Tree Service
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Tree service is the general-purpose arboricultural trade: crews who climb, cut, chip, grind and clear. Most of the visible work happens above head height, but the part of the job that damages property, injures people and blows out budgets is almost always below the cut line — the stump, the root plate and whatever runs underneath both.
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A mature tree's roots occupy a volume of soil far wider than its canopy suggests, and in Australian suburbs that volume is shared with a dense network of buried services. Before You Dig Australia exists precisely because of this: it is a free national referral service that sends your enquiry to the asset owners with infrastructure near your site, who respond with plans, and it points out that damage to those assets can lead to service interruptions, delays, costly repairs and, in the worst case, injury or death. Stump grinding, root pruning and root barrier installation are all digging, whatever they are called on the quote.
The second below-ground question is what happens to the hole. Grinding a large stump leaves a crater of chip and soil that will settle, and if the area is going to carry a path, a slab or a shed, the backfill has to be placed and compacted properly rather than raked flat. The ABCB Housing Provisions require filling to be mechanically compacted in layers not more than a hundred and fifty millimetres thick, which is the standard worth holding a tree crew to if anything is going to be built there.
What a tree service crew is actually equipped to do
- Climbing and rigging work, where sections are lowered on ropes rather than dropped, which is the norm in tight suburban yards.
- Elevated work platform operations, where access allows a machine rather than a climber.
- Chipping and green waste removal, usually charged on volume and travel to the disposal point.
- Stump grinding, which is a separate machine, often a separate visit and frequently a separate line on the quote.
- Root pruning and root barrier installation near paths, slabs and pipes, which is excavation work in everything but name.
- Emergency and storm response, which is priced and scheduled entirely differently from planned work.
- Mulch supply back to the property from the chipped material, if you want it and have somewhere to put it.
Stump removal: grinding, excavation or leaving it
Grinding chews the stump and the upper root collar into chip below finished ground level, which is fast, relatively cheap and leaves the wider root system in the soil to decay over years. Full excavation pulls the root plate out, which is far more disruptive and far more expensive, and is only necessary when the ground has to be rebuilt or built on.
Leaving the stump is a legitimate option in the back of a garden, but it has consequences: some species reshoot vigorously from a cut stump, decaying wood is an attractant for termites in much of Australia, and a stump left in a lawn is a mowing hazard forever. The decision should be made against what the space will be used for, not against what looks tidiest on the day.
Buried services, and why a stump grinder is a digging machine
Tree roots grow around and along the easiest routes through soil, which are very often service trenches. That means the ground beneath a stump is one of the more likely places on a suburban block to contain a water service, a gas line, an electrical or communications conduit, or an irrigation main. Before You Dig Australia provides its underground plan request service free, online and through its app, and its own guidance is that plans should be obtained before beginning any project work, including work on private property.
Ask the contractor to show you the enquiry they lodged for your address and the plans that came back, and ask how they intend to prove the depth and position of anything the plans show near the stump. A crew that treats grinding as gardening rather than as excavation is the one that hits something.
What goes wrong after the tree is gone
- Subsidence over the ground the stump occupied, because chip and loose spoil were raked in rather than compacted in layers.
- Vigorous suckering from the remaining root system on species that reshoot, which turns one removal into an annual chore.
- Decaying roots left under a new slab or path, creating voids and settlement long after handover.
- Soil moisture changes on reactive clay once a large tree stops drawing water, which can affect nearby footings.
- Chip left as backfill where topsoil was needed, so nothing will grow in the spot for years.
- Struck services discovered only when something stops working, by which point the crew has gone.
Backfilling the hole properly if anything is going there
- The ABCB Housing Provisions require filling to be placed and mechanically compacted in layers of not more than a hundred and fifty millimetres.
- They also require surface water to be diverted away from any existing structure on the property and on adjoining allotments.
- Grinding chip is not structural fill: if a slab, path or shed is planned, the chip has to come out and be replaced with a suitable material.
- Where the hole is being returned to lawn or garden, topsoil over the chip is the minimum, and the ground should be over-filled to allow for settlement.
- Agree the backfill specification on the quote, because it is the difference between a tidy finish and a depression that reappears every wet season.
- Photograph the open hole before backfilling, since it is the only record you will have of what went in.
