Tree Pruning Cost

For healthier trees, cleaner landscape, and safer homes, regular tree pruning is necessary. The tree maintenance service gets rid of diseased limbs, maintains a compact tree shape, and improves the aesthetic appeal and hence the value of your entire property.

Most Jacksonville tree owners are aware that working with professional tree pruners guarantees maximum benefits from the tree service. However, not understanding the tree pruning cost to expect often keeps these property owners from investing in tree pruning projects. In the following section, we will share the average tree pruning cost – this should help you when planning your tree maintenance project.

Average Tree Pruning Cost in Jacksonville

Tree owners in Jacksonville spend $200 to $2000 on tree pruning. If, however, you have average-sized trees on your landscape, you should expect to spend approximately $460 on the tree pruning procedure.

Other than tree height, a variety of factors affect the cost of pruning a tree. Below, we will look at these factors and how each factor drives the pruning cost up or down.

Factors Affecting Tree Pruning Cost in Jacksonville

1. Tree Height

Taller trees are harder to prune, with the tree pruners having to use complicated machinery to reach the branches they need to saw off. Falling from a taller tree carries a bigger risk compared to falling from a short tree – for this reason, more sophisticated safety gear will have to be employed when conducting the tree pruning procedure.

In Jacksonville, professional tree pruners charge the following fees to prune trees fitting in the mentioned height categories:

• Under 30 feet – These trees fit in the short-tree category. The cost of pruning the trees ranges from $75 to $400.
• 30 – 60 feet – This a medium-sized category. Property owners with these trees spend $150 – $800 on pruning.
• Over 60 feet – Trees taller than 60 feet fit in the large tree category. These cost approximately $1500 to prune. As the height increases to over 80 feet, however, the trees fall in the extremely large category and can cost over $2000 to prune.

2. Tree Health

Pests and diseases weaken a tree’s wood structure – this means that branches can break off unexpectedly during the tree pruning procedure. To minimize the possibility of injury or property destruction, tree pruners may have to stabilize the limbs before pruning – this increases the time and effort needed to complete the procedure. The higher risk and extreme caution needed when pruning the tree will drive the cost up.

Once the procedure is complete, arborist services may be needed to diagnose the tree and provide prescriptions to speed up the recovery process. The cost of treating the tree may be charged separately, further driving the pruning cost up.

3. Tree Species

In Jacksonville, different tree species have varying heights. They also have varying wood hardness, branch size, and crown structure. This means that some tree species are more complicated to prune while others are easier – this affects the tree pruning cost.

Below, we have outlined some of the costs to expect when pruning different tree species in Jacksonville:

Pine Trees

The average pines grow to a height of 40 to 100 feet. If, however, you have white pines in your home, these can grow to a height of more than 150 feet. To prune pine trees, you will need between $100 and $1500.

Fruit Trees

The biggest fruit trees in Jacksonville have a height of 30 feet. For this reason, the cost of pruning fruit trees ranges from $100 to $400.

Crepe Myrtle

With a height of between 3 and 30 feet, Crepe Myrtle trees are one of the easiest trees to prune. On average, they cost $75 to $400 to prune.

Hardwood Trees

Sawing through hardwood branches requires more effort compared to cutting softwood branches. If you have softwood trees in your home, you may spend less money on tree pruning compared to a property owner with hardwoods of the same height.

4. Accessibility

The easiest trees to prune are usually standing on open ground, with zero houses or other important structures surrounding them. For such trees, the tree pruners can saw off branches and allow them to drop without having to worry about property damage.

When trees are standing next to a house, utility lines, your garage, or a swimming pool, the branches cannot be dropped freely. Instead, the tree pruners will have to tie them with a rope before initiating the cutting process. Once the branches have been sawn off, they will have to be slowly lowered down using the rope – this can increase the tree pruning cost.

5. Additional Services

When tree professionals mention tree pruning in the quote you receive, they are talking about going up the tree, sawing off branches, and bringing them down. If you need extra services, you may have to spend some extra money.

Some of the additional services that often add money to the quoted tree pruning cost include:

• Prescriptions – If your tree is suffering from a health issue, you will need to spend money on medicines.
• Pesticides – Pest-infested trees need pesticides to kill the pests, hence restoring the tree’s health.
• Arborist service – Arborists help tree owners determine the health problem affecting different types of trees. They will also prescribe medications they think can increase the rate at which a tree regains its health. To access these services, you will need to spend some extra money.
• Travel fees – Property owners incur this cost when they hire tree pruners who have their base too far from the tree pruning location. When the tree professionals have to cover a significant distance outside their area of service, property owners spend $0.5 per mile. To avoid the travel fee, you will just need to hire tree pruning professionals closest to your home.

Factors Affecting Tree Pruning Timing

To gain maximum benefits from tree pruning, it has to be timed correctly. Various factors, however, can affect when you prune your trees:

1. Safety

If some of the branches on your tree might fall unexpectedly, you must prune your tree immediately. This will help you avoid property damage costs or treatment costs if you get injured by falling limbs.

2. Tree Health

Some health complications generally spread from limb to limb. If you catch such health problems early enough, immediate tree pruning can get rid of the branches suffering from the disease, keeping the health problem from spreading.

3. Aesthetics

Tree pruning can help improve your tree’s shape, branch structure, and eliminate dead limbs – all this leads to an improved aesthetic appeal. Most property owners want their properties to have the best look when renting out or selling. This can affect when you hire professionals to help you with tree pruning.

4. The Dormant Stage

Most trees in Jacksonville do enter a stage where they stop growing actively. This stage allows tree pruners to have a better view of the tree’s branches, offering a greater insight on which branches to remove and which ones to leave on the tree.

Experts recommend pruning in the dormant stage – the only time you should prune outside the dormant stage is when you need to improve the tree’s health or to increase safety on your compound.

Most trees enter the dormant stage in autumn. This period can last through winter. You can initiate tree pruning in autumn but you may have to spend more money on the tree pruning cost since competition for tree service providers is generally high. If, however, you wait for the winter – when the tree pruners are less busy – you can reduce the amount you spend on tree pruning.

DIY Tree Pruning

If you have small trees that pose a minimal risk on your property, you can avoid the tree pruning cost through DIY pruning. When pruning your trees, the following tips will come in handy:

• If a branch has reached a diameter of 10 cm, only remove it because it’s necessary – for example, it is diseased or has turned into a hazard. Branches with a diameter of 5 to 10 cm need careful consideration while those under 5 cm are safe to remove.
• Branches with a U-shaped angle can be allowed to stay on the tree. Those forming a weak V-angle can be removed.
• When cutting branches from your tree, cut between the ridge and the collar, without leaving a huge stub or cutting too close to the tree trunk.
• Use a sharp tool to avoid inflicting injuries on your tree.
• Before moving to a different tree, always sanitize your tree pruning gear to avoid spreading disease-causing organisms from one tree to the other.

Tree Pruning Tools

To prune your trees, you will need the following tools:

• Pruning saw – For branches with a diameter of 3+ inches, get a coarse-toothed saw. A fine-toothed saw should work for diameters under 2 inches.
• Bypass pruner – This comes in handy when you are removing narrow-angled branches.
• Hedge clippers – These are the perfect option for hedge pruning. Also, they can work for incredibly thin tree branches.
• Looping shears – These are ideal for trees with large branches.