Herne Hill Tree Removal & Pruning
Tree and palm removal and expert pruning in Herne Hill by a qualified, insured arborist — free quotes, 7 days a week.
- Free quotes
- Fully qualified & insured
- 16+ years
Tree removal and pruning in Herne Hill, done properly
Tree removal in Herne Hill is rarely a straight fell. Houses, fences, sheds, power lines and next door’s garden are all in the way, so we dismantle in sections, lower the heavy pieces on ropes and chip as we go. That is standard practice for Api and the crew, and it is why over 1,400 customers across the Geelong region have used us and left the reviews you can read below.
The nearest suburbs we also cover are Manifold Heights (about a kilometre), Hamlyn Heights (about a kilometre), Fyansford (2 km), so a job in Herne Hill is often paired with one next door.
A removal starts with a look at the tree, the access and what is underneath it. Api decides whether it can be felled in one piece — rare in a suburb like Herne Hill — or needs to come down in sections. A climber goes up, the limbs come off and are lowered on ropes where anything sits below, the trunk is blocked down, and the whole lot goes through the chipper on the street. The stump can be ground out the same day.
Where a tree is over a house, a shed or a neighbour’s yard, nothing free-falls. A climber sets rigging points, each limb is tied off, cut and lowered under control, and the trunk comes down in short blocks. It is slower than felling and it is the only safe way to do most Herne Hill backyards.
Tree Removal & Pruning in Herne Hill — what we do
Hazardous tree removal
Dead, leaning, split or storm-damaged trees taken down in sections.
Palm removal
Cocos, cotton and date palms removed trunk and all.
Hazard & clearance pruning
Deadwood out, canopy lifted off roofs, lines and boundaries.
Crown thinning & shaping
Wind through the canopy, light into the garden, the tree kept.
A tip from Api
Autumn and winter are the best time to book pruning in Herne Hill: deciduous trees are bare, so the structure is easy to read, and the wounds seal before the growing season. Removals we do year-round.
The full service pages: Tree & Palm Removal and Tree Pruning — every one available in Herne Hill.
Guides from Api: Hedge trimming contracts: what a regular hedge maintenance plan covers in Melbourne · Professional tree removal vs tree lopping: why the method matters in Melbourne
Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Herne Hill?
The rule that applies to a tree in a Herne Hill garden is Clause 52.37 of the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme — here is what it says.
Greater Geelong is one of the councils without a private-tree local law: when it reviewed tree protection on private land in 2024 its officers recommended strengthening the planning scheme and asking the state for a state-wide approach rather than a local law or a significant-tree overlay.
That state-wide approach arrived in September 2025 as Clause 52.37. The council publishes its own guide: a canopy tree is more than 5 m tall with a trunk over 0.5 m around at 1.4 m and a canopy of at least 4 m; a permit is needed to remove one anywhere on a vacant residential lot, or within 6 m of the narrowest street frontage or 4.5 m of the rear boundary where a house already stands. Council officers may assess the application only against the clause’s own purpose and decision guidelines, and a replacement tree — at least 6 m tall and 4 m wide at maturity — is the usual condition.
Vegetation and heritage overlays on the title apply on top, especially along the Barwon and the coast.
Source: City of Greater Geelong — trees on private property. Read 13 September 2026; councils change their local laws, so Api checks the current rule when he quotes.
Across Victoria since 15 September 2025
Clause 52.37 Canopy Trees
A canopy tree is a tree more than 5 m tall, with a trunk circumference over 0.5 m at 1.4 m above the ground and a canopy at least 4 m across. In a residential zone a planning permit is needed to remove, destroy or lop one in a residential zone if the lot is vacant, or, where there is an existing house, if any part of the trunk is within 6 m of the narrowest street frontage or 4.5 m of the rear boundary.
Dead trees, emergency and safety works, maintenance pruning and listed weed species are exempt; councils usually condition a permit on planting a replacement canopy tree, and most decide these through VicSmart in about ten business days.
What this means for you: tell Api where the tree sits on the block and he will tell you whether a permit is needed before anything is cut — and where one is, we can prepare the arborist assessment the application needs.
