Tree Pruning Cost

Tree owners in Buffalo pay $75 to $2000 to work with tree pruning experts. Most homeowners, however, pay an average of $350 to $650. If you have an average-sized tree in your home, you should expect to spend around $450 on the pruning.

Several factors affect the complexity of tree pruning – these can increase the effort and man-hours needed when pruning a tree. As you would expect, the tree pruning cost will increase as the complexity of the job increases. Here are the major factors affecting the tree pruning cost.

Factors Affecting Buffalo Tree Pruning Cost

1. Tree Height

As the height of a tree increases, its tree pruning cost goes up. Taller trees are riskier to work, they have bigger branches, and overall, shaping them takes more time. Small trees in non-risky situations have the lowest pruning cost.

Below, we have outlined the costs to expect when pruning trees of varying heights:

• Small trees – If your tree has a height of below 30 feet, you may spend $75 to $400 on the tree pruning.
• Medium-sized trees – Trees with a height of 30 to 60 feet fit in the medium-sized category. These trees cost $150 to $800 to prune.
• Large trees – Trees with heights of between 60 and 80 feet are classified in the large category. These cost $800 to $1500 to prune.
• Extremely large trees – If you have white pines and oaks in your home, chances are, they will, at some point, hit the 80 feet mark. Pruning these trees requires property owners to spend between $1500 and $2000.

2. Tree Species

Different tree species have different pruning requirements. For example, while crepe myrtle grows to a maximum height of 30 feet, white pines can easily reach 150 feet. The safety gear needed when pruning the crepe myrtle may not be as complicated as the gear needed for the white pine.

To help you estimate the amount you will pay to prune your trees, we have outlined the tree pruning costs for varying tree species below:

Olive Tree Pruning Cost

Olive fruits require maximum sunlight because the tree’s flowers in constant shade do not set in large numbers – this can reduce the amount of oil generated by the fruits. Tree pruning has to be conducted regularly to ensure sunlight penetration.

Olive trees in Buffalo grow large and wide, leading to a tree pruning cost that is slightly higher than average. If you have olive trees in your home, expect to spend $350 to $700.

Avocado Tree Pruning Cost

The cost of pruning avocado varies widely based on the tree. It is possible to come across dwarf avocado trees in Buffalo, as well as others that are much bigger. On average, however, expect to spend between $350 and $700 per avocado tree.

Maple Tree Pruning Cost

In Buffalo, Maples are some of the biggest trees – they tend to mature at heights above 60 feet. Because of the tree’s wide range of heights, their tree pruning costs also vary tremendously, with the smallest maples costing $400 to prune while the bigger trees can cost over $1000.

Pine Tree Pruning Cost

Pines mature at heights of between 40 and 80 feet. However, some varieties – for example, the white pine – can grow to heights of 150 feet. This makes pines one of the most expensive trees to prune – property owners spend an average of $200 to $2000.

Crepe Myrtle Pruning Cost

Crepe myrtle fit in the small tree category, generally maturing at heights of 3 to 30 feet. Depending on how tall your crepe myrtle tree is, you should expect to spend $75 to $400 on the tree pruning.

Palm Tree Pruning Cost

Palm trees come second to white pines in terms of height. They reach heights of between 20 and 80 feet. This places the trees in 3 different height categories – small, medium-sized and large. Depending on which category your tree fits in, you should expect to spend $100 to $1500 on the tree pruning.

3. Accessibility

Accessibility refers to the ease of getting to the tree. The most accessible trees are usually standing on open grounds, with nothing surrounding them. This means that the tree pruners can just cut their branches and allow these branches to fly off. The work is much easier, and hence the reduced tree pruning cost.

If a tree is surrounded by trees, utility lines, or houses, the branches have to be brought down slowly. Such branches are usually tied with a rope during cutting and then lowered down slowly. This means more time spent on the same tree, which could lead to a higher pruning cost.

Accessible trees also allow the use of bucket trucks during pruning. Bucket trucks make the tree pruning procedure extremely simple – the professionals will just need to get in the bucket and get raised to where they need to prune. If a tree is inaccessible with the bucket truck, a professional has to climb to the tree crown manually.

The inability to use a bucket truck can increase the tree pruning cost by 30% to 40%. For example, if you’ve been quoted $1000 to handle pruning with a bucket truck, the cost may increase to $1,300 to $1400 if the bucket truck cannot be used.

4. Tree Health

Keeping your trees healthy through regular arborist inspections and use of recommended medications lowers your tree pruning cost. Healthy trees generally require minimal operations to achieve a good shape and appearance.

Unhealthy trees, on the other hand, are generally dangerous to work on, meaning more safety gear may be needed. When pruning the diseased tree, the professionals may have to inspect each branch to determine whether it is a candidate for removal – this is because all the infected branches have to be removed.

Once the tree pruning is complete, the professionals may have to invite an arborist on-site to inspect your tree. After conducting the inspection, the arborist may recommend medications to cure the tree. The fee charged by the arborist and the amount spent on the medications may add up to between $50 and $500.

5. Additional Services

Most homeowners generally need some additional services after the tree pruning. Since these services aren’t included in the quoted tree pruning cost, homeowners are generally required to pay for them separately. Below, we have outlined some of the additional services you may need to pay for:

Cleanup and Dumping

Some tree pruners do include this service in the quoted cost. However, to avoid surprises, you should ask the tree pruners.

If the cost is not included in the quoted cost, you may need to pay $25 to $100 depending on how big your tree is. This should help you get rid of the branches and leaves lying around in your home.

Travel Fees

Tree service providers generally have an area in which they operate without charging a travel fee. When a client calls from outside the predefined service area, most professionals may opt to offer their services – the difference is that the client will have to spend some money on travel fees.

Most professionals charge $0.5 per mile covered outside the service area. The cost, can, however, add up to $50 to $200, depending on the distance covered by the tree pruners.

Factors Influencing the Best Time to Prune a Tree

Tree pruning is not conducted randomly. Experts recommend handling the tree service when the tree is in its dormant season – this is a period when trees do not grow actively. The dormant stage allows the professionals to remove the right branches without harming tree buds.

There are, however, a few factors that could make property owners opt to prune a tree before or after the dormant stage. These include:

Safety

The branches on your tree crown may break, which could put them at the verge of dropping. Pests could attack your tree, eating the attachment between the branch and the main trunk – this will increase the risk of the branch falling.

Sometimes, strong winds and storms can break branches, turning them into ticking time bombs that might fall unexpectedly. Fires – especially in the hot and dry summers – can also inflict a lot of damage on tree crowns. If you have noticed issues like this on a tree, waiting for the dormant stage is not an option – you will need to prune your tree immediately.

Health

Tree pruning helps control the spread of diseases by removing the limbs carrying the health problems. Waiting after discovering that a branch has a health problem gives the disease enough time to spread to other parts. Hence, pruning has to be conducted immediately if tree health is a concern.

How to Save Money on Tree Pruning

If you want the benefits of pruning without injuries or property damage, you cannot avoid working with professionals. However, you can reduce your tree pruning cost. We have outlined the tips you need to use below:

• Tree pruners are generally less busy in the winter period. Inviting them to your home in this season will encourage a lower tree pruning cost.
• Trees next to power lines are generally pruned for free by the utility companies to increase safety.
• To avoid paying for health fees during pruning, be sure to keep your trees healthy.
• Regular tree pruning should help you avoid overgrown branches and limbs, meaning a lower tree pruning cost over time.