Tree Pruning Cost

If you haven’t pruned trees before, attempting DIY pruning puts you at the risk of damaging your tree. Also, falling from the tree crown could put you on a hospital bed with thousands to pay in treatment costs. If you drop heavy branches on important utilities/structures, you will need to spend a lot of money on property repairs. Working with professional tree pruners, however, helps you avoid all these risks. 

As you would expect, professional tree pruners do charge for their services. In Las Vegas, Nevada, the tree pruning cost ranges from $75 to $2000 per tree. Typically, the average tree pruning cost, ranges from $350 to $650, with most people paying $450 for their medium-sized trees. In this detailed guide, we will take a look at the factors affecting the tree pruning cost.  

Tree Pruning Cost Factors in Las Vegas, Nevada 

1. Tree Size 

Two tree size factors feature a significant effect on tree pruning cost – the height of the tree and the size of its crown. In most cases, however, the size of the crown increases as the height of the tree increases. 

A sequoia tree with a height of 164 to 279 feet will have an average crown spread of 108 feet; unlike a 25 feet California juniper which will have a crown spread of only 20 feet. Trees with a large crown spread take more time to prune, compared to trees with a small width. 

Also, tall trees do require more time to reach the crown. Also, since the distance between the ground and the crown is much bigger, risks are generally bigger for the tallest trees. All this increases the tree pruning cost for people with large trees. 

Depending on the size of your tree, you should set aside the amounts listed below for tree pruning: 

• Small trees – Tree pruners in Las Vegas, Nevada, classify trees with a height of below 30 feet in the small tree category. The trees have a tree pruning cost of $75 to $400. 
• Medium trees – These trees are the most common in Las Vegas, Nevada. They have a height of 30 to 60 feet and cost $150 to $800 to prune. 
• Large trees – Large trees grow to be 60 to 80 feet tall. Pruning a tree in this height range costs $800 to $1,500. 
• Very large trees – The largest trees in Las Vegas mature at a height of above 80 feet. The tree pruning cost for these trees ranges from $1,500 – $2000. 

2. Tree Species 

The height and crown size of a tree are both affected by tree species. While crape myrtles rarely grow taller than 30 feet, it is nearly impossible to find a sequoia tree shorter than 80 feet. 

Tree species also has a significant effect on wood hardness. While oak trees are hardwoods, most junipers will be softwoods. This means that tree species often affects how complicated a tree pruning procedure will be. 

Below, we have listed the common tree species in Las Vegas, and the tree pruning cost to expect for each: 

Crape Myrtle Tree Pruning Cost 

Available as both small trees and shrubs, crape myrtles mature at heights between 3 and 30 feet. Pruning these trees costs $75 to $400. 

Palm Tree Pruning Cost 

Two subspecies of palm tree grow well in Las Vegas – the medium-sized variety with a height of 20 to 60 feet and the large variety with a height above 80 feet. Medium-sized palms have a pruning cost of $100 to $500. The large varieties, however, can have a cost as high as $1,500. 

Pine Tree Pruning Cost 

Pine trees have a height of 40 to over 150 feet. Depending on how large your pine tree is, you should expect a tree pruning cost of $200 to $2000. 

Maple Tree Pruning Cost 

Maple trees mature at a height of 40 – 80 feet. Professionals in Las Vegas charge $400 to $1000 to prune these trees. 

Olive Tree Pruning Cost

For olive trees to be productive, they need regular pruning. If the tree’s crown is ignored, it gets overcrowded, keeping the flowers from accessing enough sunlight. This keeps most of the flowers from maturing into fruits. For $350 to $700, property owners in Las Vegas can increase their olive tree production through tree pruning. 

Avocado Tree Pruning Cost 

Both the dwarf and medium-sized avocados are common in Las Vegas, Nevada. To prune these trees, you will need $350 to $700. 

3. Accessibility 

When trees are accessible, the tree pruners can make their work easier with bucket trucks. In addition to making it much easier for the tree pruners to reach the tree crown, bucket trucks improve safety, eliminating the possibility of falling from the tree. 

Bucket trucks, however, cannot be used on trees standing in enclosed areas – for such trees, the bucket truck will lack parking space. Whenever the bucket truck is unusable, the tree pruners have to climb the tree manually, which is riskier and more time-consuming – this increases the tree pruning cost by 30% to 40%. 

If you have been quoted $600 to prune a tree with a bucket truck, the tree pruning cost may increase to between $780 and $840 with manual climbing. 

4. Property Damage Risk 

Trees growing near buildings, utility lines, and sensitive structures are generally costlier to prune. This is generally because the tree pruners have to use extreme caution – which requires additional time – to avoid damaging your property. 

To keep the cut branches from dropping on powerlines, the tree pruners will have the branches they intend to cut tied with ropes. They will then use these ropes to lower the branches down, taking care to not touch the powerlines or anything near the tree. 

5. Tree Health 

Like other living things, trees do suffer from health problems. Diseases and pests generally make the trees weaker, and hence more complicated to work on. When pruning a diseased tree, tree pruners need more safety gear, especially when they are climbing the tree manually, to avoid falling when they step on the weak branches. 

Pruning a diseased tree involves removing all the infected branches – having to inspect each branch to determine whether it is infected is more time-consuming. These complications tend to increase the pruning cost of unhealthy trees. 

After tree pruning, an arborist may be needed to diagnose the tree and determine the best treatment options. The cost of the arborist service – and the medications or pesticides you may need to purchase – can add $50 to $500 to your tree pruning cost. 

6. Additional Costs 

Most property owners are surprised when they learn that they have to pay more than the quoted tree pruning cost. The extra cost often results from the extra services generally needed after tree pruning. These services may include: 

Cleanup and Dumping 

Tree pruning puts foliage and branches all over your landscape. In addition to being messy, this waste can be hazardous – you may trip on the branches, fall, and end up with injuries. To improve safety in their compounds, most property owners prefer to clean up after tree pruning. While you can use DIY cleanup, you can also pay the professionals $50 – $100 to help you with cleanup and dumping. 

Travel Fees 

If you invite tree pruners who have your property in their service zone, you won’t be charged a travel fee. However, if the tree pruners you decide to hire have to cover hundreds of miles to get to your home, they may require you to pay $0.5 per mile or a fixed cost of $50 to $200, depending on the covered distance. 

Timing Tree Pruning Correctly 

Several factors influence the timing for tree pruning, they include: 

• Safety – If a tree has broken or weakly-attached branches, it will be a safety risk in your home. Through tree pruning, however, you can improve safety on the tree. 
• Tree health – If your tree is carrying diseased branches, you will need to remove them immediately to keep the disease from spreading. 
• Property value – If you intend to sell your property, tree pruning can help you boost the property value. 
• Post-production period – If you have fruit trees in your home, you cannot prune them when they are flowering or bearing fruits. Instead, you have to wait for the production period to end. 
• Dormant stage – This is a period where the trees stop growing actively. Most trees enter the stage in late fall, with the stage lasting through winter. Pruning trees when they are dormant reduces the risk of tree injury. 

How to Save on Tree Pruning 

• Use DIY pruning on small, non-risky trees. 
• Work with tree pruners closest to your home – this will help you avoid travel fees. 
• Maintain healthy trees so that you can avoid paying for medications and arborist service. 
• Prune your trees regularly – this will help you avoid excessive overgrowth which could cost you more money. 
• Use small trees on your landscape – these have the lowest tree pruning cost. 
• Allow power companies to prune the trees growing near powerlines.