Tree removal in Dudley & Stourbridge

Tree removal in the DY postcodes is really two jobs. In Stourbridge, Oldswinford, Wollaston and Pedmore it is often a big old tree in a long Victorian garden, now well above the roof. In Dudley, Netherton, Brierley Hill and Sedgley it is more often a sycamore, conifer or self-sown ash in a small walled garden, carried out piece by piece through a shared entry.

Most of the patch is Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. Kinver and Himley are South Staffordshire, and Hagley and Clent are Bromsgrove, so check which council you pay council tax to before anything is cut.

Branch and Bramble doesn't do the work. We pass your enquiry to one local tree surgeon who covers DY1 to DY9, and they confirm a fixed price with you directly.

What tree removal costs in Dudley & Stourbridge

Prices are by height and include cutting up and taking away all the wood and brash.

These are our West Midlands ranges. The local difference is the mix of jobs. A conifer or ornamental cherry in a Kingswinford or Wordsley semi is usually a small or medium removal, priced from photos. A lime or horse chestnut in an Oldswinford or Norton garden is more often over 15 metres and priced after a free survey. The tree removal cost guide has worked examples.

What pushes the price up here

• Shared entries. Many terraces in Dudley, Netherton and Lye have no rear gate of their own. If everything has to go through an entry or the house, or the tree is more than 20 metres from the van, expect around 15% on top.
• Big trees over buildings. A tree over a roof or conservatory comes down in small pieces on ropes, and is priced after a visit.
• Equipment in the road. Dudley Council says it is illegal to leave machinery on the highway without a valid licence, and the Highways Act needs written permission first. Trees leaning over a road or pavement are always surveyed before they are priced.
• More than one tree. Two or three trees cost about 1.8 times the price of one, and four or more about 2.5 times. An old Leylandii row in a Wall Heath garden is cheaper done in one visit.
• Keeping the logs. Leaving the timber cut and stacked for you takes about £75 off.

Dudley's rules before a tree comes down

The duty to check is yours as the owner. Dudley's own guidance suggests asking your tree surgeon to make the application for you, and a good one will.

Conservation areas. Dudley lists 22 conservation areas, and several here are old designations with big gardens. The Village, Kingswinford dates from 1969, Church Road, Oldswinford from 1975, Love Lane, Oldswinford from 1976 and Wollaston from 1991. Any tree inside one with a trunk over 75mm across, measured 1.5 metres above the ground, needs six weeks' written notice before it is felled. Dudley offers a Notice of Intention form, but a letter with the same details is fine. The council says you'll get a written reply before the six weeks are up. Once the work is agreed it has to be done within two years, or you give notice again.

Tree Preservation Orders. A tree with its own TPO needs consent first. Look it up on Dudley's TPO map under Development Control. The application needs a sketch plan showing which tree, what you want done and why, plus any reports that back up your reasons. Dudley decides within eight weeks. You can appeal if it refuses, or if it hasn't decided in that time. The borough has its own Tree Preservation Orders Committee to hear applications and objections.

Replacement trees. Dudley says a replacement must be planted when a conservation area tree is removed because it was dead, dying or dangerous. A replacement is also normally required when a protected tree is felled without consent, or when consent comes with a planting condition.

Trees outside the garden. Garden trees don't need a Forestry Commission felling licence. Dudley notes that felling on a paddock or field edge may need one above 5 cubic metres of timber, or 2 if any is sold.

Our guide to trees in conservation areas covers the general rules.

Where the wood goes in Dudley

Dudley's garden waste bin takes twigs and small branches under 75mm across, and that's all. Tree trunks, fencing and wood waste are on its list of things the crews won't collect. The borough's one tip, on Birmingham Street in Stourbridge, takes wood, timber and garden waste from residents who have booked a slot. It refuses trade waste and large tree stumps. It also has a 1.98-metre height barrier, and taller vehicles can only book on Wednesdays.

So the timber from a removal normally leaves with the tree surgeon, as a registered waste carrier, unless you keep the logs. Our guide to what happens to the wood explains the options.

What the job involves

1. Checks. The specialist confirms whether you're in Dudley, South Staffordshire or Bromsgrove, whether the tree is protected, and whether there are nesting birds or bats. Dudley reminds owners that bat roosts and birds' nests are protected by law.
2. Dismantling. A roped climber takes off the side branches, then lowers the main stem in sections, so nothing lands on the house, wall or shed. In a terrace, pieces are cut small enough to carry through the entry.
3. The waste. Branches are chipped and the timber is logged and taken away, or stacked for you.
4. The stump. If you ask, the stump is ground out at the same visit, which costs less than booking stump grinding separately.

A healthy tree that has outgrown its garden may only need a crown reduction, which is often easier to agree in a conservation area.