Method is chosen by the site, not the tree
The three techniques below are not a hierarchy of quality. Each is the right answer for a particular site, and a competent contractor picks by asking what happens if a piece is dropped.
Straight felling
The tree comes down in one piece, is cut up on the ground and processed there.
A scarf, or notch, is cut on the face towards which the tree should fall. The felling cut comes in from the opposite side, stopping short and leaving a hinge — a strip of uncut wood that steers the tree as it goes over. Wedges or a pull line add control where the lean is against the intended direction.
It needs a clear drop zone at least as long as the tree, ground that will take the impact, and enough room to process the material afterwards. On the Central Coast that means rural blocks in the Wyong hinterland, the Ourimbah valley, larger acreage lots and occasionally a big suburban back yard.
It is the cheapest method by a wide margin, because everything happens at ground level.
Sectional dismantling
The standard method for suburban work, and the reason most tree crews look the way they do.
A climber ascends the stem on a rope and harness system, or works from an elevated work platform where the ground allows. Starting at the top, limbs are removed piece by piece, each one small enough to be handled. The stem then comes down in sections.
Where there is clear ground beneath, pieces can be dropped into a controlled landing zone. Where there is not — a roof, a pool, a pergola, a fence, a neighbour's shed — each piece is rigged: a line attached before the cut, run through a block, and lowered under control by a ground worker through a friction device.
Rigging is what makes the difference between a tidy job and an insurance claim. It is also slow, which is why dismantling costs substantially more than felling.
Crane-assisted removal
The crane holds each section while it is cut, then lifts it clear to a truck. Used on large trees where dismantling would take days, on sites with no lowering room at all, and where a tree has to come out over a house.
It requires somewhere to set up, clear airspace, and usually road occupancy approval and traffic management. The crane guide covers when the numbers work.
Supporting equipment
Chipper and tipper. Small material goes through the chipper into the truck. Faster and cheaper than loading by hand.
Elevated work platform. Good access from outside the tree, provided the ground will take it and the reach is adequate. Common on street trees and open sites, rarely useful on steep or soft ground.
Winches and capstan rigging winches. For lowering and moving heavy stem sections on sites where nothing can be carried by hand.
What happens to the stump
Nothing, by default. A removal leaves the stump cut low. Grinding or full excavation is a separate operation, and booking it on the same mobilisation is materially cheaper than a second visit.
Reading a quote against this page
Ask which of the three methods is proposed and why. A contractor who says "sectional dismantle, rigged over the pool, two-day job" has looked at the site. A contractor who gives a number and nothing else has not.
The pricing guide explains how method translates into cost, and tree removal services covers the local application.
Frequently asked questions
What is a scarf cut and why does it matter?
The scarf, or notch, is a wedge cut into the side of the trunk facing the intended direction of fall. It controls where the tree goes. The felling cut is then made from the opposite side, leaving a strip of uncut wood called the hinge that steers the tree as it falls. The hinge is the control mechanism, and cutting through it is one of the classic ways a felling job goes wrong.
What does rigging mean in tree work?
Rigging is the system of ropes, blocks, slings and friction devices used to lower a cut section under control rather than letting it fall. The climber attaches a line to the piece before cutting it, and a ground worker manages the descent through a friction device. It is what allows a tree to be dismantled over a roof or a pool without dropping anything on them.
Are trees ever removed with a chainsaw from a ladder?
Not by anyone competent. A ladder gives no stable working position, no fall protection and no way to react when a section moves unexpectedly, and using a chainsaw one-handed from one is how people lose limbs. Legitimate access is a rope and harness system, an elevated work platform, or a crane. A contractor producing a ladder is a contractor to send away.