How Much Does It Really Cost to Trim or Remove Trees and Shrubs?

After doing your time in the concrete jungle you moved to the burbs dreaming of real, live trees. What you didn’t count on was all that greenery having a mind of its own. Between the bushes that constantly need a haircut, the dead limbs hanging perilously close to your kids’ bedrooms, and the root system turning your driveway into a mini-earthquake zone, sometimes it can feel like nature is trying to take over…and like it might win.

You like the idea of green things—if only they weren’t so much work. But with a little strategy (and some smart pruning), nature doesn’t have to be the boss of you. While trimming or removing trees and shrubs does have an upfront cost, it’s still a small price to pay for the peace of mind in knowing that a dead limb won’t turn the roof of your new sedan to mincemeat. The good news? With the right considerations and timing, your greenery project doesn’t actually have to cost you too much green.

Getting Started

Vision:

Start by asking yourself what you’re hoping to accomplish. Is it practical (the only way to stop that woodpecker from being your 4 am alarm clock is to get rid of that tree) or cosmetic (those bushes look worse than your perm did in the 80s)? Once you know your goals, you can prioritize to make sure there’s plenty of budget to go around.

Size:

It’s not the size of the tree…it’s the size of a project! While pruning a hedge may be relatively inexpensive (as little as $150, according to HomeAdvisor’s national data), projects that involve multiple elements (and, especially, multiple trees) can be larger in scope, costing $1,000 or more. It also depends on whether you want to clean up your greenery or remove it entirely—and what you want to do with the wood. For smaller jobs you can usually ask a professional to cart the excess away. For larger ones, you can literally turn downed trees into a hot commodity by using them for firewood. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to have the wood split and stacked. This may cost you more initially but could help you save on heating bills once Frosty the Snowman comes a-nipping.

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro:

Just because your husband looks adorable in a lumberjack shirt doesn’t mean he should take on the task of felling your forest. Any job that involves taking down trees or removing heavy limbs near a structure (such as, y’know, your house) should be left to a professional: someone who can gauge how the dead wood will fall and take measures to prevent damage. This goes double for trees that are near power lines. Just because it creates amazing effects in your favorite action flick doesn’t mean it’s right for your backyard.

The Nitty-Gritty

When should you trim or remove trees and shrubs? When it comes to arboreal beauty treatments, timing is everything. Pruning trees during the wrong season can subject them to weakness and disease, but sticking to a healthy schedule can actually help your greenery thrive. Here’s a handy guide:

Weak or dead trees or limbs

These can be removed anytime, but it’s especially important to have them taken down before winter, when cold air can make them brittle and they may cave in under the excess weight of snow…adding a significant headache to your annual January cold.

Recently planted trees

If your backyard is boasting a bevy of fresh tree-babies, pruning them diligently in the early years can help them grow straighter and stronger in the future. At planting time, remove any diseased or broken branches. Then, wait until the dormant season following planting (usually fall or winter, assuming they went into the ground in spring or summer) to help shape your young’uns.

Early-flowering trees and shrubs

If your trees are the first on the block to show color (think lilacs, chokeberries, magnolia, and forsythia), it’s best to prune them immediately after they stop blooming. This will help ensure an annual spring fireworks display for years to come.

Trees and shrubs known for their foliage

If, on the other hand, your tree has gorgeous leaves but no flowers (think dogwood, pea shrub, honeysuckle, sumac), it’s best to prune in the spring before it begins to sprout leaves. Then, you’ll have gorgeous foliage to look at all summer long.

Healthy, established leafy trees

Generally, it’s best to prune deciduous trees in the late winter, right before springtime’s warmer temperatures make them bud. That leaves the cut-off bits exposed to the elements for the least amount of time before the tree begins to naturally heal itself…and it helps that bugs and beetles that spread blight generally spend the winter months snoozing. Winter pruning also lets you really examine the structure of the tree, so you can see what needs to go without all those pesky leaves in the way.

Healthy evergreens

These rarely need pruning, but if you want to do some cosmetic work (or make room for a winding path through your future winter wonderland), you can really do it anytime. Keep in mind that you may get better prices in the winter, when many landscapers are eager for work.

Hedges

Have your hedges pruned once when they’re planted to encourage them to keep their shape, and then again with every 6-8 inches of growth or twice a year, whichever comes first. (Although if you’re not the type to obsessively stalk your bushes with a tape measure, you could probably just stick to the twice-a-year rule.)

Conclusion

Taking care of your trees isn’t the most glamorous home improvement task…but if you’ve chosen to live in harmony with nature, it’s certainly a necessary one! With HomeAdvisor’s True Cost Guide you can estimate exactly how much it’ll cost (and why), plus find professionals in your area who can make one project in the tree worth two in the bush.