Tree felling is the cutting down of a tree, either in one piece where there is room for it to fall or in sections where there is not. Most garden trees in South Africa stand close to a house, a wall, a pool or a neighbour, so the method matters as much as the saw. This page covers how tree felling services choose between a whole fell and sectional work, the cut, the wood and the price. Tell us about your tree and local tree fellers will send you free quotes, with no obligation to accept any.
Whole fell or sectional felling
A tree can only be felled whole when there is a clear drop zone at least as long as the tree is tall on the side it will fall, and more is better. An 18 m gum needs more than 18 m of open ground with nothing in the way. On most suburban stands that space does not exist.
Where it does not, the team takes the tree down from the top in sections. A climber or a cherry picker removes the crown branch by branch, then the trunk is cut in short rounds, each lowered on ropes through a pulley. Near roofs and pools a crane is sometimes used to lift sections out. Sectional work is slower and needs more people, so it costs more. See tree cutting services for how a dismantling job is planned.
How the felling cut works
On a whole fell the sawyer first cuts a notch, a wedge of wood taken out of the trunk on the side facing the drop zone. The back cut follows from the other side, a little above the floor of the notch, and stops short so that a strip of uncut wood remains. That strip is the hinge. It steers the tree as it falls and stops it swinging or kicking back off the stump.
A careful team also:
- checks for lean, heavy limbs on one side, rot and hollow trunks before choosing the line
- clears an escape route at an angle behind the tree
- uses wedges or a pull line where the tree must be helped over
- keeps everyone out of the drop zone until the tree is down
What happens to the wood
Once the tree is down, the branches are cut off and either chipped on site or loaded as they are. The trunk is cut into logs or rounds. Ask each quote to say plainly which of these is included:
- branches chipped and the chips left for mulch or taken away
- logs cut to braai or fireplace length and stacked for you
- all wood removed so the site is left clean
- the stump left at a set height, or ground out
Leaving the wood behind usually lowers the price. Heavy hardwood and gum logs are worth keeping for firewood once they have dried. For the stump, see stump grinding.
Tree felling prices
Tree felling prices depend on the height and trunk width, the species (gums and hardwoods are heavy), what lies underneath, access for a truck or chipper, whether wood is removed, and travel. A tree that can be dropped whole on an open plot can cost a fraction of the same tree beside a double storey. Most tree felling services quote after a site visit or clear photos taken from a few angles, with something in the frame for scale.
What to include in your request
- The tree's height and trunk width
- What is within reach: house, wall, pool, lines
- Photos from two or three angles
- Whether to chip, cut logs or remove the wood
- Gate width and access for a truck
Tree Felling for different clients
- Homeowners: a gum or pine too close to the house, pool or boundary wall taken down safely
- Estates, complexes and body corporates: trees in complexes and estates felled with the body corporate's approval and clean-up included
- Farms, smallholdings and plantations: old gum rows and windbreaks felled whole on open ground with the logs kept for firewood
- Businesses and commercial property: trees over parking bays and buildings felled after hours with the site cordoned off
- Schools, churches and municipalities: dead or leaning trees at schools, churches and parks felled with the area kept clear
- Developers and building sites: trees on a new stand felled and cleared before the builders move in
- Servitudes and fire breaks: trees near servitudes felled by authorised teams once the lines are made safe
- Tree fellers, landscapers and garden services: garden services passing big felling jobs to a team with climbers and rigging gear
Frequently asked questions
How much does tree felling cost in South Africa?
Do I need permission to fell a tree on my property?
How do I find tree felling near me?
How long does it take to fell a tree?
Tree Felling by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg