Felling, pruning and hedge work across Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bath, with as much of the timber as possible milled, logged or chipped rather than dumped.
Not "great service, highly recommend". Actual jobs, described by the people who paid for them.
“Tom obtained planning permission to remove a large tree and executed its removal and stump grinding perfectly. He also cleared the ground to enable 34 metres of fencing which he erected, again perfectly.”
“An excellent service in cutting the substantial box, yew and hornbeam hedges at our property and thinning out dead branches from a couple of trees.”
“Tom and his team did a fantastic job of felling a large cedar tree for us last year. They then returned this year to mill it for us.”
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 full service from pruning through to removal, on domestic and commercial sites.
Height and spread brought back under control, and shaped rather than hacked.
The smaller work that keeps a garden from closing in on itself.
Good trunks milled into boards instead of chipped, so the timber has somewhere else to go.
Firewood and chip from our own work, available locally.
Grounds, estates and managed sites, with the paperwork to match.
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.
Willow & Oak was set up in Nailsworth in 2016 by tree surgeon Tom Walker, and is fully insured for all work. The firm handles residential and commercial tree care across Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bath and North East Somerset, and is deliberate about waste: timber comes back as logs, woodchip or milled boards wherever it can.
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.
07807 176295Or call and speak to us directly.