It is understandable that people want the best price for any product or service they require. I am no different when I am looking to buy something or have something done at home.
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As I conduct all of the quoting for AG Tree Services, one of the most common questions that I am asked is – can you give me a ball park figure for the work. This is often asked before I have even seen the tree or hedge or whilst I am on site looking at the work. The simple answer is no. Whilst we are generally selling our time rather than a product, here are the reasons why it is not that simple.

​When looking at the tree work, I am considering factors such as the following;

• Is there any legal protection that requires an application (TPO/Conservation Area etc)? If it does, it may require an in-depth report to give it the best chance of obtaining approval (TPO) or no objection (Conservation Area) from the local planning authority. Even if the application is straight forward, the submission of the application and associated maps takes time.

 

• What is the access like? If you can get the vehicles and chipper close to the tree this makes a big difference. There is often several tonnes of waste even in smaller trees and if that has all got to be carried a long way, or around/over/through obstacles this adds considerable time to the equation.

 

• How much (green) waste will be created – this includes logs, chip and rakings. If there is lots of timber to cut up, it produces a lot of sawdust which is time consuming and can costly to dispose of, as can rakings which can’t go through chipper as if they have any foreign objects in them (stone, dirt, metal) this will damage the chipper. There is a common misconception that tree surgeons are onto a good thing by getting paid for a job and getting to take the logs away. Believe me, I would rather leave it all on site! There is such a small profit margin on firewood by the time you move it, ring it up, split it, season it, load it up and deliver it. The woodchip can be sold as biomass if it meets the grading but you get next to nothing per ton and you have to have a loader that can load into the collection lorry. The other option is pay to dispose of it, which is what we do with our wood chip and rakings.                                                                                                                         
• What targets are below or around the tree? If there is nothing, excellent. More likely there will be a greenhouse or pond or conservatory or prized plant or chicken coup or … you get the idea. This makes safely removing the tree (or parts thereof) much more time consuming as it has to rigged off using ropes and pulleys and possibly other equipment to try to avoid breaking anything.

• Is the tree likely to be full of metal/stone/dirt or other undesirable materials? People like to attach all sorts to trees which often grow into and are lost in the tree over time. It is extremely common to find items in the centre of trees with the chainsaw. Sometimes this is predictable (boundary trees commonly have old fencing and/or nails in them, multi-stemmed trees often have soil trapped in the unions etc) and as this costs in wear and tear on the chainsaw chains, it also costs in time spent keeping the chain sharp so that it can cut efficiently. To give you an idea, a replacement 3 foot bar and chain for one of our larger saws just cost £183.

• What is happening with the timber and/or woodchip? If it is being kept by the client this will save time both in physically moving it off the site and in the vehicle moving it to wherever it is going (usually a yard). If it is being removed, can it be moved mechanically in large pieces or does it need to be removed by hand. Is there a market for this timber species? If so, is it worth selling to this market as often the returns don’t justify the time and effort, contrary to common belief. Some customers have the timber split into logs ready for them to season. This is absolutely fine and a service we are happy to provide but it obviously makes a difference to the cost.

 

• What equipment is required. Tree surgeons often turn up with tens of thousands of pounds worth of kit on a standard day with a tipping van or 4x4, a chipper, climbing kits and chainsaws. If you start adding in specialist kit or equipment such as rigging, loaders, winches etc it makes a difference to the price.

• Is there any other factors that need to be considered? Is the tree safe to climb or is a cherry picker (MEWP) the best option. Will I be required to make several site visits before carrying out the work? Is the person requesting the work actually the owner of the tree or will we need to make contact with the owner to inform them of our intentions to cut their tree (overhanging a boundary for example)? Will the trees require a specific survey before carrying out the work (bats, nesting birds, potential hazards etc).

 
There are other factors which will also affect the price of a job in any business, not just tree surgeons; overheads, current work schedule/availability and travel time are to name but a few.
We are fully insured and have invested in a considerable amount of equipment and training to ensure that we are able to carry out work to a high standard and safely. We also pay for a Health & Safety accreditation (SMAS) to give customers a piece of mind that we can do what we claim to be able to do.

When you are comparing tree surgery quotes, it is important to ensure they are like for like. Are all the companies offering to carry out exactly the same operation? Are they all quoting to remove logs, chip, sawdust, rakings etc? Are they fully insured (public liability, usually between £5-£10 million and professional indemnity if they are offering advice for financial gain)? Do they have a waste carriers license and a legitimate way of disposing of arisings or will they be dumping it down a country lane down the road from you?

So, to put all potential clients mind at rest and to try and answer the initial question, we will always give our best price during any quotation but the above factors will need be considered. There may even be other considerations which will also need to be assessed. Whilst here at AG Tree Services Ltd we clearly invest in many areas to ensure we are able to provide the highest level of service possible, we do manage to remain competitive as we have assembled a team of highly skilled and extremely hard working arborists who are often able to work smarter to complete jobs quicker than other companies.

We still manage to win a large amount of our work based on price alone and for those occasions when we are not the cheapest, quite often some of the other benefits of using our company - being a local, well established company that are often recommended due to our staff being trustworthy, reliable, polite and highly professional – win us the rest of our work.

