What tree trimming and removal involves

Tree work covers three different jobs, priced and handled differently.

Pruning and trimming keeps a healthy tree safe and in shape:

  • Crown cleaning: removing dead, dying, broken and diseased branches
  • Crown thinning: selectively removing branches so wind can pass through the canopy
  • Crown raising: removing lower limbs to clear the roof, driveway or sidewalk
  • Crown reduction: shortening branches back to a healthy side branch, for clearance from a structure

Good pruning follows the ANSI A300 standard, the industry standard for tree care. Topping, cutting the top of a tree back to stubs, is not proper pruning. It weakens the tree and leads to fast-growing, poorly attached shoots that break more easily in storms.

Palm pruning is its own trade. Palms only need dead or fully yellow fronds and seed stalks removed. Cutting off healthy green fronds, sometimes sold as a "hurricane cut," removes the palm's food source and can weaken it.

Tree removal (felling) takes the whole tree down. With open space, a tree can be dropped in one piece. Near a house, fence or pool, it's taken down in sections, often with ropes and rigging, and sometimes a crane. Stump grinding is almost always a separate line item, as is hauling away the wood and debris.

Tampa Bay considerations

  • Prepare before hurricane season. Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. Have dead limbs, branches over the roof and weakly attached limbs dealt with before then. Once a storm is in the forecast, crews are booked and haulers stop collecting debris.
  • Know your oaks. Live oaks are among the most wind-resistant trees in the region. Laurel oaks, common in older neighborhoods, are shorter-lived and more prone to decay and limb failure as they age, so an older laurel oak near the house deserves an inspection.
  • Palm diseases. Lethal bronzing, an incurable palm disease first found in Florida in Hillsborough County in 2006, has since spread to more than 30 counties. It affects date, Canary Island, queen, cabbage and other palms. The oldest fronds turn a bronze-brown first, and the discoloration moves upward. If you suspect it, contact your county UF/IFAS Extension office about testing. A palm that tests positive should be removed right away to protect nearby palms.
  • Permits for removal. Many Tampa Bay cities, including the City of Tampa, protect certain trees and require a permit to remove them, with stricter rules for large "grand" trees. Under Florida law, a local government can't require a permit or replacement trees for removing a tree on residential property if an ISA-certified arborist or a Florida-licensed landscape architect assesses it on site and documents that it poses an unacceptable risk to people or property. Keep that documentation, and check your city's or county's rules before cutting.
  • Stay away from power lines. Never trim near power lines yourself. Call your utility, TECO or Duke Energy Florida for most Tampa Bay homes, about branches touching lines. Only qualified line-clearance workers should work near energized lines.

What it costs

These ranges come from TampaBayCo's landscaping cost guide:

Tree trimming: $250–$1,000+

  • Small trees (under 15 feet, routine pruning): $250–$450
  • Medium trees (15–30 feet, limb shaping and thinning): $450–$750
  • Large or hazardous trees (over 30 feet, dead limbs near structures): $750–$1,000+

Tree removal: $400–$2,000+

  • Small tree (under 15 feet, easy access): $400–$700
  • Medium tree (15–30 feet, standard yard): $700–$1,200
  • Large or complex tree (over 30 feet, near structures or power lines): $1,200–$2,000+

Stump grinding and debris haul-away are usually extra, so confirm whether they're included. Access drives the price: a tree a bucket truck can reach costs far less than one in a fenced backyard over a pool cage that has to be climbed and rigged.

How to choose a pro

  • Hire an ISA-certified arborist for big decisions. For large trees, trees near the house, or any removal question, an International Society of Arboriculture certified arborist can judge the tree's health and risk, and their written assessment can matter for permits.
  • Insist on insurance. Tree work is dangerous. Ask for proof of liability insurance and workers' comp. If an uninsured worker is hurt on your property, you could be exposed.
  • Get a written estimate. It should spell out exactly which limbs or trees are being cut, whether stump grinding is included, and how debris is handled.
  • Ask how they prune. The answer should mention the ANSI A300 standard. Walk away from anyone who recommends topping, or who uses climbing spikes on a tree that is being kept, since spikes wound the trunk.
  • Ask who handles the permit. For protected trees, confirm who applies for the permit and what replacement planting, if any, is required.
  • Be cautious after storms. Out-of-area crews go door to door after hurricanes. Check insurance and references before any work starts, and don't pay in full upfront.

How TampaBayCo works

Tell us about the tree and what you need in the short form above: trimming, palm pruning, removal or storm cleanup. We send your request to a local tree service, who contacts you to look at the tree and quote the work. The match is free, and you're under no obligation to hire anyone. Your details only go to the provider matched to your request.