Tree Pruning Cost

When done correctly, tree pruning helps boost the value of a business/residential property by improving the tree’s beauty, safety, and health. As most Kansas City property owners are learning, tree pruning involves more than just sawing off branches here and there – one has to understand which branches to remove and how to remove the branches without causing damage to the tree, home, or getting injured.

Working with professionals eliminates all worries often associated with tree pruning. However, professional tree pruners will cost money. To help you create an ideal budget for your next tree pruning procedure, we will take a deeper look at the tree pruning cost in this article.

Average Kansas City Tree Pruning Cost

On average, residents in Kansas City pay between $200 and $2000 to prune their trees. Those with average-sized trees in their homes spend about $460 on tree pruning.

The tree pruning cost varies depending on a large number of factors – this is why one tree will have a tree pruning cost as low as $300 while another tree in the same city can cost over $1,500. Below, we will look at the main factors.

Kansas City Tree Pruning Cost Factors

1. Tree Height

As tree height increases, the risk of working on it increases – for example, the branches will be falling from a bigger height, meaning that they have a higher risk of causing significant damage if not handled carefully. To ensure maximum safety, more sophisticated tree pruning gear is often needed – this increases the tree pruning cost.

Depending on how tall your tree is, you may spend the amounts listed below on the pruning:

• Below 30 feet – The tree pruning cost for these trees ranges from $75 to $400.
• 30 to 60 feet – Falling in the medium-size category, expect to spend $150 to $800 on the pruning.
• 60+ feet – Classified in the large tree category, these trees cost $1500 to prune. The cost, however, can reach $2000 in some cases.

2. Tree Health

When diseases and pests attack a tree, it ends up becoming weak, thus riskier to prune. Branches suffering from health problems feature a weak link between them and the main trunk – this often forces the pruners to use stabilizing mechanisms to reduce the probability of the branches falling unexpectedly.

Once the tree pruning is completed successfully, an arborist is often needed to analyze the tree and to determine the prescriptions or pesticides that are needed to improve the tree’s health. The cost of medications/pesticides, the arborist service cost, and the increased effort generally needed when pruning unhealthy trees increase the total pruning cost.

3. Type of Tree

Tree species is one of the determinants when it comes to tree height. It also plays a key role in the tree shape and structure, with some tree species carrying more complicated shapes. All this causes a variation in the tree pruning cost. Below, we have outlined the cost to expect when pruning various tree species:

Pine Trees

Pine trees grow to about 40 to 100 feet. White pines, however, can reach heights of 150+ feet. To prune these trees, Kansas City residents invest $100 to $1500 in the entire process.

Fruit Trees

Fruit trees rarely exceed a height of 30 feet. This generally places their pruning cost between $100 and $400.

Crepe Myrtle

Most Crepe Myrtles have a height of 3 to 30 feet. To prune such trees, you will need to invest $75 to $400.

Hardwood Trees

If you have hardwood tree species in your home, the tree pruning cost will be higher than that of someone with softwood trees. This is because sawing through hardwoods is harder than cutting branches on softwoods.

4. Accessibility

If your trees are standing on open ground – that is, there are no utility lines or important structures next to them – the pruning process will be much easier. The tree pruners can cut the branches and let them fall freely.

However, for trees standing next to important structures, tree pruners have to use ropes to lower down the branches slowly to avoid causing property damage. The effort needed for trees near important structures increases the pruning cost.

Additional Tree Pruning Costs

When making a tree pruning quote, most professional tree pruners only include the cost of cutting branches and bringing them down to the ground. However, in most cases, Kansas City residents have to deal with some additional costs – these include:

• Prescriptions – If your tree is not healthy, you will need to purchase some medications to treat its health problem.
• Pesticides – Trees suffering from a pest infestation often force their owners to spend money on pesticides.
• Arborist service – It takes an experienced arborist to determine which health problem is bothering a tree and the medications/pesticides that should be used to treat it. Arborists in Kansas City do charge a service fee.
• Travel fees – If you are working with tree pruners living far away from your home, you may incur some travel fees. Most professionals charge a travel fee of approximately $0.5 per mile. This travel fee, however, is only applicable to customers who live outside the tree pruner’s service zone.

Factors Affecting the Timing for Pruning

The timing for tree pruning is largely dependent on a variety of factors, these include:

Safety

If your tree has limbs that are threatening to fall, you should invest in tree pruning immediately. This should help you escape property repair costs or hospital bills resulting from injuries.

Health

Tree pruning can sometimes help with improving the health of a tree. For example, if the health problem has only affected some of the tree’s branches, removing these branches should keep the disease from spreading, hence saving it. When tree pruning is being conducted to improve tree health, it should be conducted as soon as possible.

Aesthetics

Pruning improves the shape and branch structure – this means a better aesthetic appeal which can result in elevated property value. For people planning to sell their property, a high value will be important – this means that aesthetics can affect when you prune your trees.

The Dormant Stage

Unless a tree has health problems, is posing safety risks, or you need to improve your property’s value immediately, the best time to prune a tree is in its dormant stage. This is a stage where the tree stops growing temporarily.

When pruning a tree in its dormant stage, tree pruners get a clear view of the branches that need removal. Once these branches are removed, the remaining, healthy branches get enough space to grow strong once the trees snap out of the dormant stage.

In Kansas City, a large number of trees are dormant in fall. This stage generally lasts through the winter season. If you have trees that you would like to prune, you should work with tree pruners during the fall season.

However, it might be possible to spend lesser money on tree pruning if you invite the tree pruners in the winter season. This is because most professionals are less busy in winter, meaning that they might be willing to reduce their pruning fees.

Do-It-Yourself Tree Pruning

Property owners with small, non-risky trees can handle tree pruning without working with professionals. These property owners, will, however, have to keep the following tips in mind to avoid damaging their tree irreparably:

• Unless it is necessary, do not remove limbs with a diameter of 10+ cm. Branches with a diameter of 5+ cm need careful consideration. Branches whose diameter does not exceed 5 cm can be removed from the tree.
• Branches forming a U-shaped angle with the tree trunk are best left on the tree. However, those forming a weak V-shaped-angle can be removed from the tree.
• When sawing off a limb, find both its collar and ridge. Next, using a sharp tool, cut between the two parts of the branch.

Get the Right Tree Pruning Gear

When pruning small trees that do not pose any risk to you or your surroundings, you won’t need complicated gear. Most property owners can complete their job with the following gear:

• Pruning saws – Get a fine-toothed saw if you are working on branches with a diameter of below 2 inches. A coarse-toothed saw is better-suited for limbs with a diameter of 3+ inches.
• Bypass pruner – A by-pass pruner is a perfect option when removing narrow-angled branches.
• Hedge clippers – These will do the work when pruning hedges.
• Looping shears – Use these to remove large branches.

Sanitize Your Gear

Trees are living things and it is always possible to transfer disease-causing organisms from one tree to the other through cuts. This is something that most property owners do not understand, often making the mistake of moving from one tree to the other without taking some time to sanitize their cutting gear.

When moving from one tree to the other, you should get rid of the germs you could have picked from the previous tree. Tree service professionals recommend rubbing alcohol with a concentration of about 70% for use as a sanitizer. Using soap may not work for some bacteria and viruses.