​Remember if the tree surgeon gets things wrong, the result could be serious injury to themselves or others, damage to your property or serious harm to your trees which may be fatal or at best it would take many years to put it right.

Here at AG Tree Services Ltd we try to put any potential customers minds at rest from the outset. Our quotations are always provided in written format, are detailed and are accompanied with details of relative information such as our insurances, our waste carriers license, our SMAS Health and Safety Accreditation, our website address, our company and VAT registration numbers and our registered company address.


​We check all trees with the local authority for TPOs, Conservation Areas or planning conditions before carrying out any work and if a planning application or S211 Notice (for Conservation Areas) is required, we take on this responsibility and it is included in the price we quote.

We are also members of checkatrade which has numerous reviews, photographs and feedback of work we have carried out. We display our work on social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) as we are proud of the work we carry out and are more than happy to show others. 

Pollarding is a technique that has been around for thousands of years and is used to maintain a tree at a predetermined height, encouraging the tree to produce dense clusters of growth from dormant buds below the bark.
 
Traditionally in the UK it was used to create fodder for livestock or for timber and was cut higher up the stem, rather than at ground level (known as coppicing) to protect the regrowth from grazing animals.
 
It is an extremely effective way of managing certain species such as willow or lime trees, however not all trees (most conifers, birch and cherry for example) will respond well to pollarding.
 
The age of the tree to be pollarded is also critical as younger trees respond much better to this type of management whereas veteran trees almost certainly wouldn’t be able to cope.
 
The initial process will encourage rapid responsive growth, usually emerging from an area near the pollard point (end of the cut stem or branch) but could grow from anywhere on the stem or branch.

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The above diagram will not win any prizes for its artistic merit, but it hopefully shows the idea of a pollard in simplistic terms. 

​Due to the type of branch union which has originated from under the bark rather than from within the incremental growth of wood within the stem stem or branch, these pollard unions will be inherently weaker than a normal branch union. Given this, it is not wise to allow these branches to become too long or heavy otherwise the risk of failure increases to an unacceptable level.

Therefore, depending on the species of tree and the rate of responsive growth, pollarded trees usually need to be re-pollarded where they are cut back to the previous pollard points on a cyclical basis (often between 3 and 10 years). It is important not to take the easy option and cut below the pollard point as this will create a larger surface area for the tree to heal, causing unnecessary stress.
 
The most important things to consider when choosing pollarding as management option for your tree are whether a dense crown and cyclical management are right for you, your tree and the landscape and to remember that an unmanaged pollard can become a serious safety risk.

When deciding whether to have your tree pruned, there are important factors that must be considered. Tree species, size, current structural and physiological condition, and location can all influence the decision-making process when it comes to tree pruning. It is important that we make the correct decisions when pruning a tree, as these choices will affect the future health and longevity of the tree.
 
Outcomes of Good Pruning –

• A smaller crown which maintains balance and amenity value
• Removal of weak parts
• Removal of dead branches or branch parts
• Maintain healthy structure, prolonged health etc.

 
Outcomes of Bad Pruning –

• Increased risk of failure (higher hazard risk
• Decline of the tree
• Insect infestations
• Decay of the branches, stem or even roots
• Stress which often allows secondary issues (pests and pathogens) to attack whilst the trees natural defences are hampered

 
Timings for Pruning
 
As a general rule, most deciduous (leaf dropping) and evergreen (which includes most conifers) trees are best pruned during their dormant period (over winter in the UK), with early spring a time to avoid for pruning due to excessive bleeding of sap. The second best time is often mid summer but there are a number of exceptions to these rules for various reasons. 

For example, cherry trees (prunus species) should be pruned early to mid summer to avoid infection from canker and silver leaf diseases.
 
 
The Pruning Cut
 
One of the first basic mistakes that people make when trying to maintain their trees at home, is making improper cuts. A bad cut can make it very difficult for a tree to react to a wound, and gives opportunity for harmful infections to get into the tree.
 
The two diagrams below show the ideal pruning points for removal of a branch, ensuring the minimum diameter wound is left and that the tree has the best chance of sealing the wound to prevent colonisation by decay fungi.

​The diameter of the branch being pruned (removed) removed should ideally not be more than a 3rd of the diameter of the branch it is being pruned (removed) from.

Pruning cuts should be made with clean, sharp tools (secateurs, loppers, hand saw or chainsaw.

Below are photographs taken by AG Tree Services Ltd and we have shown the desired target pruning cut line on real trees (a cherry and a twisted willow).

​Permission to Cut
 
Tree owners are often under the false impression that they can do whatever they like to their trees. This is definitely not the case if the tree has a Tree Protection Order (TPO) or is within a Conservation Area. Such trees are legally protected under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended). Failure to correctly apply the local planning authority and gain relavent permissions before carrying out work on the trees with a TPO or within a Conservation Area can result in prosecution and an unlimited fine for any personnel found guilty (this could be owners, managers and/or contractors).
 
For specific advice on pruning your tree(s), please contact AG Tree Services Ltd. We offer free, no obligation quotations and are more than happy to advise our clients wherever necessary.

