How much does a tree surgeon cost in the UK?
Tree surgery costs £500 on average in the UK. Most jobs fall between £150 and £1,800 per tree. Tree size: Small tree £150 to £400; Medium tree £400 to £900; Large tree £900 to £1,800. Prices reviewed July 2026.
Tree surgery usually costs between £150 and £1,800 in the UK, with most homeowners paying around £500 for work on a medium tree. The price depends mainly on the size of the tree, the type of work and how easy it is to reach.
Tree surgeon cost calculator
Use the calculator to price your tree surgery in 2026. Adjust the options and area for a UK cost range. Nothing is sent anywhere.
To price the whole job, use the tree removal cost calculator.
Tree surgeon cost breakdown
Typical tree surgery costs, by option:
| Tree size | Typical UK cost |
|---|---|
| Small tree, up to 8m | £150 to £400 |
| Medium tree, 8 to 15m | £400 to £900 |
| Large tree, over 15m | £900 to £1,800 |
What's included in the price?
Typical tree surgery prices include:
- A site visit and quote from a qualified tree surgeon
- The agreed work, such as crown reduction, thinning, pollarding or pruning
- Climbing, roping or access equipment and skilled labour
- Chipping the branches and taking the green waste away
- Public liability insurance and safe working around the tree
What changes the price?
The things that move tree surgery prices most:
The size and species of the tree
The type of work, from a light prune to a heavy reduction or pollard
Access and how close the tree is to buildings, fences or power lines
Whether the waste is chipped and removed or left on site
Any tree preservation order or conservation area consent needed
Your region
These are why two quotes for the same job can differ, and the only way to know your price is to get prices from local firms (through Bark; we may earn a fee, at no extra cost to you).
How the price is built up
The quote covers the team's time on site, the climbing and access equipment, and safe removal of branches. Bigger trees, heavy reductions and awkward access all take longer and push the price up. Chipping and taking the waste away is often shown as a separate line. Tree surgery is almost all labour and skill, with no real materials. The cost reflects the team's time, their climbing and cutting gear, insurance and disposing of the waste.
Ways to keep the cost down
- Get two or three quotes, as prices for the same tree vary a lot
- Ask to keep the wood chip or logs to cut the disposal cost
- Book several small jobs together so the team makes one visit
- Time non-urgent work for autumn or winter when surgeons are quieter
Does where you live change the cost?
In London, tree surgery typically costs around £600, about 20% above the UK average of £500. In the North, Scotland and Wales the guide figure is nearer £490.
| Region | From | Typical | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midlands / East (UK average) | £150 | £500 | £1,800 |
| London | £180 | £600 | £2,200 |
| South East / South West | £160 | £530 | £1,900 |
| North / Scotland / Wales | £150 | £490 | £1,700 |
Guide prices per tree, scaled with the same regional multipliers as the calculator. Not quotes.
Tree surgeon cost in major UK cities
| City | From | Typical | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | £140 | £480 | £1,700 |
| Birmingham | £150 | £500 | £1,800 |
| Bristol | £160 | £530 | £1,900 |
| Cardiff | £150 | £490 | £1,700 |
| Edinburgh | £150 | £490 | £1,700 |
| Glasgow | £150 | £490 | £1,700 |
| Leeds | £150 | £490 | £1,700 |
| Liverpool | £150 | £490 | £1,700 |
| London | £180 | £600 | £2,200 |
| Manchester | £150 | £490 | £1,700 |
| Newcastle | £150 | £490 | £1,700 |
| Sheffield | £150 | £490 | £1,700 |
City guide estimates, scaled by local labour costs. Indicative averages for tree surgery, not quotes.
Tree surgeons in London and the South East charge the most, on labour, access and disposal. The North, Wales and Scotland are usually cheaper.
Compare this with a real quote
The figures above are guide prices. Two or three quotes for your tree surgery tell you what it costs where you live.
Free and no obligation. You answer a few questions on Bark, local pros get in touch, and you decide who, if anyone, to hire. We may earn a fee, at no extra cost to you.Common questions
How much does a tree surgeon cost in 2026?
Most tree surgery costs between £150 and £1,800 per tree, with around £500 typical for a crown reduction on a medium tree. A day rate for a two-person team is usually £500 to £800.
What makes tree surgery more expensive?
Size is the biggest factor, then the type of work. Poor access, being close to buildings or power lines, removing the waste, and a tree preservation order all add to the price.
Is it worth paying a tree surgeon rather than doing it yourself?
For anything above head height or over a fence or road, yes. Working at height with a chainsaw is dangerous, and a qualified, insured surgeon carries that risk and clears up afterwards.
Can I prune my own tree?
Light pruning of small branches you can reach from the ground is fine with hand tools. Climbing, chainsaw work at height or anything near a boundary should go to a professional for safety and insurance reasons.
How long does tree surgery take?
A single tree is usually half a day to a full day. Large trees or several trees together can take two days or more.
Is there a cheaper alternative to a full crown reduction?
A lighter crown thin or crown lift often costs less than a full reduction and can still fix shading or clearance issues. Ask the surgeon which suits the tree, as over-cutting can harm it.
Official guidance and sources
The rules and schemes referenced on this page come from these official UK sources. The price figures are Costwise's own; see how we price.
- Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas GOV.UK · An Order prohibits cutting down, topping, lopping, uprooting or wilfully damaging a protected tree without the planning authority's written consent.
- Tree work: training and certification HSE · What HSE expects of chainsaw and tree-work training, which is the qualification to ask about before anyone climbs.
Cite this data
These figures are free to use in articles, reports and research under a CC BY 4.0 licence. All we ask is a credit to Costwise, and online a link. Where your style allows, please make "Costwise" the linked word so readers can check the figure for their own region.
Costwise (2026): Tree surgery typically costs £500 in the UK, ranging from £150 to £1,800. Reviewed July 2026. costwiseuk.co.ukSource: Costwise (costwiseuk.co.uk)Costwise (2026). Tree surgeon cost. Costwise UK cost data, version 2026-10-12. https://costwiseuk.co.uk/tree-surgeon-cost/2026-10-12 (158 jobs)Dataset DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21159943 · also on Kaggle, Hugging Face and Figshare. Method: how we price. Downloadable CSV.
These are independent guide prices based on typical UK jobs in 2026. Your actual cost depends on your property, spec, access and where you live. Always get at least three written quotes before committing.