Why there is no price list on this page
Anyone publishing a fixed price for "a medium tree" in Cairns is guessing, and the guess exists to get a phone call rather than to inform you. The captured history of this business carries no published rates, so none are invented here. What follows instead is the set of factors that every genuine quote is built from — enough to tell you whether a number you have been given is reasonable, and why two quotes on the same tree can differ.
The factors, roughly in order of impact
| Factor | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|
| Access | The dominant one. Truck and chipper at the kerb beside the tree is the cheapest case. A two metre side gate, a pool between the tree and the street, or a steep Redlynch driveway all convert machine work into hand work. |
| Drop zone | An open paddock lets a tree be felled whole. A tree over a roof, pool, shed, fence or neighbour's glasshouse must be dismantled and every piece lowered on ropes. That can triple the time. |
| Height and volume | Height drives the climbing and rigging; volume drives the haulage. A short, wide raintree can produce more material than a tall skinny one and cost more to cart away. |
| Species and condition | Hardwood cuts slower than softwood. Palm fibre blunts gear and does not chip well. A decayed or storm-damaged tree is unpredictable and often needs a platform rather than a climber. |
| Crane or elevated work platform | A real day rate, but often cheaper than the alternative in a confined site, and much cheaper than repairing a roof. |
| Powerlines and services | Proximity to live conductors requires accredited crews, exclusion zones and sometimes a temporary disconnection arrangement, all of which add time. |
| Stump | Grinding is a separate operation with separate gear. Depth matters: turf depth is cheap, footing depth is excavation. |
| Green waste | Haulage and tipping are a real cost, and they scale with distance. Leaving mulch on site reduces it. |
| Season and ground condition | Wet season work is slower, messier and sometimes needs matting to protect a lawn. The dry months are cheaper. |
| Travel | A job at Gordonvale or the far northern beaches carries more travel and haulage than one in Manunda. |
| Urgency | After-hours and emergency call-outs carry a premium, because the crew is dropping other work and often working in poor conditions. |
Reading a quote properly
A quote worth comparing says what is included, not just a number. Look for: whether green waste is removed or left, whether the stump is included and to what depth, whether a crane or platform is allowed for, who is responsible for reinstating lawn damage, and what happens if the crew finds something unexpected — decay, a services conflict, a wasp nest — once they start.
Also check what is excluded. Anything on the verge is a council tree and cannot be part of your job at all, which the permits page explains. Anything on common property needs body corporate approval.
The cheapest version of any tree job
It is the one booked early. Deadwooding and thinning before the cyclone season costs a fraction of what emergency work costs after a tree has failed, and a tree that has been maintained rarely becomes a removal at all. That is the argument on the pruning page, and the storm damage page is the version of events where it did not happen.
When you are ready for a number, get in touch and the quote is done on site, in writing, for free. Services covered are removal, lopping and pruning, stump grinding and palms, across the suburbs listed on the service areas page.
Frequently asked questions
Why will nobody give a price over the phone?
Because the tree is the smallest part of the question. Two identical mangoes can differ by several times in cost depending on whether a chipper can reach them, what sits underneath, how soft the ground is and whether a crane is needed. A phone estimate that later becomes a bigger invoice helps nobody, so the quote is done on site and in writing.
Is it cheaper to remove several trees at once?
Almost always. A large part of the cost is mobilisation — getting the crew, the truck, the chipper and sometimes a grinder or a platform to your address and set up. Once that is done, the second and third tree cost less each than the first would have alone. The same applies to combining a removal with stump grinding.
Should I just take the cheapest quote?
Compare what is actually in each quote first. Does it include green waste removal or leave the material on site? Does it include the stump, and to what depth? Does it include a crane or platform if one is really needed? A cheap number that omits haulage and the stump is not cheaper, it is smaller in scope.
Can I reduce the cost myself?
Yes, in a few real ways. Keep the mulch and the rounds on site instead of paying for haulage. Clear the access route, move cars and open gates before the crew arrives. Book in the dry months rather than the wet. Combine jobs with a neighbour on the same street so one mobilisation covers both.