Tree Felling South Wales discussed by Green Leaf Remediation

Tree Felling in South Wales is a common practice due to the high proportion of rural areas in which trees grow. If you are concerned about a tree on your property or land, or you just want to learn more about Tree Felling then read our FAQ’s discussed by Green Leaf Remediation and Tree Felling Services.

What is Tree Felling?

Tree Felling is the process of cutting down a tree in a safe and knowledgeable manner by either sawing with a handsaw or cutting with a chainsaw. Felling a tree takes planning, experience and should be well thought through as felling a tree without expert knowledge can lead to injury and damage to property or the trees and plants around it.

Before felling any trees you should ensure you have all the necessary permits and/or permissions from your Local Authority if it is a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) on it.

Who can fell a tree?

A professional Tree Feller or Tree Surgeon can safely fell a tree.

What is a Tree Surgeon?

A Tree Surgeon can prune, fell and remove trees safely, including their stumps if needed. Fully trained tree surgeons will prune, fell and remove trees safely, and in sometimes dangerous conditions. They will have the experience, knowledge and understanding to safely cut a tree down with exact precision, knowing which direction it will fall. If a tree is felled incorrectly it can bring down other trees that are surrounding it, damage property and injure people.

Using a Professional Tree Surgeon or Tree Feller is really important as large trees need to be brought down in a controlled manner to ensure they fall in the right and exact planned direction.

Tree surgeons, also known as arborists or tree climbers, carry out all kinds of tree work. This includes planting, care, maintenance, pest control and hazard assessment. Tree surgeons work at height, using ropes, harnesses and/or raised work platforms.

What is the difference between a Tree Arborist and a Tree Feller/Surgeon?

A lot of people think that a Tree Arborist and Tree Feller/Surgeon are the same, however, there are some key differences.

The main differences between a Tree Arborist and a Tree Feller/Surgeon are the qualifications they have, their knowledge of trees and the care that they need. A Tree Feller/Surgeon is someone who performs a process on a tree, like felling and an Arborist, has a lot of tree knowledge, understanding how they need to be cared for, much like the difference between a surgeon and a doctor.

An arborist is sometimes referred to as an arboriculturist. An arboriculturist is a professional in the practice of arboriculture and this is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants in dendrology and horticulture.

Why would you fell a tree?

Dead, Dying or Diseased Trees

Trees can be thousands of years old, however, they don’t always last forever. A tree can show signs of being dead, dying or being diseased and in these cases, they can become dangerous to the people or property around them. A professional Tree Feller/Surgeon will be able to identify if a tree is dead, dying or diseased and advise you of the best course of action.

When a tree becomes diseased or is beginning to decline or dye it will often show in the amount of deadwood in its canopy which can easily fall and cause injury and damage to property or the plant life around it. A full assessment from a professional tree feller/surgeon will determine if the tree is dead, dying or diseased and they will be able to plan the best way to remove it. Trees in decline or diseased should be worked on at the earliest opportunity as when they are completely dead it makes its removal much more hazardous and dangerous to the Tree Feller/Surgeon and the people and property around it.

Tree disease can quickly spread from tree to tree, across counties and countries attacking particular types of trees so an assessment from a professional Tree Feller/Surgeon should be made quickly to prevent the disease spreading further.

Site Development

When a site being developed for new houses, retail parks, warehouses or any other property types there may be trees that will affect the development and planning proposals. In these situations, approval needs to be gained for felling and removal of the trees so that construction can start and the required new foundation’s laid.

There are Local Authority guidelines that need to be followed for the felling and removal of trees on construction sites so many developments will incorporate mature and healthy trees into their designs and plans as long as they won’t cause harm or are deemed as a risk to the property or properties being built.

Planning permission will also be given in a lot of cases to prune and cut back matures trees to save them from being felled and removed completely. New developments often appear more attractive to potential buyers if there are mature trees and shrubs maintained on the site so most developers will keep as many of them as they can, as well as re-planting new trees on the developed site.

Potential to Damage Structures or Properties 

If you want to plant new trees in your garden or on your property then you should research it extensively as planting unsuitable types of trees which will grow too big over the years and have roots that will spread underground and be too close to buildings and their foundations will cause lots of problems later down the line. A tree’s roots can damage drainage systems, walls and neighbouring properties and result in them needing to be felled and removed. There is also a cost involved if the tree planted grows too big and it isn’t pruned regularly, which again will result in it needing to be felled and removed.

If you are thinking about buying a property and there are trees within close proximity of yours, your potential new neighbours property or gardens then you should seek professional advice and guidance from a Tree Feller/Surgeon to understand how it could impact you later down the line and what upkeep is needed for the tree or trees to be maintained to ensure you understand the costs involved.

Personal Choice

Some people will have a tree felled and removed because they don’t like it or it creates a lot of darkness or shade over their property or garden. If this is the case then you should seek advice from a Tree Feller/Surgeon to see if there are any other options to it being felled as we want to keep as many mature trees in our ecosystem as possible.

Some trees have (TPO) Tree Preservation Orders on them, or if they are in a conservation area then you will need local authority permission to prune and or fell them.

What qualifications do you need to be a Tree Feller?

The role of a Tree Feller/Surgeon is to ensure trees are healthy, well cared for and able to thrive in their surroundings.