Tree removal jobs by Api and the crew
Real jobs, real photos — Api, the crew and the truck, across the Geelong region. Nothing staged, nothing stock.
Tree removal around Herne Hill
The same crew, the same day rates, in the suburbs next door:
Other services in Herne Hill
Tree services made easy
At Aps Tree Removal, we simplify the tree and hedge removal experience with a clear, step-by-step approach.
Contact us
Want to learn more? Call 0422 856 090 or send the form and speak with Api.
Get a quote
Getting a quote is quick, easy, and free.
On-site inspection
A quick, thorough site assessment — species, access and risks.
Professional removal
Clean and safe work, chipped and cleaned up — no mess, no hassle.
What clients across the Geelong region say
Joseph Faltas
26 June 2023
APi is a great guy , honest and knowledgeable
Cathy Palio
26 June 2023
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! I can’t speak highly enough of Api and his team from APS tree removal. It was a huge job and they tackled it with ease and a smile…
Ann Davies
26 June 2023
Prompt and efficient service - courteous and helpful - a pleasure to have them on the job - would definitely recommend them to friends
Ann D
21 June 2023 · Malvern East
Most efficient and prompt - very friendly and will use them again
Jason M
18 May 2023 · Taylors Hill
Api and the team were very professional and did a thorough job including immaculate clean up. Highly recommend due to exceptional service. Their price…
Travis
28 Mar 2023 · Werribee
Professional courteous on time and service to the next level completed everything cleaned up and have no hesitation in recommending there service than…
Jennifer D
14 Mar 2023 · Sunbury
Api was a force of nature, the team felled 15 very large pine trees in 2 days and removed stumps. They cleaned up the site, left the wood in neat pile…
Heath
1 Mar 2023 · Point Cook
They did an awesome job, the trees look great, they did pruning and removed 2 others. Cleaned you after themselves. super happy. Thanks guys
Loryn
13 Feb 2023 · Wyndham Vale
Awesome service! Super efficient, neat and tidy. All the team were respectful and pleasant to deal with. Job done to a high standard, will definately…
Belinda
11 Jan 2023 · Niddrie
Very prompt and efficient
David A
31 Dec 2022 · Werribee
Connected with Aps Tree Removal and would recommend them
Mark
30 Dec 2022 · Altona Meadows
Connected with Aps Tree Removal and would recommend them
Herne Hill Tree Removal & Pruning — common questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Herne Hill?
Greater Geelong has no local law for trees on private land — its 2024 review chose not to introduce one — so the test is the state canopy-tree clause: a planning permit for a canopy tree on a vacant residential lot, or one near the front or rear boundary of a lot with a house, decided through VicSmart in about ten business days. Overlays on the title still apply. Across Victoria, Clause 52.37 Canopy Trees also applies since 15 September 2025: a planning permit is needed to remove, destroy or lop one in a residential zone if the lot is vacant, or, where there is an existing house, if any part of the trunk is within 6 m of the narrowest street frontage or 4.5 m of the rear boundary. Api checks both at the quote.
How much does tree removal cost in Herne Hill?
A small ornamental in an open yard can be a couple of hundred dollars; a large gum over a house is a day with a crew and rigging. Everything in between is quoted to the tree, free, with the clean-up and chipping included.
How long does it take?
A quote is usually within a day or two of your call, and the work within a week or two depending on the season — sooner for anything dangerous.
Can you get in if the access is tight?
Yes. Tight access is normal in Herne Hill: we bring smaller gear through a side gate, rope pieces down rather than dropping them, and carry or wheel the timber out to the chipper on the street.
What happens to the waste?
Everything goes through our chipper on site. You can keep the mulch for the garden — it is good mulch — or we take it, along with the logs, and it goes to a green-waste recycler.
Can you save the tree instead of removing it?
Usually the answer is yes, and it is the first thing Api considers. Deadwooding, a reduction or a lift fixes most problems and costs less than removal. He will tell you if the tree is beyond that.