Tree Services in Cape Town: What We Do, and What Each One Costs

Arborist high in a tree canopy on ropes, rigging a limb for sectional removal — Sectional dismantling: the tree comes down in pieces, each one lowered on ropes.

Cape Town Tree Felling runs six service lines across the Cape Town metro. Felling starts at R1,500 for a tree under 5m and runs to R18,000 for a 20m-plus specimen taken down in sections. Stump grinding is quoted separately from R650. Every job starts with a free on-site assessment by a SAIF-registered arborist, and every quote is fixed in writing before work begins.

The six services

Tree felling pricesWhat removal costs by tree size, R1,500 to R18,000.

Stump grindingGrinding below grade so the ground can be replanted or paved. From R650.

Tree pruningCrown reduction, crown thinning and deadwooding on established trees.

Palm tree removalCleaning, skirt removal and full felling of date and fan palms.

Emergency tree removalStorm damage and dangerous trees, 24/7, 2 to 4 hour arrival.

Alien invasive clearingNEMBA-listed stands felled, stumps treated, follow-up passes.

Protected trees in South AfricaWhen a species needs a DFFE licence before it can be felled.

Hedge trimming Cape TownFrom R650. How often each hedge type needs cutting.

How to remove a tree stumpGrinding, digging and chemical rotting compared.

Which one do you need?

If the whole tree is coming out, that is felling, and the price is driven by height and by how much clear space there is to drop it. If the tree stays but has grown too big, too dense or too close to a roof, that is pruning — crown reduction takes the overall size down, crown thinning opens the canopy without changing its shape, and deadwooding removes only the dead limbs. If the tree is already down or is about to come down on something, that is the emergency line. If it is a stand of wattle, Port Jackson or rooikrans rather than a single tree, that is alien invasive clearing, and it is a programme rather than a single visit.

Not sure which applies? The assessment is free and carries no call-out fee — read up on the invasive species first if you think that is what you are looking at.

Where we work

We cover the Cape Town metro, the West Coast and Blaauwberg, and the near Winelands. See every area we serve.