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916-579-7241Tree trimming reduces the size of overgrown branches, removes dead branches, and shapes tree crowns to make them complement the landscape. When done right, trimming a tree will boost your property’s aesthetic appeal – overall, this will make your property more valuable.
Working with tree trimming professionals helps tree owners avoid property damages, injuries and tree damage. For busy property owners, professional tree trimming saves a lot of time. To work with professional tree trimmers, however, you will have to spend some of your money. In this guide, we will discuss the tree trimming cost in Lexington.
Average Lexington Tree Trimming Cost
The cost of trimming a tree ranges from $80 to $1000 in Lexington. Those with small to average-sized trees spend $80 to $350. Property owners with large trees, however, spend $300 to $1000.
Factors Affecting the Tree Trimming Cost in Lexington
1. Tree Height
The tree trimming procedure is more complicated when working on taller trees. Since taller trees have bigger branches and a wider crown spread, more time has to be spent on these trees to give them a fitting shape.
In Lexington, professional tree trimmers classify trees in 3 major categories:
- Large trees – These trees have a height of above 60 feet. To trim a large tree, you will need $200 – $1000. It is, however, worth noting that the tree trimming cost might increase when the height of the tree reaches over 100 feet.
- Medium trees – For a tree to fit in the medium-size category, its height has to fall between 30 and 60 feet. Trimming these trees is much cheaper, with most homeowners spending $150 to $875.
- Small trees – These are the most affordable trees in Lexington. They generally don’t grow beyond 30 feet. With $80 to $400, you should be able to trim almost any small tree.
2. Accessibility
To make their work easier, tree trimmers nowadays use bucket trucks. With a bucket truck, reaching the tree crown is generally easier. Also, the safety is improved since the tree trimmers no longer have to worry about stepping on weak branches and falling.
The problem with bucket truck tree trimming is that it is affected by accessibility – for the truck to be used, enough parking space has to be available next to the tree. In Lexington, however, trees planted in the backyard are generally inaccessible – they have a lot of utilities surrounding them.
If the bucket truck cannot be used, the tree trimmers will have to plan how to get to the tree crown through manual climbing. Part of the planning involves parking the tree cutting gear and carrying safety tools. The higher risk and the additional time needed for manual climbing generally increases the total tree trimming cost by 30$ to 40%.
If your 100-foot oak tree would cost $1000 to trim with the bucket truck, you should expect a tree trimming cost of $1,300 to $1,400 to trim it without a bucket truck.
3. Proximity to Utilities
Things like houses, powerlines, car sheds, and garages are generally at the risk of damage if they are sitting under the crown of a tree during trimming. If the cut branches are allowed to fly off to the utilities, the homeowner may spend thousands of dollars on property repairs.
To help you avoid property damages, tree trimmers use ropes to lower down the cut branches. While this does eliminate the probability of damage, it generally takes more time, resulting in a higher tree trimming cost.
4. Tree Stability
The stability of a tree can be affected by a lot of factors. In Lexington, for example, tree stability can be reduced by:
- High Winds – These could damage the tree’s anchoring point (the roots) making it susceptible to falling.
- Cracks on the tree trunk – These are an indicator that any added weight on the tree crown could cause the tree to fall.
- Flooding – This could make it impossible for the roots to hold the tree steady.
- Heavy activities – If heavy machinery is operating near the tree’s base, they could affect the tree’s roots. If substantial damage is done to the tree’s roots, the probability of the tree falling will be extremely high.
Stability problems often lead to additional work during tree trimming. For example, a tree may need to be cabled to keep it from being brought down by the future winds. Also, more precautions may need to be taken during tree trimming to reduce the risk of injuries and property damages. All this could lead to a higher tree trimming cost.
5. Tree Health
Tree health has a significant effect on the ease of tree trimming. Healthy trees just require a few cuts to remove the branches that are affecting their crown shape. Unhealthy trees, on the other hand, need more cuts to get rid of all the diseased branches. The extra time spent on diseased trees increases the overall tree trimming cost.
In Lexington, tree trimmers work hand in hand with professional arborists to determine the health complications affecting a tree. The arborist service generally costs some extra money. To increase the recovery rate of your tree, the arborist will recommend some medications and/or pesticides – both of these will have their separate costs. Depending on how unhealthy your tree is, the cost of treatment could amount to $50 to $500.
6. Travel Fees
Some property owners prefer to invite tree trimmers they have worked with before. In some cases, these professionals may have to travel a significant distance outside their normal work region to work on your trees.
If this is the case, you should expect a travel feel of approximately $0.5 per mile. When the tree trimmers have to spend hours on the road, this cost may add up to $50 to $200. Avoiding the travel fee is, however, easy – all you have to do is work with a team that operates in your neighborhood.
7. Bulk Tree Trimming
If you have several trees in your home, you should wait to trim them together. Trimming the trees one by one will cost you more money compared to trimming a group of trees at the same time.
When trimming a tree, professionals often have to deal with several unavoidable fixed costs – these could include transport costs, fuel costs, and the cost of licenses and permits. Charging a higher price for a single tree helps cover these costs.
Since the fixed costs can be covered much more easily when handling multiple tree trimming, professionals generally charge a reduced cost. When trimming one 100-foot tree, your tree trimming cost might be quoted at $800. If you decide to trim ten 100-foot trees, the total cost may add up to $7000 – you will end up saving $100 on each tree.
Tree Trimming Cost per Hour
Charging an hourly price is generally not beneficial for either property owners or the tree trimmers. If a tree trimming company has more workers, their tools are advanced, and they have years of experience, the most complicated jobs could take an hour. This, however, will not be the same for a company with fewer, less experienced workers and older tools.
If both companies charge the same hourly cost, one would end up taking more from the property owner, while the other will end up losing a lot of money. To maintain a good balance when it comes to charging competitive prices, tree trimmers prefer to charge fixed costs that take care of labor costs, fuel use, machine use, overhead, insurance costs, etc. However, some companies may still factor in a cost of $25 to $50 per hour for each of their workers.
Do It Yourself Vs. Hiring a Team of Professional Tree Trimmers
Turning tree trimming into a DIY project has one major benefit – it allows you to avoid the tree trimming cost. The problem, however, is that DIY tree trimming carries several risks, some of which are worth more than the money you save by avoiding the tree trimming cost. Below, we will look at these risks.
Risks Associated with DIY Tree Trimming
- Possibility of significant injuries from falling
- Your cutting tools may inflict deep cuts
- If you are new to tree trimming, there is a possibility of tree damage
- If important utilities are standing next to your trees, property damage could cost you a lot of money
Cost of Tree Trimming Gear
In addition to the risks mentioned above, DIY tree trimming also involves several costs. If this is the first time you are trimming your trees, you will have to pay for the following tree trimming gear:
- Gas pole pruner: $150 – $300
- Heavy-duty gas trimmer: $50 per day
- Safety gear: $50 – $150
- Ladder: $150 to $500
- Hand-held pruners and loppers: $30 to $50
If you weigh the risks of DIY tree trimming and the costs of buying the above tools against the cost of hiring professionals, it should be much easier for you to make an informed decision. In the event the risks and the tools are worth more than the tree trimming cost, hiring professionals might be a good idea.
