Canberra tree removal and pruning, to the standard the National Gallery expects.
Treetops has been climbing Canberra’s trees since 1999. Qualified, fully insured, and trusted with the trees at the National Gallery of Australia and the ANU — and with the gum in your back yard.
What we do
Everything from one dangerous limb to a full removal
Our core services, all carried out by qualified arborists using rigging, climbing and lowering techniques that protect your house, your garden and the tree itself.
Tree Removal
Hazardous, dying and unwanted trees
See how we do it
Tree Pruning & Shaping
AS 4373 pruning that protects the tree
See how we do it
Deadwood Removal
Take the falling limbs out of the canopy
See how we do it
Canopy Lifting
Clearance for paths, drives and light
See how we do it
Building Clearance
Get limbs off roofs, gutters and walls
See how we do it
Tree info
Straight advice on what your tree needs
See how we do it
Treetops on site in the Parliamentary Triangle — the sort of work where a dropped limb is not an option.
Why the institutions call us
When you can’t afford to get it wrong, you don’t call the cheapest quote
The National Gallery of Australia and the Australian National University don’t hand their trees to just anyone. Those sites come with heritage plantings, priceless sculpture, public foot traffic and zero tolerance for damage.
That’s the standard we bring to a suburban back yard in Cook or Ainslie. Same rigging, same care, same clean-up — because a limb through your pergola costs you just as much as a limb through a gallery roof costs them.
- Qualified arborists, not lopping crews. We prune to AS 4373 so the tree recovers properly instead of throwing weak regrowth.
- Ben quotes every job himself. You talk to the person who is responsible for the work, not a call centre.
- Fully insured, and happy to prove it. Ask for the certificate of currency before you book anyone — including us.
- We tell you when to leave a tree alone. Sometimes the honest answer is a prune, or nothing at all.
Canberra-specific
A lot of Canberra trees are legally protected. Most owners have no idea.
On 1 January 2024 the ACT replaced the old Tree Protection Act 2005 with the Urban Forest Act 2023. The thresholds changed. A lot of advice still floating around Canberra is out of date.
A tree on your block is protected once it hits any one of these:
8 metres tall
Measured from natural ground level.
8 metre canopy
Measured across the widest spread.
1 m around the trunk
Circumference at 1.4 m above the ground.
Working out whether a tree is protected, and getting approval if it is, sits with the property owner. The ACT Government sets out what applies on its Tree protection laws page. Our plain-English summary and a quick size checker are below if you want a head start.
Working high in a large eucalypt at the ANU.
How it works
Three steps, no surprises
From the first phone call to the last rake of the driveway.
Text, call or email Ben
Tell him your suburb and roughly what you need. 0407 573 008, or use the quote form if that is easier.
Ben comes out and quotes it, free
He looks at the tree, the access, what’s underneath it and whether it’s protected under ACT law. You get a fixed price and a straight recommendation — even when that recommendation is “leave it, it’s fine”.
We do the work and leave it spotless
Ropes, rigging and controlled lowering — not dropping and hoping. Then everything goes in the truck, the site gets raked and blown, and the price is the price we quoted.
Recent work
Real jobs, real photos
Not stock images of American oak trees. These are Treetops crews on Canberra jobs.
What Canberra says
The same three words keep coming up: honest, tidy, done
“Our first time using Treetops Tree Services after a recommendation. We’re really happy with the job Ben and the team did with a tree removal and pruning and shaping of two large feature trees. The knowledge and advice provided was extremely helpful and they were efficient and cleaned up the site. Thanks guys, we’ll certainly be using your services in the future and are more than happy to recommend your company to others.”
“Ben came and gave a very good quote for removing an unwanted cypress from my front yard. Once I’d confirmed, he organised to do the work promptly. The job was very neat, stump cut low to the ground, and a super clean up job. My only regret was not being home to watch as I would have loved to nerd out over the process. Would absolutely use again. Thank you!”
“I highly recommend this arborist for tree pruning. Treetops trimmed the deadwood in my nearly 60 year old Elm Tree in Torrens and pruned it to help restore it’s shape. Ben was the arborist that led the work (and is the owner) which completely respected the look and structure of my tree. I had an unqualified crew hack through the tree some years ago, and it’s taken a long time for it to recover. So I was really happy and relieved when Ben explained what was done to ensure the old tree’s health. They were efficient and friendly, the cleanup was great and my tree is happy!”
Where we work
Across the ACT and over the border
From the inner north terraces to the rural blocks at The Ridgeway, we cover the whole of Canberra and the surrounding NSW districts.
Every district has its own tree problems. Inner-north streets are full of ageing elms and ash. Tuggeranong and Weston Creek are heavy with 1970s eucalypt plantings now reaching the end of their safe life. Rural blocks at Sutton and The Ridgeway come with radiata pine windbreaks that were never meant to stand this long. We know what we are walking into before we arrive.
See all service areasQuestions Canberra homeowners ask first
Do I need approval to remove a tree in Canberra?
Quite possibly. Under the ACT’s Urban Forest Act 2023 a tree on leased land is protected once it reaches 8 m tall, or a canopy 8 m wide, or a trunk 1 m around measured 1.4 m off the ground. Getting that approval is the property owner’s responsibility. Some self-seeded species are listed as weeds; the ACT Government publishes the weed species list. Read the plain-English guide, or see the ACT Government’s Tree protection laws page.
What does tree removal cost?
It comes down to the size of the tree, how hard it is to get to, and what is underneath it. Here is how the pricing works. Ben gives you a fixed number in person, free.
How soon can you come and quote?
Usually within a week. Give Ben a call on 0407 573 008 and he will sort out a time to come and look at it.
Do you clean up afterwards?
Always, and it is included in the quoted price. Timber and green waste go into the truck, the site gets raked and blown down, and we leave it tidier than we found it. If you want the wood cut to firewood lengths, just ask when we quote.
Are you insured?
Yes — Treetops carries public liability cover and we are happy to send you the certificate of currency before work starts. Ask, and it lands in your inbox the same day. It is a fair question and you should be asking it of everyone who quotes you.
Get an honest answer about your tree
Ben quotes every job himself. You get a straight answer, a fixed price and no pressure — whether the answer is remove it, prune it or leave it alone.