Arborist Cost Guide 2026

What Does an Arborist Do?

Arborists perform a wide range of tasks in urban environments. They generally work on larger trees and do not handle jobs like hedge trimming or small tree removal. Below is a summary of common arborist services and typical price ranges.

• Tree removal: $500 – $22,000
• Tree pruning: $300 – $1,800
• Arborist report: $500 – $550
• Stump removal: $200 – $1,000
• Deadwooding: $500 – $1,500
• Branch cabling and bracing: $750 – $2,500
• Debris removal: $250 – $700
• Root pruning: $500 – $1,000
• Tree planting: $20 – $250
• Tree Injections: $750 – $1,250

Arborist Cost Per Hour

An arborist’s hourly rate ranges from $75 to $250, depending on the job. In practice, though, most arborists price by the job rather than by the hour, so comparing job quotes will always give you a clearer picture than comparing hourly rates.

For example, a crew of 3 taking 5 hours and a crew of 6 with a crane taking 90 minutes might both charge $1,000 for the same tree. The smaller crew charges $200/hr, the larger charges $660/hr, but the job price is identical. Compare quotes, not hourly rates.

What Affects Arborist Costs?

No two tree jobs are identical, which is why arborist pricing can vary so widely. When you request quotes, here are the main variables that will drive the final price up or down.

Tree Size and Species

This is the single biggest cost driver. A small ornamental tree and a large eucalyptus are entirely different jobs. Hardwoods are denser and slower to process. Palms cannot be chipped and must be carted to the tip, which adds dumping fees. We commonly see pricing increase significantly for large eucalypts with spreading canopies, as the volume of material and the time required to lower each section safely add up quickly.

Access to the Tree

If a tree removal arborist can drive a chipper and truck directly to the tree, costs stay reasonable. But if the tree is in a backyard with only a narrow side gate for access, everything has to be carried by hand, and labour costs climb quickly.

Proximity to Structures and Powerlines

Trees overhanging a roof, fence, pool, or power lines require careful piece-by-piece removal with each branch rigged and lowered under control. This takes considerably more time and skill, and pricing reflects it.

Number of Crew and Equipment Required

Complex removals near infrastructure can require a crane, traffic management, and a larger crew, all billed to the job. This is why comparing hourly rates alone is misleading.

Time of Year and Urgency

Arborist services are in higher demand after storms and during spring, when councils see a surge in permit applications. Emergency arborist callouts, particularly after severe weather, attract a premium. Scheduling work in winter or outside peak periods can meaningfully reduce your quote.

Waste Disposal

Green waste removal, tip fees, and mulching all add to the final cost. Palms are the most expensive to dispose of. If you can retain mulch on-site or arrange council green waste collection, many arborists will reduce the total price.

Location

Arborist costs in major metro areas like Sydney and Melbourne tend to be higher than in regional areas, reflecting higher overheads and travel costs. The best way to find an arborist at a fair price is always to compare at least three local quotes.

Finding the Best Priced Local Arborists

Finding a well-priced arborist is straightforward if you know where to look. Going to the local paper or a Google search might not yield the best results, as most arborists are small-business owners who charge based on how much work they currently have.

In winter, for example, there is generally less work, so arborist prices are lower than in peak season.

Go Tree Quotes is a free service that matches homeowners with the best-priced local arborist. Every time users get up to 3 quotes, we ask them who was cheapest, who was most professional and who they chose and why.

This gives us a clear picture of who is cheap NOW and who you are likely to get the best service from.

To try it out yourself, fill in the form on the right and tell us a little more about your tree job. We will forward your details to the 3 best local contractors by price and service quality.

Stay smart, and save time and money.

Arborist Report Cost

Unlike tree pruning and removal, arborist reports are typically priced at a fixed rate. These are usually produced by a consulting arborist, a level 5 qualified specialist who focuses on inspections and formal reporting rather than hands-on tree work. The price will vary depending on the arborist you use and the number of trees included.

The cost of an arborist report is $300–$450 per tree. If you have 4–5 trees, you could pay closer to $700.

These reports are very detailed, looking at every aspect of the tree and its surrounding environment.

If you are applying to have the tree removed, the arborist will most likely prepare a Safe Useful Life Expectancy (SULE) report to assess the tree’s amenity value and the potential downsides to its removal.

Think about it like the pros and cons. If the pros for removal outweigh the cons, you are looking good for approval.

Arborist Report for Development Application

These reports are generally no different from the regular arborist report above. Depending on the application, your tree might be staying, and you need a report on how the development will impact it.

In other cases, you may be looking to remove the tree as part of the application.

The price for a single tree will top out at around $450. But depending on the number and types of trees to be included in the report, this cost will increase by around $100 per tree.

If you are looking for information on obtaining council approval for tree removal, we have written a post that answers all your questions and gives you the best chance of success.

Or you can contact a local arborist for more information.

