Tree Trimming Cost

In Tampa, Florida, trimming is used to boost the appearance of shrubs and trees. The tree maintenance procedure improves the crown shape, eliminates dead and dying branches, and ensures trees and shrubs have an appearance that complements their surroundings. With proper trimming, property owners convert unattractive trees into natural ornaments that give their properties a higher market value. 

The best tree trimming is offered by professional tree service providers. However, if you are thinking about working with a professional, you should be prepared for a tree trimming cost. In this guide, we will help you determine the amount you will spend on your next tree trimming project. 

Average Tree Trimming Cost in Tampa, Florida 

The tree trimming cost ranges from $80 for the smallest trees to about $1000 for large trees. Property owners with trees in the medium-size category pay $300 to about $700 for tree trimming. This cost, however, is affected by a large number of factors – in the following section, we will take a deeper look at the factors. 

Factors Affecting the Tree Trimming Cost in Tampa, Florida 

1. Tree Size 

Two size factors generally affect the cost of trimming a tree – the size of the crown and the height of a tree. However, while it is possible to come across a small tree with a larger than average crown size, the size of the crown generally increases with tree height. 

When climbing up a tree manually, tree service providers take more time to reach the crown of taller trees. The risks associated with tree trimming will be more when working on a 150 feet tree compared to when trimming a 20-foot tree. 

A 100-foot white oak will have a crown spread sitting between 50 and 70 feet, much bigger than the crown width of a 30-foot tree whose crown spread will be about 20 feet. The fact that tall trees have bigger crowns, are riskier, and take more time to reach the crown, means that they have a higher tree trimming cost. 

• Large tree trimming cost – Large trees have a height of above 60 feet. These trees have the highest trimming cost, with their owners paying $200 to $1000. 
• Medium tree trimming cost – Medium-sized trees feature a height between 30 and 60 feet. Professional tree trimmers will charge you $150 to $875 to trim one of these trees. 
• Small tree trimming cost – Trees in this category have a height of under 30 feet. You will pay $80 – $400 for these trees. 

2. Proximity to Utilities 

If your tree is standing next to houses or utility lines, more effort and planning time will be needed to figure out how to cut the branches and bring them down safely without touching the utilities. The professionals may need to tie the branches they cut with ropes and then lower them down slowly – this will also take more time, further raising the tree trimming cost. 

When the trees are standing on open ground – with nothing near them – the cut branches can be allowed to fly off to the ground. This makes things much easier and reduces the time spent on tree trimming – this might give you a lower tree trimming cost. 

3. Ability to Use a Bucket Truck

Instead of climbing up a tree manually, professionals use bucket trucks to make their work easier. Bucket trucks also make the tree trimming procedure safer – the professionals are given the flexibility they need to complete a project faster, without the risk of falling from the crown. 

While bucket trucks are a good fit for the trees in your front yard, the trees in your backyard might be inaccessible to the bucket truck. Bucket trucks need parking space and a way to get closer enough to the tree. 

When a bucket truck cannot be used, the tree trimmers have to climb the tree manually. Manual climbing is riskier, time-consuming, and requires the tree trimmers to carry a lot of safety gear around the tree’s crown – this can increase the tree trimming cost by 30% to 40%. If your tree would cost $500 to trim with a bucket truck, the need for manual climbing may increase the tree trimming cost to about $650 – $700. 

4. Tree Stability 

If your tree is displaying instability signs, stabilization has to be done before the tree trimmers can climb to the tree’s crown. Since climbing to the tree crown increases the weight that the tree has to support, it may end up falling – to prevent this, stabilization mechanisms like cabling are often used. 

Tree stabilization takes extra time and effort – this often leads to a higher tree trimming cost. Below we have outlined some of the reasons trees in Tampa, Florida lose their stability: 

• High winds – High winds often get caught on the tree’s crown. This tends to pull the tree and can easily damage its roots. 
• Cracks on the trunk – These indicate that the tree has a serious underlying problem. There is a probability that the tree had suffered trauma at some point. 
• Flooding – Floods lead to excessive soil wetness. This can detach the roots from the soil, compromising the tree’s anchor points. 
• Heavy machines – During construction activities, heavy machines may keep turning near your tree’s base. This can damage the tree’s roots, making it unstable. 

5. Tree Health 

Diseases and pests do affect trees in Tampa, Florida. When trimming trees with health problems, professionals spend a lot of time inspecting the tree’s crown to ensure they have removed all diseased limbs. This keeps the health problem from spreading. 

The tree trimmers may need to work with a professional arborist to identify the health problem bothering your tree. The arborist will also identify the best medications that can be used to restore the tree’s health. To purchase the medications and pay the arborist, you may need an extra $50 to $500. 

6. Travel Fees 

Tree service providers charge travel fees when they have to cover a large distance to get to the tree trimming site. You can avoid the travel fees by hiring a tree trimming team living close to your home. 

In Tampa, Florida, the travel fee is generally $0.5 per mile traveled. However, some companies prefer to charge a fixed cost – this generally sits between $50 and $200. 

7. Number of Trees 

Trimming a group of trees together offers property owners the opportunity to save some money. For example, trimming one 40-foot tree may cost you $300. However, trimming 10 trees of the same size could cost you a total of $2500. This helps you save $50 on each tree. 

When working on a group of trees at the same time, tree trimmers generally receive a big paycheck. The fixed costs they take care of remain the same whether they are trimming one or more trees – this allows them to charge a slightly lower price when trimming multiple trees in one go. 

Hourly Tree Trimming Cost 

Tree service providers prefer a fixed tree trimming cost over an hourly one. This is because the trimming time is dependent on various factors, including: 

• The number of workers
• Tree trimming tools 
• And trimming experience 

A company with years of tree trimming experience will take lesser time than a company with lesser workers, ancient tools, and minimal experience. If the two companies charge the same hourly cost, one will operate at a loss while the other may take too much money from you. In their fixed cost, however, most companies will always include an hourly cost of $25 to $50 for each of their workers. 

Do It Yourself or Hire a Professional? 

Before deciding to handle tree trimming yourself, you should consider the risks and costs involved: 

DIY Tree Trimming Risks 

• You may suffer injuries if you fall from the tree crown. Also, the tools you will be using can cut you by mistake. The resulting hospital bills may be high. 
• The branches you cut may fall on your house or other utilities, leading to property damage. The repair costs could cost you thousands of dollars. 
• If you do not have tree trimming experience, you may damage your tree irreparably. This could force you to spend a lot of money on the tree’s removal and replacement. 

DIY Tree Trimming Cost

Before trimming a tree, you may need to buy the tools below: 

• A ladder for $150 to $500
• Safety gear for $50 to $150
• Rent a heavy-duty gas trimmer for $50 per day
• Gas pole pruner for $150 to $300
• Loppers and hand-held pruners for $30 to $50

After trimming the tree, you may need an additional $25 to $100 to pay for the dumping of the waste generated by the tree maintenance procedure. 

If your trees are non-risky, trimming them yourself can help you avoid the tree trimming cost. However, if your trees are tall, risky, or standing next to utilities, you should hire a professional – the amount you pay will be much less compared to repair costs in the case of property damage and treatment costs if you get injured.