Frequently Asked Questions
The questions Gloucestershire actually asks us, answered straight. If yours isn't here, the phone works: 01242 472560.
Honest Answers Since 2004
Twenty years of quoting jobs across Gloucestershire teaches you what people really want to know: what it costs, whether they need permission, how long it takes, and whether the contractor will turn up. Here are the most common questions, answered the way we'd answer them on your doorstep. Service-specific questions live on each service page; these are the ones everyone asks.
How much does tree surgery cost?
In Gloucestershire, crown reduction and pruning work typically runs from £350+ depending on the tree’s size and complexity, and full removals from £350 to over £2,000 for large or awkward trees. Access, condition, and what happens to the timber all move the price. Silver Tree Services quotes every job free, in writing, after seeing the tree, because honest pricing needs eyes on the job. Call 01242 472560 or use the free quote form.
Do I need permission to cut down or prune a tree?
Sometimes. If the tree has a Tree Preservation Order, unauthorised work is an offence with fines of up to £20,000 per tree, and in a conservation area you must give the council six weeks’ written notice before works. Outside those protections, trees on your own property are generally yours to manage. Silver Tree Services checks protections before quoting anywhere in Gloucestershire and handles the applications and notices as part of the job.
When is bird nesting season and can you work during it?
The main nesting season runs 1 March to 31 August, and active nests are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, making it an offence to damage or destroy them. Work can still go ahead in season if checks confirm no active nests are present, which Silver Tree Services carries out before any hedge or tree work across Gloucestershire, but heavy hedge cutting and clearance are best programmed outside those months where possible.
Are you insured and qualified?
Yes. Silver Tree Services is an ARB Approved Contractor, holds ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification, and carries public and employers’ liability insurance on every job, with certificates available with any quote. Operational staff hold NPTC certificates of competence for their work, and all tree work is carried out to BS3998:2010. The full list, and what each accreditation actually means, is on our accreditations page.
What areas do you cover?
Silver Tree Services works across the whole of Gloucestershire from its base at Shurdington, near Cheltenham, including Gloucester, Stroud, Tewkesbury, Cirencester, and the Cotswolds, with regular work in surrounding counties and larger commercial contracts considered nationwide. If you’re not sure whether we cover you, call 01242 472560 and we’ll tell you straight, and point you somewhere good if we don’t.
Do you charge for quotes?
No. Every quote is free, made in writing after seeing the job, and carries no obligation. For straightforward work, good photographs are sometimes enough to price from; for trees, access, and anything structural, Silver Tree Services visits in person across Gloucestershire because accurate pricing needs eyes on the job, and a quote that survives contact with reality beats a cheap guess that doesn’t.
What happens to the waste and timber?
It comes back to our yard at Shurdington and gets used. Timber becomes kiln-dried firewood and biomass fuel, brash becomes woodchip and mulch, and green waste is recycled, in a closed loop audited under our ISO 14001 certification. That’s why Silver Tree Services’ clearance pricing is competitive and why nothing from your Gloucestershire site ends up fly-tipped: the waste stream is actually our supply chain.
How quickly can you do the work?
Quotes are usually arranged within days, and most residential work is scheduled within a few weeks depending on season, with spring and early summer the busiest. Genuine emergencies, storm damage, dangerous trees, blocked access, are prioritised: call 01242 472560 and Silver Tree Services will make the situation safe first and handle the paperwork after. Commercial and contract work is programmed to your calendar.
Will you leave the site tidy?
Yes, and it’s specified in the quote rather than left to interpretation. Arisings are chipped or removed the same day, lawns and surfaces are protected from machinery, and the site is swept and walked before the crew leaves. Across Gloucestershire, most of Silver Tree Services’ residential work comes from recommendation, and recommendations come from the state of the garden after we’ve gone, not during.
Can you handle both my trees and my regular garden maintenance?
Yes. Silver Tree Services runs tree surgery, hedge trimming, grounds maintenance, and landscaping teams under one roof, so a property can have its trees managed, hedges cut, and grounds maintained by one contractor on one schedule. For homes that’s one relationship instead of three; for commercial sites and managed properties across Gloucestershire it’s one contract, one invoice, and one number when something needs doing.
Do you do small jobs?
Yes. A single hedge, one overgrown tree, a stump in the way of a fence post: small jobs are scheduled efficiently alongside nearby work across Gloucestershire, which keeps them affordable. No job has to justify itself; if it matters to you, quote it. Plenty of Silver Tree Services’ biggest clients started as a homeowner with one tree, and we’ve never forgotten that.
How do I get a quote?
Call 01242 472560, email enquiries@silvertreeservices.co.uk, or use the free quote form with a description and a couple of photos. Silver Tree Services will arrange a visit where the job needs one, and you’ll get a written quote with no obligation and no follow-up pestering. If the quote needs adjusting because you’ve changed the scope, that’s a phone call, not a renegotiation.
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