1. Access
The largest single variable, and the one most people underestimate.
Can a chipper truck get within a few metres of the tree, or does it stay at the kerb? Is the material carried on flat ground or up a flight of steps? Is there a gate wide enough for a stump grinder? Is there room to set up a crane?
On the Central Coast this splits the region in half. Flat suburbs with driveways — Wyong, Toukley, Bateau Bay — are priced sensibly. Terraced waterfront blocks at Green Point and the escarpment streets behind Gosford are not, and the reason is hours, not greed.
2. Method
Directly downstream of access. A straight fell is the cheapest. Sectional dismantling by a climber is slower and costs more. A crane costs more per hour and can cost less overall on a big job. The techniques guide explains each.
Any quote should state which method is proposed. If two quotes differ by thousands, the method is usually why.
3. Size and volume
Height, stem diameter and crown spread together determine how much material there is, how long the climber is in the tree, and how many truck loads leave the site. It matters — it is just not the top of the list.
4. Hazards under and around the tree
What happens if a piece is dropped. A house, a pool, a glasshouse, a pergola, a neighbour's shed, a septic system, a retaining wall, a boundary fence, a power service. Each one converts a section that could have been dropped into a section that has to be rigged down under control.
Proximity to an Ausgrid conductor is a category of its own and changes who can legally do the work — see the power line guide.
5. Species
Australian hardwoods — spotted gum, blackbutt, ironbark, turpentine — are dense and heavy. Slower cutting, heavier sections, higher rigging loads, more chain sharpening. A softwood or soft exotic of the same dimensions is a quicker job.
Palms are different again: no branch structure, fibrous tissue, and a wide shallow root mat. They cannot be reduced, only tidied or removed.
Natives are also far more likely to be protected, which adds a permit process ahead of the work.
6. Disposal
Chipping on site into a truck is the cheapest outcome. Stem sections too large to chip have to be cut, loaded and carted, and tipped somewhere that charges. Contaminated or weed-species material may have disposal restrictions.
Leaving the mulch on site as a pile is usually free and worth asking for. Leaving cut rounds for firewood saves the cartage on the heaviest material.
What does not move the price much
The time of year has a modest effect on availability and therefore on scheduling — winter is easier than the week after a storm. Whether you are a nice person has no effect at all. And a contractor who drops their price substantially without changing the scope has told you something about the original number.
Next: how to get an accurate quote and the hidden costs that appear late.
Frequently asked questions
Does tree height determine the price?
It contributes, but it is not the dominant factor. Height affects climbing time and rigging loads, but two trees of identical height on different blocks can differ by thousands of dollars because of access. A contractor pricing purely on height and diameter has not looked at the site properly, and their number will move once they do.
Are native trees more expensive to remove than exotics?
Sometimes, for two reasons. Australian hardwoods such as spotted gum, blackbutt and ironbark are dense and heavy, which means slower cutting, heavier sections and more rigging load than a soft exotic of the same size. And natives are far more likely to be protected, which adds a permit process before the work can even be booked.
Why does a tree near a power line cost more?
Because it is legally a different job. Work within the approach distances of an Ausgrid conductor requires accredited personnel and often a scheduled supply outage, which has to be arranged in advance. That is a specialist service with a specialist rate, and it cannot be done by a general tree crew regardless of how confident they sound.