Tree Removal Cairns

Prices in Cairns start around $300 for a small palm with open yard access and climb past $6,000 for a tall poinciana or fig close to a house with restricted access. The main variables are tree height, trunk girth, what sits in the fall zone, and whether stump grinding is included. Ring us or fill in the form for a same day indicative price.

Yes. Our crew are qualified arborists based in Cairns. We hold public liability insurance and can produce a current Certificate of Currency on request before any work begins.

For most enquiries we reply the same day and get non-urgent work scheduled within the week. For cyclone damage and genuinely dangerous trees we run callouts around the clock across Cairns.

Yes. Trees near a roof, pool fence or powerlines need sectional dismantling — every piece comes down on a rope rather than being felled. We walk the site before anything starts to plan where each piece lands.

Yes. Cyclone and wet season storm damage is a large part of our work. We respond across Cairns, including after dark callouts for split trunks, fallen trees and limbs hanging over vehicles or structures.

It is a separate line on the quote so you can include it or leave it out. In Cairns, tropical species resprout quickly from an unground stump, so most clients include the grind. We take it below grade so the spot is ready to turf, pave or replant.

A small palm with open access is usually a half day. A medium mango or poinciana that needs rope work runs a full day. Large trees, multiple trees in one yard or difficult access jobs sometimes stretch across two visits. The written quote will tell you the expected hours.

We chip it on site. The pile stays in your yard for mulching, gets spread across garden beds, or we truck it away as a haulage line on the quote. Log rounds from suitable hardwoods can be stacked for the firepit if you want them.

We look through the canopy before any cutting starts. If birds, flying foxes or other protected wildlife are present we pause, work around the occupied hollow or nest, or reschedule that section of the job.

Yes. African tulip is a declared invasive in far north Australia and a regular job for us. Single trees, whole rows and stumps — we handle the removal and grinding in one visit to stop resprouting.

Yes. We can assess the job and talk both owners through the options and the cost split. Work won't start until both parties have agreed to the scope in writing — that protects everyone involved.

Typically yes when a storm or cyclone has caused the tree to hit an insured structure — your house, a fence, a car on the property. The make safe attendance and the debris removal tied to that damage are usually covered. Removing a healthy tree or routine pre-season pruning is not a claim event. Ring your insurer before authorising anything and ask us for a written job report and Certificate of Currency for your file.

Ask for a current Certificate of Currency, an on site visit before any quote is given, and a written price breakdown that separates labour, rope work, chipping, stump treatment and GST. Avoid anyone asking for most of the cash before the job starts — particularly after a cyclone when unlicensed operators appear in unmarked vehicles. A real outfit has a marked truck, a chipper, and ticketed climbers they can name.

Separate line items for site setup, climbing crew time, rope and controlled lowering, on site chipping, optional stump grinding, chip haulage if required, and GST shown separately. A single number with no breakdown is a sign the price may shift once the job is underway.

If the tree was on your property, the responsibility is yours. Your home insurer typically covers the cost of removal when the tree has damaged an insured structure — ring them before anything is moved and document the scene with photos first. If a neighbour's tree came down on your land, you organise and pay for the removal, then recover costs through your insurer or through the neighbour's if their negligence can be shown.

Permits are usually needed for trees above 0.4m trunk diameter at 1m height, protected native species, and properties inside a vegetation management or character residential overlay. Dead or imminently dangerous trees, declared invasive species and very small trees are generally exempt. Always check with Cairns Regional Council before the job — unauthorised removal fines start around $2,610.

The bill reflects risk and precision, not just time with a chainsaw. A tree that drops clean onto open lawn costs much less than a poinciana overhanging a Cairns house with a narrow side passage — that job needs every limb roped down by hand, specialist climbing gear and insurance to match. The cutting is the fast part. The rope work, planning and cleanup are where the hours go.

Fill the void with topsoil, not loose wood chips alone — in Cairns heat, chips break down fast, slump into the hole and steal nitrogen from new plant roots. Buffalo turf over screened topsoil and a daily water for two weeks gives a solid lawn result. For a garden bed, wait out one wet season before planting anything valuable so the buried timber has time to break down properly.