When Removal, Not Pruning, Is the Right Call
Felling is for trees that need to come out completely: dead or structurally unsound trees, ones with disease or significant decay, trees whose roots are lifting a drive or getting into drains, or a tree that's simply in the wrong place for a new fence line, driveway or extension. Storm-damaged and windblown trees are their own category — this stretch of coast gets its share of winter gales, and Storm Arwen back in November 2021 brought down a huge amount of timber across north-east Scotland in one night. Clearing windblow and storm-weakened trees has been a steady part of the work ever since.
Where a tree can't be dropped whole — too close to a house, greenhouse, fence or power line — we take it down in sections instead, rigging each piece down on ropes rather than letting it fall. It's slower than a straight felling cut but it's the only safe option that close to a structure.
After the tree's down
Stump Grinding
Most jobs finish with the stump ground out rather than dug up. The grinder works the stump and surface roots down to about 20-30cm below ground level, leaving a shallow patch of woodchip and soil that can be raked level and turfed or planted over within a week or two. It's faster and far less disruptive than digging a stump out with an excavator, though it's worth knowing that a handful of species — willow and some poplars especially — can still throw up suckers from remaining root sections afterwards, which we'll flag if it applies to your tree.
Permissions
Felling Licences, TPOs and Conservation Areas
- A single garden tree removed for amenity reasons is usually exempt from needing a Scottish Forestry felling licence
- Clearing several trees or thinning a shelterbelt on a larger plot can bring volume limits into play — worth checking before work starts
- A Tree Preservation Order or conservation area status overrides the exemption and needs council consent regardless of size
- We check TPO and conservation area status before quoting, so there are no surprises once work's booked in
Timber and logs
What Happens to the Wood
You can keep what comes down — cut to stove length if you want it for firewood — or we'll take everything away, including the chippings from grinding. Most of the logs we sell on our firewood page start as tree work like this rather than wood bought in from elsewhere.
Common questions
FAQs
For a single tree in a private garden, almost never — garden and amenity felling is generally exempt under Scottish Forestry's rules. It's a different question if we're clearing several trees or thinning a shelterbelt on a larger plot, where volume limits can apply, and it's always a different question if the tree has a Tree Preservation Order or sits in a conservation area, which needs council consent regardless of size. We check this before quoting, not after.
Grinding, in almost every case. A stump grinder chews the stump and surface roots down to roughly 20-30cm below ground level, which is enough to turf or plant straight over. Digging a stump out fully is slower, more disruptive to the surrounding lawn or patio, and rarely necessary unless you're excavating for a new structure on that spot.
Yes — windblown and storm-snapped trees are a regular part of the work, especially after the kind of winter gales this coast gets. If it's already down, the priority is usually making the site safe first, then sectioning and clearing it, which is often quicker than a standing felling job.
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