Insurance, competence and what to check before the crew arrives
SafeWork NSW identifies the hazards in tree work as falls from heights, being struck by falling objects, working around power lines, musculoskeletal disorders, noise, equipment and sun exposure, and publishes a code of practice for tree work along with separate guidance for work near overhead power lines and for woodchippers. The primary duty of care sits with the person conducting the business, who must manage those risks through documented safe work procedures.
For a homeowner that translates into three checks before anyone starts: a current public liability certificate of currency, workers compensation cover for the crew, and a written scope that says exactly what is being removed, how the stump is being dealt with, what is being backfilled and who takes the waste. Tree work is also a service under Australian Consumer Law, so the guarantee of acceptable care and skill applies, but it is measured against the scope you agreed.
Tree Service: frequently asked questions
Do I need Before You Dig plans for stump grinding?
It is the sensible course, because a stump grinder works below ground in exactly the soil where services are most likely to run. Before You Dig Australia provides the underground plan request service free, online and via its app, and its guidance is that plans should be obtained before beginning any project, including work on private property. Ask your contractor to show you the enquiry lodged for your address and what the asset owners sent back.
Is grinding a stump enough, or does the whole root system need to come out?
For a lawn or garden, grinding is usually enough: the remaining roots decay in place over years. Full root removal is warranted when the ground has to carry something, when the species reshoots aggressively from remaining roots, or when the roots are in conflict with a structure or a pipe. Decide on the basis of what the space is for, and get the answer on the quote so there is no argument about scope on the day.
Why has the ground where the stump was sunk?
Almost always because the hole was backfilled with loose chip and spoil rather than compacted. The ABCB Housing Provisions require filling to be placed and mechanically compacted in layers of not more than a hundred and fifty millimetres, and grinding chip also loses volume as it decomposes. If the area is destined for lawn, over-fill and top with soil; if anything will be built there, the chip has to be removed and replaced with proper fill.
Can removing a big tree affect my house?
On reactive clay it can, because a large tree draws a great deal of moisture out of the soil and removing it changes the moisture regime around nearby footings. This is not a reason never to remove a tree, but it is a reason to get advice before removing a very large one close to a building, particularly on a site classified as highly or extremely reactive. An engineer or a consulting arborist can assess it before the crew is booked.
What should a tree service quote include?
The specific trees and limbs being removed, how material will be lowered or felled, whether the stump is being ground and to what depth below finished level, what happens to the chip and green waste, what backfill goes into any hole, how the site is left, and the total including disposal. Add confirmation of public liability and workers compensation cover. A quote that says removal of one tree and a figure is not a scope you can hold anyone to.
Sources
Written by the LokalMatch editorial team. Last reviewed 22 September 2026. How we write and check our guides
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What affects the cost of tree service
Prices depend on the details of your project. We only publish price ranges when they’re backed by real LokalMatch quote data or reliable sources. Until then, here’s what usually changes the price:
- Size of the yard and the scope of the design
- Grading, excavation and drainage work
- Hardscape materials, such as stone, pavers or wood
- Plants, sod and soil
- Access for machinery
- Removal of old materials, trees or stumps
- How often visits are scheduled for ongoing services
How to compare tree care companies before you hire
- Choose a company that does the kind of work you need, since design, lawn care, tree work and hardscaping are different specialties.
- For big projects, ask for a site plan or drawing before work starts.
- Ask how they'll handle grading and drainage so water moves away from the house.
- For tree removal or large pruning, look for a qualified arborist with liability insurance.
- For ongoing services like lawn care or snow removal, get the visit schedule and what's included in writing.
Questions to ask tree care companies before you hire
- Can I see a plan or drawing before you start?
- How will you handle drainage and grading?
- Will you have underground utilities located before you dig?
- Does any of this work need a permit, such as for a retaining wall, fence or tree removal?
- What plants or materials do you recommend for our climate and my yard's sun and shade?
- Do you guarantee plants or sod, and for what conditions?
- Can you show me proof of liability insurance?
When to call a pro for tree service
- Water that pools near the house or in the yard after rain
- A tree that is leaning, cracked or has large dead branches over the house or a driveway
- A retaining wall that is bulging, leaning or cracking
Tree service permits and local rules
Some tree service work needs a permit or has to meet local bylaws. Rules vary by municipality, so ask your pro whether a permit is needed and who will apply for it — and check with your city or town if you’re unsure.
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