Tree Felling and Sectional Dismantling
Tree felling and sectional dismantling across County Durham and North Yorkshire. What decides whether a tree comes down in one piece or in roped sections.
Send photos of the whole tree, its base, what sits underneath it and the route in. We’ll tell you whether the site suits straight felling or a sectional dismantle, then arrange the assessment.
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- £10M public liability insurance
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Tree felling and sectional dismantling
Felling is a method, not a service. When a tree has to come down, the decision that actually matters is whether it can be cut at the base and dropped in one piece, or whether it has to be taken apart from the top and lowered on ropes. This page explains how that decision gets made and what each method involves on site.
If what you want is the service, someone to come out, look at the tree and price the job, start at tree removal. That page covers the reasons a tree gets taken down and how the quote works.
What a felling job includes
- Drop-zone and access assessment
- We measure the space around the tree against its height and spread, check the ground, and confirm where sections will land and how timber leaves.
- Straight felling
- A directional cut at the base, a controlled fall into an agreed drop zone, then the stem cut into manageable rings on the ground.
- Sectional dismantling
- A climber works down from the top, taking the crown and stem in pieces small enough to be roped and lowered under control.
- Timber and brash processing
- Brash chipped, stems cut to length, and agreed material removed or left on site as the written scope states.
What decides one piece or sections
A handful of things settle it, and they’re weighed together rather than one at a time.
The drop zone
A tree needs more clear ground than its own height. It has to fall without the crown catching anything, and there has to be room to stand and work while the stem is cut up. A tall tree in a small garden fails that test even when the garden looks open from the house.
Buildings, boundaries and what is buried
Roofs, conservatories, greenhouses, garden rooms, fences, neighbouring property and parked cars all take drop zone away. So does anything under the ground. A drain run, a soakaway, a septic tank or a service trench takes the weight of a falling stem badly, and a heavy section landing on it’s an expensive way to find out where it runs. Overhead lines are a stop, not a constraint: the network operator is involved before we’re.
Slope and ground condition
On a slope a tree wants to go downhill, and the timber wants to follow it. Soft ground, a wet winter lawn or a thin surface over a shallow base changes where machinery can stand and how much material has to be carried out by hand.
Lean, weight and defect
A tree with a heavy lean, a one-sided crown or decay at the base doesn’t answer a felling cut the way a sound upright stem does. Where the hinge can’t be trusted to hold direction, the tree comes down in sections instead, or with wedges and a pull line to control it.
Access for the timber
Getting the tree down is only half of it. A stem lowered into a back garden with one side gate has to leave through that gate. Access sets how small every piece must be cut, and that changes the length of a job more than tree height does.
Rigging, lowering and when the climber comes out
A sectional dismantle is a lifting operation run in reverse. Each piece is tied in before it’s cut, the rope runs through an anchor or redirect above the cut, and the weight is taken on a friction device at the base of the tree. A groundworker controls the descent. Nothing is dropped that hasn’t been checked for what sits under it.
Why rigging takes the time it does
A piece that’s roped, cut, lowered, untied and cleared takes minutes rather than seconds, and a large crown is a great many pieces. That’s the whole reason a dismantle runs longer than a fell, and it’s the honest answer to why the same size of tree is priced differently on two different sites.
When a platform replaces the climber
Severe decay, a hollow stem, a snapped top or any stem that can’t be trusted to hold a climber means nobody should be tied into that tree. A mobile elevated work platform lets the same work happen with the operator supported independently of the tree. It needs firm standing and room to set up, so it’s as much a site decision as a tree decision.
Where the timber goes
Brash, cordwood and chip come off a felled tree in very different volumes and each has a different destination. Brash is chipped and either taken away or left as mulch if you want it. Stems are cut into rings, then split or left in the round. Logs can be cut to a stated length for firewood. Anything taken off site is processed for firewood, mulch or biomass.
The stump is a separate decision. Felling leaves it at whatever height suited the cut, and grinding it out is its own operation. See stump grinding.
Permissions before the saw starts
We check whether the tree is protected before a date is agreed. A Tree Preservation Order means consent is required before felling. A tree in a conservation area needs a section 211 notice to the council, and there’s a six-week period before work can proceed. A protected tree isn’t untouchable. The route simply has to be followed.
Active bird nests are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 while in use or being built, which can move a felling date. Garden trees normally sit outside the felling licence system, but felling on woodland or a larger holding can need a licence from the Forestry Commission. We check which applies rather than assume.
What drives the price of a felling job
We quote per job after a site assessment. Height and stem diameter matter, but method matters more. A tree that can be felled in one piece and rung up on the ground is a fundamentally shorter job than the same tree dismantled in sections over a conservatory. Beyond that the drivers are the amount of rigging, the distance and difficulty of the carry back to the vehicle, the volume of chip and cordwood, whether a platform or extra ground staff are needed, and any footpath or traffic controls. For how this adds up across a whole removal, see our tree removal cost guide.
What isn’t included
Felling covers the tree coming down and the agreed clearance. Stump grinding, hedge work and pruning are services we also provide and are quoted separately. See stump grinding, hedge care and tree pruning. A tree already down, or a limb hanging now, isn’t planned work. See fallen tree removal and emergency tree work. Felling a protected tree without consent isn’t included, and neither is work on or near live utility apparatus before the network operator has been involved.
Qualifications and cover. NPTC qualified. LANTRA qualified. £10M public liability insurance. Site-specific risk assessment and method statement before we arrive.
What customers ask
Common questions
What is the difference between felling and sectional dismantling?
Felling means cutting the tree at the base and dropping it in one piece into a clear drop zone. Sectional dismantling means a climber working down from the top, cutting the crown and stem in pieces and lowering each one on ropes. Felling is faster and cheaper. Dismantling is the only safe method where there’s no room for the tree to fall.
Can a tree next to my house be felled in one piece?
Usually not. The tree needs clear ground longer than its own height, plus space to work while the stem is cut up. Most garden trees close to a building are dismantled in sections. We confirm it at the site assessment rather than guess from a photo.
Do you need machinery in the garden to fell a tree?
Not always. Climbing and hand-carrying works where access is tight, and it’s often the only option. A chipper close to the tree, a machine for moving timber or a mobile elevated work platform each shorten the job where the access and ground allow them, so we check gate widths, surfaces and turning space when we quote.
Will the lawn be damaged?
Lowered sections and stacked timber put weight on the ground, and soft winter ground marks more easily than dry summer ground. We plan where pieces land, use boards or matting where it’s warranted, and tell you honestly what to expect. We don’t carry out reinstatement or turfing.
Can I keep the timber?
Yes. Tell us before the day and we’ll cut the stems to a stated length and stack them where you want them. Woodchip can be left for mulch. Fresh timber needs a year or two stacked and covered before it’s fit to burn.
Not sure which method your tree needs?
Send photos of the whole tree, its base, what sits underneath it and the route in. We’ll tell you whether the site suits straight felling or a sectional dismantle, then arrange the assessment.