Tree Inspection Report

A tree inspection report is essentially the same as an arborist report. Let’s clear up any confusion.

A tree inspection involves a qualified arborist assessing the health, vigour, and safety of your tree and reporting on them. You might have concerns about a particular branch or cavity in the tree. Though professional and very thorough, your arborist will generally not write a report; rather, they will report to you and give verbal recommendations.

People usually do not pay for an arborist report unless the council asks for one.

So if you are just after a tree inspection, you won’t need a full written report unless the council specifies otherwise.

What’s Typically Included in a Tree Inspection Report

When a qualified arborist conducts a formal inspection, the written report is far more comprehensive than a quick verbal assessment. A typical report produced by a registered consulting arborist will include:

• Tree identification: species, age estimate, and dimensions
• Structural assessment: an evaluation of the trunk, branch unions, root zone, and canopy for defects, decay, or instability
• Health and vigour rating: an overall condition score, often using an industry-standard scale
• Risk assessment: likelihood of failure and the potential consequences, particularly for trees near structures or powerlines
• Safe Useful Life Expectancy (SULE): a projection of how long the tree is likely to remain safe and functional
• Amenity value: the tree’s contribution to the property and the surrounding environment, which councils weigh heavily in removal decisions
• Recommendations: whether the tree should be retained, pruned, monitored, or removed, along with any suggested treatments from an arborist plant health care specialist
• Supporting photographs: images documenting the tree’s condition and any identified defects

Make sure you are engaging a level 5 arborist if your council requires a formal report. A standard tree arborist is not always qualified to produce one accepted for development applications. We commonly see these reports become more detailed and more costly when the tree is a protected species or on a property subject to an active development application.

Tree Inspection Cost

Depending on the size of the tree and whether it needs to be climbed, a tree inspection by an arborist should cost about $30 – $150.

This cost is typically waived if the inspecting arborist subsequently performs work on the tree.

It is important to keep in mind that arborists run a business. All too often, homeowners call for a ‘free inspection’. It’s a bit like calling a plumber for a free inspection of your home’s entire plumbing system. It takes up a lot of their time with no guarantee of work.

If you have genuine concerns about your tree, ask an arborist out to quote on pruning or removal at the same time as giving their advice.

If you would like an inspection first, keep in mind that you may be expected to pay for the consultation.

Cost of Arborist for Tree Removal

By all rights, you should never get someone who is not an arborist to remove your tree. An arborist can be a little more expensive than your local lawn and garden maintenance guy, but the difference in skill level is huge.

The only exception is if the tree is smaller than 5m (1-storey house). In that case, there is minimal danger of injury or property damage, and a tree of that size can be handled by a lawn care or garden maintenance company.

Refer to our tree removal cost guide for prices on removing all types and sizes of trees.

A Word on DIY

It is tempting to handle tree work yourself to save money, but most homeowners underestimate the risk of working above head height. For anything beyond basic ground-level maintenance, a qualified arborist is the safer and smarter choice.

How to Reduce Your Arborist Quote

Like any trade, time on site is the main cost driver. A few simple steps before the crew arrives can meaningfully reduce your costs.

Improve Access

Clear any obstacles around the tree, such as pot plants, outdoor furniture, or a removable fence panel, so that the crew can get their chipper and truck as close as possible. Better access directly reduces labour time and your final quote.

Disposal of Waste

If you have palm trees that are being removed, disposing of the waste yourself will save you hundreds of dollars. Palms cannot be turned into mulch and have to be taken to the tip by the arborist. Dumping fees are upwards of $200 per tonne.

Ask them to cut the palm into foot-long logs and leave them on your property. Then you can put them out for a council clean-up or put them in your green bin.

Profit from Waste

One of the biggest tips for hardwood trees (basically anything other than palm or pine trees) is to sell the firewood on eBay.

If you have a large tree that is hard to reach, such as in a backyard with no rear access, the cost for complete removal will be quite high. This is because the company will need to pay labourers to carry the entire tree by hand to their truck on the street.

If you tell the arborists when they are quoting the job that they can just cut it down and leave the tree logs (cut into 30cm firewood-size logs), they will charge you a lot less.

Once they are done, you take a photo of the logs and auction them on eBay. With the price of heating these days, people will pay money and come and lug the logs away themselves.

Arborist Cost to Prune a Tree

For tree pruning, you should only use a qualified arborist. If the trees in question are smaller than a single-storey home, they can be handled by someone else, but anything larger requires special skills to carry out such a task.

We have put together a tree-pruning cost guide covering all types of tree pruning.

The cost for an arborist to prune a tree will vary depending on the tree type, the number of branches to be pruned, the tree’s size, and any obstacles.

If there is good access and the branch does not need to be lowered, it will be much cheaper than a branch overhanging a house, for example. Great care will need to be taken to remove that branch safely.

We never recommend using anyone other than a qualified arborist to prune your trees, as a hack job will only lead to poor tree form and possible damage to your property.