Regularly, customers come to AG Tree Services Ltd to ask for work to be done on their trees and they have no idea on whether they are located within a conservation area or not or what to do even if they are. It is important that this information is known as trees within a conservation area are protected by the provisions of Section 211 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and substantial fines can be given to tree owners, managers and contractors who breach these regulations.

These regulations for trees within conservation areas cover all trees and shrubs with a stem diameter of 75mm or more, measured at a height of 1.5m. This is regardless of whether the tree was planted or self-sown. Trees of this size will require an S211 application (known as an S211 Notice) which can take up to 6 weeks to process and allows the local planning authority a chance to assess whether the tree has amenity value worthy of giving it a Tree Preservation Order (often referred to by the abbreviation TPO).

Circumstances where an S211 Notice would not be required for trees above 75mm in a Conservation Area include dead and imminantly dangerous trees. Even in these cases, the council Tree Officer is required to give 5 working days notice (if possible) of any planned work so he/she can assess whether it is correct as an arborists assesment of imminanty dangerous often differs from a tree owners or other members of the public.

Our advice here at AG Tree Services Ltd, if you have any questions regarding trees in conservations areas in and around Dorset, or if you are unsure as to whether you are in a conservation area or not and would like work down on a tree or large shrub, is to contact us for assistance. We can remove any of the common stresses that can be involved in submitting an application of this type and we are sufficiently qualified and experienced to ensure we can offer the best advice possible.

The normal depth for grinding is around 18 inches below ground level, which is enough to plant bedding plants/shrubs on top and/or shrubs on top.  Should you require the stump ground lower and/or the larger roots 'chased' out then this is also possible. It will simply take longer, as the spoils will have to be continually cleared from around the stump to allow grinding machine to get lower and the grinding head to continue cutting.

Stump grinders generally work by having a cutting wheel lined with teeth (often tungsten) and they spin at high speed. When this wheel is passed over the stump, it removes small amounts of wood at a time, creating woodchip/mulch material.

It is imperative that there are no services such as electricity cables, gas or water pipes in the vicinity of the stump as the grinder teeth will easily cut through these if care is not taken to identify exactly where these hazards are located.

Please do not hesitate contact us should you require a free, no obligation quote for your stump removal, whether its in or around, Dorchester, Weymouth or anywhere else in Dorset.

We get asked a lot about burning conifer and there is a great deal of confusion in the UK regarding which species of logs are best to burn and which should be avoided. All wood is good to burn in a stove as long as it is properly seasoned/dried.The scandanavians burn mostly conifer and they also supply many of the stoves we install in our homes so bear that in mind.

Although you get nearly the same amount of heat out of a kilo of hardwood as you do a kilo of softwood, hardwood is denser so would need less logs than softwood, hence softwood is usually cheaper to buy. 

Lots of people believe that you should not burn conifer as these contain sap/resins which tar up the chimney or flue. This is largely untrue. The more likely cause of a chimney or flue blockage is by burning unseasoned wood as the high water content combines with other gases and particles and as the fire isn't burning hot because of the inefficiencies of burning wet logs, the condensation forms a creosote substance which hardens as it cools to form a tar lining.  The other problem is that the condensation is acidic and will corode the inner liner of a flue. It is important for anyone burning logs to have their chimneys/flues swept regularly by a suitably qualified person to ensure it maintains safe and unrestricted.

So, the importance is not really the species - more the quality! Softwood is great for getting a fire going so it has its place when buring logs. The exception is for those people burning on an open fire, as that some species of wood tend to spit making species choice as important as the quality. This happens not just with conifer but also some hardwoods - notably horse chestnut, sweet chestnut and willow.

Other factors to carefully consider when purchasing your logs, is to clarify exactly what volume of logs you are buying. Our loads are always measured to ensure you get 1m3 of loose logs. I am amazed when new clients phone up and ask for a price for a 'load' - can you compare a shallow covering of logs in a large tipper van to a deep trailer load or a back of a pick up? We have experimented by putting the same amount of logs in different delivery vehicles/bags and you would be surprised how easy it is to give the impression that you are giving more logs, just by the type of vehicle or bag it is delivered in. Beware of buying logs in builders dumpy/1 ton bags as you appear to be getting a good amount but they only hold around 0.6-0.75 m3 and they do not allow moisture out so the logs can't dry out.  Also remember that if you buy large logs (diameter more than length), you will get more air space in your load so maybe it might be worth buying smaller logs although you have to put more logs on the fire. It all depends on what is important to each client. At AG Tree Services we try to use as much of the tree as possible so you tend to get a good mixture of sizes from narrow branch wood to large split lots.


At AG Tree Services we strongly recommend you buy your logs well in advance of when they will be required (even the year before if possible) and store them in a log store or garage so that you can drive that moisture content right down giving you the most efficient burn and subsequently the best value for money.


Please feel free to call us on 01305 246573 or 07403 944331 if you would like to discuss any firewood or to place an order.  All our logs are locally sourced from sustainable woodland work or tree surgery arisings, keeping the carbon footprint low and we tailer the size and species to the needs of each individual client.