The trees behind the hedge, looked after too.

What's included

• Pruning - formative and maintenance cuts on younger and established trees
• Crown thinning - removing selected branches to let more light and air through the canopy
• Crown raising - removing lower branches to lift clearance over a path, drive or garden
• Crown reduction - reducing the overall size of the canopy while keeping the tree's natural shape
• Deadwooding - removing dead or dying branches, a safety job as much as a tidying one

The tree work calendar

1. Winter (Nov – Feb)

   The main season for most deciduous trees: the tree is dormant, the structure is visible without leaf cover, and wounds heal cleanly through the following growing season.

2. 1 March – 31 August

   The nesting closure under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 applies to trees exactly as it does to hedges. Deadwood removal for safety reasons can proceed with a nest check; formative pruning generally waits.

3. Late summer, species-dependent

   Some species (certain flowering and fruiting trees) are pruned after flowering or fruiting rather than in winter, we advise per species at quote stage.

Conservation areas and protected trees

Parts of Chatham near the Historic Dockyard and much of Rochester's historic core sit inside a Medway Council conservation area. Any tree with a stem over 75mm diameter at 1.5m height inside one needs six weeks' written notice under section 211 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 before work starts. Individually protected trees carry a formal Tree Preservation Order (TPO) and need council consent, not just notice, before any work. We check both before quoting and handle the paperwork.

Pricing

Tree work is priced individually after a site visit, size, species, access and how much rigging or dismantling is needed all affect the cost. We give a fixed price before work starts.