Tree removal in Walsall

In Walsall the hard part of a tree removal is often getting the tree out, not getting it down. In the terrace streets of Caldmore, Palfrey and Pleck, gardens are long and narrow with no rear access, so every log and every bag of brash goes out through the house. Further out, in Pelsall, Rushall and Brownhills, plots are bigger and the trees are oak, birch and boundary ash, some of them inside conservation areas such as Pelsall Common, Old Pelsall and Old Rushall.

Branch and Bramble doesn't do the work. We pass your enquiry to one local tree surgeon who covers WS1 to WS8, and they confirm a fixed price with you directly.

What tree removal costs in Walsall

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

These are the same indicative ranges we use across the West Midlands. In Walsall the line that moves the price most is access. A self-sown sycamore at the end of a Caldmore terrace garden is usually a medium tree, but if the only route out is through the hall it costs around 15% more. A conifer in a Park Hall semi with a side gate is often priced from photos. The tree removal cost guide has worked examples.

What pushes the price up here

• Carrying everything through the house. Terraces around Caldmore Green and Highgate rarely have a back entry. Carrying the wood through the house, or a tree more than 20 metres from the van, adds around 15%.
• Parking restrictions. Where the van and chipper have to stand on yellow lines, in a permit bay or in a loading area, the specialist can apply for a Walsall parking dispensation. It costs £15 per vehicle per day and has to be requested at least three working days ahead.
• Trees over buildings, cables or the road. Any tree touching or overhanging a building, near overhead cables, or leaning over a road or pavement is priced after a free visit.
• 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, so a row of old boundary trees is cheaper done in one visit.
• Keeping the logs. Having the logs cut and stacked for you takes about £75 off.

Before a tree comes down: what Walsall's tree officers need

The legal duty to check is yours as the owner, and Walsall Council says unauthorised work can lead to criminal proceedings against both the owner and the contractor. A good tree surgeon can check and apply for you.

Protection isn't limited to TPOs and conservation areas. Walsall says a tree can also be protected by a planning condition or a Section 106 legal agreement, which matters on newer estates where trees were kept as part of the planning permission. The Tree Preservation Officer can be reached at treepreservation@walsall.gov.uk or on 01922 654741. If you're buying a house, the official local land charges search should show whether there's a TPO or the property is in a conservation area.

How an application runs. One form covers both TPO trees and conservation-area trees. Once it's registered, the neighbours are told and have 21 days to support or object. The tree officer then visits the site and writes a report. The council has six weeks to decide on a conservation-area tree and eight weeks on a TPO tree. Where public interest is exceptional, the application goes to the Development Control Committee. A consent can carry conditions on when the work starts, who does it and whether a replacement tree must be planted. You can appeal a refusal within 28 days.

Dead and dangerous trees. A protected tree that is dead still needs at least five working days' written notice, by letter or email, before it's felled. If a tree presents an urgent and serious safety risk, you give written notice as soon as practicable after the work becomes necessary.

Where the wood goes

Logs and brash from a paid job leave with the specialist as a registered waste carrier. Walsall's tips take no business, trade or commercial waste, and staff can turn a vehicle away if they suspect it.

If you keep the logs, or clear small branches yourself later, Fryers Road in Bloxwich (WS2 7LZ) takes garden waste, wood, soil and rubble. Middlemore Lane in Aldridge takes garden waste on its upper level. Bring proof that you live in Walsall. A van or trailer has to be booked in advance, same-day bookings aren't accepted, and you get one van visit a month across both sites. The free brown bin takes tree clippings, hedge clippings and leaves, loose rather than bagged.

What the job involves

1. Checks. The specialist confirms which council covers you, because WS6 is South Staffordshire and WS7 is Lichfield District. They check for protection, nesting birds and signs of bats.
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.
3. Getting it out. In a terrace, dust sheets and boards go down through the hall and the wood leaves in manageable loads.
4. The stump. If you ask, it's ground out at the same visit, which costs less than booking stump grinding separately.

A healthy tree that has simply outgrown a garden may not need to come out at all. A crown reduction is often the easier thing to agree with the council.