Crown reductions, removals, stumps and hedges across Cheltenham and the Cotswolds. ARB approved, fully insured, and the advice is accurate before a saw comes out.
Most calls are one of three things: something has died, something has grown into the roof, or something came down in the wind. All of it below.
A tree that has outgrown its spot brought back to a safe, balanced shape rather than butchered.
Taken down in sections where there is no room to drop it, and cleared away afterwards.
Ground out below the surface so you can plant or turf straight over it.
Height off, sides square, and the growth kept manageable year to year.
The right species in the right place, so it thrives instead of becoming the next problem.
Written reports for planning, insurance and safety decisions, from qualified arborists.
Three stages, the same on every job, so you always know where you are up to.
Someone visits, looks at the job properly and talks it through with you: what is involved, what the options are, and anything that needs checking first. You get a quote from that visit.
Once you are happy, the job goes in the diary. You know what is being done, who is coming and when.
The job is completed as agreed and the site is left tidy, with the waste taken away.
None of this is specific to us. It is how tree work operates everywhere, and knowing it will make you a better judge of any quote you are given, including ours.
Two things protect a tree. A Tree Preservation Order, which can apply to any tree, and being inside a conservation area, where any tree with a trunk over 75mm across is covered automatically. In both cases the council needs six weeks written notice before work starts, or five days if the tree is genuinely dangerous. Doing the work without that notice is a criminal offence and fines can reach £20,000. Your council will tell you which applies to your address, usually for free. Any competent firm will check this before quoting.
A crown reduction makes the whole canopy smaller while keeping its shape. Thinning takes selected branches out to let light through without changing the outline. Crown lifting removes the lowest branches to clear a path, a drive or a roof. Pollarding cuts back hard to the main stems and commits you to repeating it. Felling takes the tree down entirely. They are very different jobs at very different prices, so it is worth checking which one you are actually being quoted for.
Birds nesting in a tree or hedge are protected by law between roughly March and August, so responsible firms avoid disturbing an active nest and will postpone if they find one. Beyond that, most trees are best pruned in winter when dormant, though a few, including some cherries and plums, are pruned in summer to reduce disease risk. If a job is not urgent, the season is worth asking about.
Everything that comes down has to go somewhere, and it is charged for either way. Chip can be left for mulch on your beds or taken away. Trunk sections can be cut into logs and stacked, or milled into boards if the timber is good enough. Removal costs money and disposal is regulated, so a quote that is much cheaper than the others is sometimes one where clearing away is not included. Ask.
Cheltenham Tree Services has spent over thirty years in tree and hedge management, working for homeowners as well as schools, local authorities and commercial clients across Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds. An ARB Approved Contractor, with City & Guilds qualified arborists on every job.
Not "great service, highly recommend". Actual jobs, described by the people who paid for them.
“I also wanted to congratulate you on the five men who did the work in my garden. They were polite at all times, worked very hard and left both front and back gardens in very good order.”
If your village is not on the list it is worth ringing anyway. It is usually the access and the size of the job that decide whether we can help, not the postcode.
Ring us, or leave your details and we will call you back. Tell us roughly what you are looking at and we will take it from there.
01242 581541Or call and speak to us directly.