There are lots of qualifications that you can build up over time when you are a tree feller and you should also have practical experience gained from working with a professional and reputable Tree Feller/Surgeon to ensure you have the knowledge and experience to assess and advise customers of the safest way to ensure a tree remains healthy, or if it needs to be removed.

Many colleges offer courses in arboriculture and urban forestry. Arboriculture is focused on the care of trees and urban forestry considers the health of entire populations of trees in populated areas. Formal college training provides in-depth learning in the diseases, pests and environmental factors that can affect trees.

Qualifications can include:

• Basic tree-climbing
• Competence in chainsaw operations
• Aerial rescue certificates
• Some specialist colleges offer level 2 and 3 courses in arboriculture which provide useful knowledge and experience of trees (cultivation, management, and study of; shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants in dendrology and horticulture)
• Tree Surgeons (AKA Arborists or Tree Climbers) plant, cultivate and maintain trees, bushes, and hedges.
• Aside from using heavy-duty machinery to climb, chop, and prune trees, Tree Fellers/Surgeons are responsible for the practical assessments to diagnose risks and hazards, offering solutions to help with the conservation and protection of trees

What other skills do you need as a Tree Feller/Surgeon?

• The practical assessment of the health of a tree, along with any risk to people or property
• Liaising with customers to advise and agree work required
• Designing and planning landscape arrangements
• Inspecting and surveying trees and surrounding land
• Reporting on tree damage and any potential hazards
• Tidying and clearing worksites and development sites, pruning and removing unhealthy and overgrown tree branches
• Adhering to Health & Safety regulations

What experience do you need to be a Tree Feller?

Formal educational requirements for Tree Fellers/Surgeons vary but the general rule and minimum requirement is that a Tree Feller/Surgeon has been trained and mentored by experienced Tree Fellers/Surgeons who have taught them the safety procedures and diagnostic skills that are needed to safely maintain trees and promote their ongoing health.

Do you have to get permission to cut down a tree?

It is a criminal offence to cut down, top, lop, uproot, wilfully damage or wilfully destroy a tree which is protected by a TPO (Tree Preservation Order), or to cause or permit such actions, without your Local Authority’s permission. You should find out if a tree has a TPO by contacting the tree officer at your local council before you make arrangements for it to be felled. A professional Tree Feller/Surgeon will be able to advise you if you need to check this first.

Do I need a felling Licence?

As a property owner, you can apply for a felling licence and it must be issued in your name for it to be legal. Felling protected trees without a licence is a criminal offence and you could be prosecuted.

Do I need permission to cut down a tree on my property in the UK?

As a home or landowner, you are responsible for any trees that are within the boundary of your property. You need permission to fell or prune a tree if it is covered by a TPO (Tree Preservation Order) and on average this can take up to 8-10 weeks for the permission to be given by your local authority.

How long does it take to get a felling Licence?

On average it takes anything from 8-10 weeks to gain a Tree Felling Licence, however, it can sometimes take up to four months depending on the scale of the permission needed.

Can you just cut a tree down?

You are permitted to prune or cut down any tree on your property if it doesn’t have a TPO or if it isn’t located within a conservation area.

Is there a blanket TPO on all Oak Trees within the UK?

There isn’t blanket protection of all Oak trees within the UK, however, there are a lot that have TPO’s on them so it’s always a good idea to check before the commencement of any felling.

When should you top a tree?

Tree topping is when the whole tops of trees or large branches and/or trunks are removed, leaving stubs or lateral branches. Other common names for tree topping include; hat-racking, heading, rounding over, and tipping.

About Green Leaf Remediation & Tree Felling Services

Green Leaf Remediation & Tree Felling Services is a family run business which covers the whole of South Wales, West Wales up to North Ceredigion & Powys and throughout South Glamorgan & Gwent. We also carry out contracts in the West Country, as far North as Shropshire and into the Midlands & Birmingham areas.

We offer fully qualified and experienced Tree Felling Services as well as being a fully qualified Japanese Knotweed Certificated Surveyor (JKCS). We specialise in tree felling, managing and controlling Japanese Knotweed, other invasive plant species and ‘general nuisance weeds’ that are found in the United Kingdom for residential premises and development sites.

At Green Leaf Remediation & Tree Felling Services we know and understand that healthy trees have a big influence on our environment and we pride ourselves in maintaining healthy trees that will stand the test of time and our weather. Trees support and enhance the environment we live in as well as being ascetically appealing so we will assess if your tree should or has to be felled, or if there are any other options which will ensure it grows and as a healthy living tree. Our tree services include; pollarding, crowning, pruning, felling, through our NPTC chainsaw operators, all of which have a vast amount of experience in the forestry industry.

Green Leaf Remediation Qualifications & Accreditations

• City & Guilds NPTC Level 2
• Principles of Safe Handling & Application of Pesticides (PA1/ PA6)
• Principles of Safe Handling & Application of Pesticides near water (PA6AW)
• Herbicide Stem Injection
• Property Care Association
• The Control & Eradication of Japanese Knotweed Surveyor’s Training Course
• Qualified Technician (PCAQT) in Japanese Knotweed
• Accredited Surveyor in Japanese Knotweed

If you think you might have a Tree Felling requirement then contact us on 01269 591651 or 07531 142316 and one of our experts can answer any questions you may have as well as arranging a free site visit to assess your property and the tree or trees you have concerns about.