Most people only think about a tree job on the morning the crew arrives. In practice, the work that makes felling day calm starts a week or two earlier, with a site visit and a written quote. If you know what happens at each stage, it is easy to prepare for tree felling in a way that keeps the job safe, keeps your neighbours on side and leaves your garden in good shape.
Below is the timeline we follow on residential jobs across Cape Town, the Southern Suburbs, the northern suburbs and the winelands, with what you can do at each step.
Before the site visit
Our site visit and written quote are free. We look at the tree’s species, size, lean and health, then at everything around it: the roof, boundary walls, the pool, overhead cables, paving, and how a truck and chipper will reach the tree. We also think about wind exposure, because a tall gum that is straightforward on a still morning is a different job in a strong south-easter.
A little thinking before we arrive makes the quote more accurate:
- Which trees, exactly. Walk the garden and decide what is going.
- The stumps. Decide whether you want them gone. Grinding on the same visit is usually easier than bringing a machine back later, and our stump grinding service takes the stump below ground level so you can replant or pave over the spot.
- The wood. Some people like to keep logs for the fireplace. Otherwise everything is taken away.
- Hidden things. Irrigation lines, a septic cover, a koi pond or a prized rose bed are far easier to protect when we know about them in advance.
- Where the tree stands. Is it fully on your property, on the boundary line, or on the pavement outside?
If you are not sure a tree needs to come down at all, an independent arborist can tell you whether pruning would solve the problem. And if you want a feel for what drives the cost before we visit, our guide to tree felling prices explains it. Access is the big one: a tree behind a narrow courtyard takes far longer than the same tree on an open lawn.
After you accept the quote
A good quote is written and specific. It should name the trees, say how they will be taken down, state whether the stumps are ground, and confirm that the waste is cleared and taken away. Ours include clearing the site and removing the waste as part of the job. If you want to keep some of the wood, tell us now and say where you would like it stacked.
Check who owns the tree and whether it is protected
Talk to your neighbours
In a suburb, the tree you want gone usually stands within sight of a neighbour, and often its branches hang over their wall. A short chat a few days before helps a lot. Tell them the date, roughly how long the work will last and whether they may need to move a car from a shared driveway. Saws and chippers are loud, so a friendly warning about the noise is appreciated.
If your estate or body corporate has rules about working hours or contractor access, check them now rather than on the morning. For a tree on the boundary line, agree in writing with your neighbour who is paying for what before you book. A short WhatsApp exchange is enough. If the problem tree is your neighbour’s, never cut or poison it yourself: in general you may trim branches that cross onto your side, but the tree belongs to whoever owns the land it grows on.
Pick a sensible date
Cape Town weather shapes the calendar. Winter cold fronts bring rain and strong north-westers, and the summer south-easter can stop climbing work on tall trees. Late summer and autumn are often the calmest months for planned felling. Whatever the season, leave a day of slack, and avoid the day before a family event at home. If the wind picks up, climbing stops for safety and we agree a new date with you.
The day before: how to prepare for tree felling at home
On the day, the crew needs a clear corridor from the tree to the street, wide enough for a wheelbarrow and an armful of branches. Half an hour the evening before is well spent:
- Move cars out of the driveway and, if you can, off the street directly outside, so the truck and chipper can park close.
- Move pot plants, garden furniture, the braai and ornaments well away from the tree.
- Take down washing lines, shade cloth and any temporary structures near the work area.
- Mark irrigation heads, water features and septic covers with bright tape or a flag.
- Put the pool cover or net on if the pool is anywhere near the tree.
- Unlock side gates, coil up hoses and clear the access path.
- Arrange for pets to stay indoors or with a friend, and plan to keep children inside too.
- Choose where wood or material can be staged during the job. A corner of the driveway usually works and keeps logs off the lawn and out of the beds.
On the day
When we arrive, the team leader walks the garden with you, confirms the scope from the quote and points out the hazards: cables, the pool, fragile beds, the neighbour’s roof. From there, a typical suburban job follows the same rhythm:
- Setting up. Drop zones are marked off and anything vulnerable nearby is protected before a saw starts.
- Climbing and rigging. In most gardens, a climber in a harness takes the tree down in sections, lowering each limb on ropes into the drop zone rather than letting it fall. Where there is open space, a tree can be felled in one piece in a planned direction. Our article on the methods of felling trees explains both. Palms are climbed too, never worked from a ladder, the same way we handle palm cleaning and palm removal.
- Processing. Branches go through the chipper as the work goes on, and the trunk is cut into rounds.
- Stump and clean-up. If it is part of the quote, the stump is ground out once the tree is down, and then the site is cleared.
Ideally, be home for the start and the end. Many people go out for the middle hours. While the crew is working, keep everyone out of the drop zone, even when it looks quiet: a climber above may be about to lower a limb. Most garden trees come down within a morning. A large tree close to a house, like the big gums and pines we often take down for tree felling in Constantia, can take a full day or longer.
After the job
Clean-up is part of the work, not a favour at the end. Branches, chips and the logs you are not keeping are loaded and taken away, and the lawn and beds are raked clear of sawdust. If the stump was included, it is ground below ground level so the spot can be replanted, lawned or paved.
Before the crew leaves, walk the site with the team leader. Check that the stump is at the agreed depth, that no debris is left, that gates, walls and paving are as they were, and that any wood you kept is stacked where you wanted it.
If you would like the open space lawned or replanted afterwards, we can quote landscaping at the same time as the felling.
To get started, WhatsApp a photo of the tree and your address to 071 799 1993, or use our contact page to book a free site visit and written quote.