Tree Pruning Cost

Professional tree pruning carries a large number of benefits. It helps property owners save time, eliminates the risks of injuries and property damage, and also eliminates the risk of tree damage. Working with professional tree pruners, however, costs money – understanding the tree pruning costs to expect makes preparation much easier. 

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, tree owners pay as little as $75 per tree to as high as $2000 per tree. People with small to medium-sized trees enjoy the lowest tree pruning cost, with professionals charging $75 to about $700. The tree pruning cost varies depending on several major factors – in the following section, we will take a deeper look at these factors. 

Tree Pruning Cost Factors in Tulsa, OK

1. Tree Size 

When estimating the tree pruning cost, you need to consider both tree height and crown spread. However, for most of the trees that grow in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the crown width increases with tree height – this means that tree height features a bigger influence on the tree pruning cost. 

Tall trees are riskier to prune. A branch falling on your house from a 100-foot tree will cause more damage than a branch of the same size falling from a 30-foot tree. This means more contingency plans have to be established when pruning the large trees. 

More time is often needed to complete the tree pruning procedure for large trees – these trees often require more effort to reach the crown. Also, the fact that the crowns on taller trees are bigger and often carry bigger branches further increases the tree pruning cost. 

Depending on the size of your tree, you should expect tree pruning professionals to charge you the costs outlined below: 

• Small trees – These trees have a height sitting between 3 and 30 feet. The trees feature the smallest branches and their crowns are much shallower. For these reasons, professional tree pruners charge the lowest cost – you will pay $75 to $400 to prune your small tree. 
• Medium trees – If your tree has a height between 30 and 60 feet, professional tree pruners will classify it in the medium tree category. These trees cost $150 to $800 to prune. 
• Large trees – In Tulsa, Oklahoma, trees with a height between 60 and 100 feet are classified in the large category. The cost of pruning large trees sits between $800 and $1,500. 
• Extremely large trees – These trees are taller than 100 feet, with their height going beyond 150 feet and sometimes 200 feet. Also known as very large trees, extremely large trees have a tree pruning cost between $1500 and $2000. 

2. Tree Species 

The height of a tree is largely dependent on its tree species, although other key factors like climate and soil type may also play a role. You will be hard-pressed to find a pine tree whose height is below 60 feet at maturity or a crape myrtle whose height exceeds 30 feet. It is for this reason different tree species have varying tree pruning costs: 

Pine Tree Pruning Cost 

While you may need to prune your pine trees when they have a height of just 40 feet, pine trees grow to be over 150 feet tall. Because of their incredibly large size, pine trees cost $200 to over $2000 to prune. 

Maple Tree Pruning Cost 

Maple trees fit in the medium to large category – the trees reach maturity at a height between 40 and 80 feet. Professionals will charge you as low as $400 or a high as $1,500 to prune your maple trees. 

Olive Tree Pruning Cost 

The tree pruning procedure is extremely important for olive trees – it influences the tree’s productivity. Olive trees are generally small to medium-sized. Each olive tree costs $350 to $750 to prune. 

Avocado Tree Pruning Cost 

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, property owners plant dwarf and medium-sized avocado trees. Depending on the size of your avocado tree, you should expect a tree pruning cost between $350 and $750. 

3. Bucket Truck Use 

Bucket trucks make the tree pruning procedure much easier. For starters, the modern tree pruning machinery eliminates the need to climb up a tree manually. Additionally, bucket trucks provide a higher level of safety compared to harnesses and other traditional safety tools. For these reasons, the ability to use a bucket truck lowers the tree pruning cost. 

Bucket trucks, however, are generally big machines on wheels – they, therefore, require the trees to be extremely accessible for their usability to be viable. When a tree is inaccessible, the tree pruners have to use manual climbing to reach the tree crown. 

The higher risk and additional time needed to climb a tree manually increase the tree pruning cost by 30% to 40%. If a tree would set you back $1000 to prune with the bucket truck, you should expect a price sitting between $1,300 and $1,400 if manual climbing has to be used on the same tree. 

4. Risk of Property Damage 

The risk of causing damage increases for trees that are standing next to important utilities. To prevent the property owner from expensive property repair costs, the tree pruners tie the branches with ropes before cutting them – the branches are then lowered down slowly. The entire procedure takes too much time, which forces the tree pruners to increase the tree pruning cost. 

If your tree is standing on open ground, tree pruning may be cheaper. The professionals do not have to use their time controlling the branches’ falling path – this means lesser time is needed to prune the tree. 

5. Tree Health 

Diseases and pests turn branches weak and risky for tree pruners. When using manual climbing to reach the crown, the tree service providers have to be extra careful to avoid stepping on weak branches and falling. 

When pruning unhealthy trees, professional tree pruners have to inspect each branch – this helps ensure that all the diseased branches have been removed. A higher risk and extra tree pruning time increase the tree pruning cost for unhealthy trees. 

6. Additional Services 

If you are pruning your trees for the first time, you may be surprised to learn that the quoted tree pruning cost does not cover everything. To avoid surprises, you should ask your tree service provider for a list of the services covered by the quoted cost. 

In Tulsa, OK, the services that are often paid for separately include: 

Treatment Costs

If your tree is suffering from health problems, you may need to hire an arborist to inspect it and determine the health problem affecting it. Arborists may require you to pay for medications that need to be administered to the tree. The treatment services will add $50 to $500 to the quoted tree pruning cost. 

Travel Fees 

This additional cost is very rare. It only comes into play when tree owners hire professionals located too far from their homes. When professionals have to spend a lot of their time on the road, they charge a travel fee between $50 and $200 or a rate of $0.5 per mile. To avoid the travel fee, all you have to do is hire a team closest to your home.

Cleanup Services 

After pruning a tree, you may want the professionals to gather the waste generated and take it to the dumpsite. This may cost you an extra $50 to $100. 

Timing Tree Pruning Correctly 

Arborists recommend tree pruning when trees are in their dormant stage. This is a period when trees stop growing actively for some time – the dormant stage generally starts in the fall and may last through the winter season. 

Some circumstances, however, may force you to prune your trees before the dormant stage – these include: 

• If your tree has risky branches, pruning should be done as soon as possible to keep the branches from falling and causing damage or injuries. 
• If your tree’s branches are showing signs of ill health, pruning can help keep the disease from spreading. 
• If you are planning a property sale, tree pruning can help you boost your property’s value. 
• When it comes to pruning fruit trees, property owners need to wait until the production period is over. 

Saving Money on Tree Pruning 

To reduce the amount of money you spend on tree pruning, the following tips will come in handy: 

• Use DIY tree pruning on your shrubs and small, non-risky trees. 
• Hire tree pruners residing close to your home. This will put your home in their service zone, eliminating the travel fee. 
• Prune your trees regular. This will keep the trees in shape – compared to trees that have extremely overgrown branches, trees that are in shape will have a lower tree pruning cost. 
• If you have trees standing next to power lines, let the power company prune them. power companies prune trees standing next to their lines to improve safety. 
• Keep your trees healthy throughout the year. This will help you avoid spending money on treatment costs. 
• Wait for the period when tree pruners have less work. Also known as the offseason, the period when tree pruning projects are low features a much lower tree pruning cost.