgeons so I guess I am on my own for finding someone.

I have no problems, the holly tree is as dead as a dodo, the other is officially a shrub and both are in the back garden where nobody can see them.

In our last house, also in a conservation area, what I thought was a shrub got left and the trunk threaded itself around our railings spring them apart, damaging the brick plinth they were on and the roots were raising the pavement. It turned out to be an elm sapling. I rang the Tree Office at the local authority, he came round, took one look and immediately gave us permission to remove it, which we did the following weekend. We then had to rebuild the brick plinth and straighten the railings.

Callistemon213

Germanshepherdsmum

If you live in a conservation area trees have the same protection as if they were subject to individual TPOs.

Not here

Trees that were there already before building work began do have TPOs here but those planted by the builder or subsequently do not.

Apologies, the CC website states something different.
However, I have written confirmation that the tree here did not have a preservation order on it. 🤔

Germanshepherdsmum

If you live in a conservation area trees have the same protection as if they were subject to individual TPOs.

Not here

Trees that were there already before building work began do have TPOs here but those planted by the builder or subsequently do not.

If you live in a conservation area trees have the same protection as if they were subject to individual TPOs.

The TPOs are searchable online in our area - marked on the map.

We have just got a quote from the tree surgeon we have been using for 20 years. It is to cut down a holly tree(15-20 ft high) that has died and another tree about 10 ft high whose name eludes me, whatever, as fast as we cut it back and down it shoots back like a triffid twice as bushy and even taller and is smothering a crab apple

Cost for the 2. £450. In South Oxfordshire (aka Occupied North Berkshire)

Auntieflo

Be careful that it doesn't have a Tree Protection Notice.
A friend had the most beautiful, but huge, beech tree in her garden, and had to almost jump through hoops for any work done on it.

Yes.

The Tree Protection Officer at the County Council will be able to answer that question.
Ours answered by return of email, it did not have a TPO unlike many around here.

Be careful that it doesn't have a Tree Protection Notice.
A friend had the most beautiful, but huge, beech tree in her garden, and had to almost jump through hoops for any work done on it.

And a well trimmed tree is a nice shape afterwards too!

You will have to wait till the breeding season is over - so now is a good time to get quotes and book someone in.

jeanie99

Thank you everyone for the information you have given me. I suspected the cost could be in the £100s of pounds.

Yes, depending on how tall it is and how much you want lopped.
However, if not kept in check, beech trees can grow enormous.

You do need a reputable tree surgeon because a badly lopped tree could become susceptible to rot and become dangerous.

Thank you everyone for the information you have given me. I suspected the cost could be in the £100s of pounds.

As others have suggested, I would look for a tree surgeon and pay an agreed price for the job rather than by the hour.

We paid £750 for a tree surgeon and his team to fell a large and rather dangerous tree. They came with ropes, harnesses and safety gear. They tidied everything up and took away what wasn't wanted.

Someone we know was quoted £4,000 by someone who knocked on the door, they paid half but the men left a real mess behind.

We have a tree surgeon every year, the main man and his assistant, at a day rate of £400.

I believe it depends on how much your tree has grown. Big trees typically require more than simple pruning. Perhaps ask the person who helps in your garden, they could do, or recommend a tree surgeon.

We've used a tree surgeon on several occasions and always been given a price for the job. Dealing with large trees is very different to hedge cutting and often needs safety equipment as well as tree cutting equipment.

A reputable tree surgeon should give you a price for the job, not an hourly rate.

I very rarely pay per hour for a large job. I ask for an estimate for the entire job, whatever the job may be. Several years ago I paid £500 to remove one conifer tree 🌲 that had grown too large. It included removing roots and disposal.

Be careful, there are some rogues out there.

If you go on your County Council website, they should have a list of reputable tree surgeons on there.

We are paying £20/hr to have our hedge cut.