Tree Pruning Cost

To hire professional tree pruners, you will need to set aside $75 to $2000 for each tree. Trees with a height below 30 feet sit on the lower end of the tree pruning cost. When the tree height starts approaching 100 feet, the tree pruning cost increases, settling at about $1800 to $2000 for the tallest trees. 

In Oklahoma, however, most property owners have medium-sized trees. This places the average tree pruning cost between $350 and $650. The cost of pruning a tree is affected by numerous factors. In the following section, we will look at the factors affecting the tree pruning cost. 

Tree Pruning Cost Factors in Oklahoma 

1. Tree Size

When working on a 100-foot pine tree, tree pruning experts will have to deal with significant risks compared to when working on a 30-foot crape myrtle. To avoid significant injuries, the tree pruners have to bring advanced safety tools – this can increase the tree pruning cost. 

The size of the tree crown also tends to increase with height. The tallest trees will not only have bigger crowns, but they will also have bigger branches that need removal. White oaks, which grow to be 60 to 100 feet tall, have a crown spread of 50 to 90 feet. Compared to a franklin tree that matures at a height below 30 feet and a crown spread of 10 to 15 feet, pruning the white oak will always be more expensive. 

When pruning trees of varying sizes, you should expect the costs outlined below: 

• Very large tree pruning trees – These trees have a height above 100 feet. To work with professional tree service providers when pruning very large trees, you will need $1500 to $2000. 
• Large tree pruning cost – These trees grow to be 60 to 100 feet tall. The tree pruning procedure for these trees is slightly easier compared to the pruning of very large trees. Professionals will charge you $800 to $1,500 for each large tree. 
• Medium tree pruning cost – Most property owners in Oklahoma have medium trees on their properties. These trees are 30 to 60 feet tall. Medium tree pruning cost sits between $150 and $800 per tree. 
• Small tree pruning cost – These trees have a height below 30 feet. The least expensive trees when it comes to maintenance costs, small trees have a tree pruning cost between $75 and $400 per tree. 

2. Tree Species 

Tree species features a significant impact on the height of the tree, how wide its crown will be, and how easy or complicated the tree pruning procedure will be. Large tree species will always have a higher tree pruning cost compared to small trees. Below, we have outlined the common tree pruning costs for various tree species: 

Olive Tree Pruning Cost 

For property owners with olive trees growing on their homes, tree pruning is one of the best investments. Without pruning, olive trees may fail to be productive. To prune olive trees, property owners in Oklahoma spend $350 to $700 per tree. 

Avocado Tree Pruning Cost 

Avocado trees are available in two main species – the large and dwarf varieties. This means that the tree can have widely varying sizes. The smaller tree will cost $350 to prune, with the cost maxing out at $700. 

Pine Tree Pruning Cost 

Depending on the pine subspecies you have in your home, you should expect your tree to mature at a height between 80 and 150 feet. These trees, however, may need pruning when they are as small as 40 feet. This puts the tree pruning cost for pine trees between $200 and $2000. 

Maple Tree Pruning Cost 

Maple trees fit in the medium-sized and large tree categories – the tree matures at a height between 40 and 100 feet. Depending on how tall your maple tree is, you should expect a tree pruning cost between $400 and $1000. 

Palm Tree Pruning Cost 

Palm trees need pruning when they are as small as 20 feet tall. The trees, however, can grow to be over 80 feet tall. This puts the tree pruning cost between $100 and $1,500 for palm trees. 

Crape Myrtle Tree Pruning Cost 

A popular ornamental tree in Oklahoma City, crape myrtle matures at a height below 30 feet. To prune your crape myrtle tree, you will spend $75 to $400 depending on how complicated the entire procedure is. 

3. Accessibility 

When pruning trees, professionals no longer need to climb up the tree manually. Instead, they use bucket trucks. Bucket trucks improve the safety and reduce the time needed to complete the tree pruning procedure – this often leads to a slightly reduced tree pruning cost. 

In Oklahoma, however, trees are not always accessible to bucket trucks. When a tree is located in the backward without a path that can be used by the bucket truck, professionals may have to use the riskier, and time-consuming manual climbing option. Manual climbing can increase the tree pruning cost by 30% to 40%. 

If your oak tree would cost $1000 to prune with a bucket truck, you should expect to pay $1,300 to $1,400 if manual climbing is the ideal option. 

4. Proximity to Utilities 

When a tree is standing away from important utilities, professionals can prune it without having to worry about dropping the cut branches on houses, power lines, swimming pools or other important structures. This makes the tree pruning procedure much easier and faster. 

When a tree is standing next to your house, the branches cannot be allowed to drop freely. Instead, the professionals have to lower the cut branches down slowly. Professionals have to tie the cut branches with ropes and then use the ropes to slowly bring these branches down – this takes additional time and tends to drive the tree pruning cost up. 

5. Tree Health

Diseases and pests weaken the tree’s wood structure. This makes the tree riskier to work on. Extra care is generally needed to avoid falling from the tree during pruning. 

Unlike healthy trees that only need a couple of cuts, diseased trees need more attentive care to ensure that all the diseased branches have been removed. This means that more time has to be spent on an unhealthy tree. For these reasons, tree pruners in Oklahoma charge a higher pruning cost for unhealthy trees. 

6. Additional Costs 

Property owners in Oklahoma find themselves paying a higher tree pruning cost than they had prepared to pay. Although this may come as a surprise, it is often a result of several additional services that are closely related to pruning. Some of the additional costs associated with pruning include: 

Treatment Costs 

If your tree is showing signs of ill health, you may need an arborist to inspect the tree and determine the health problems affecting it. The arborist will also recommend the best treatment options for the tree. The arborist tree service and the medications and pesticides you may need to purchase for your tree may set you back $50 to $500. 

Cleanup Costs 

Most property owners in Oklahoma want their homes to be left as clean as they were before the tree pruning procedure. Professional tree pruners will help you with the cleanup – this, however, may set you back $25 to $100. 

Travel Fees 

This cost only affects tree owners who prefer working with a team that has to cover a significant distance before getting to the tree’s location. In Oklahoma, tree pruners will charge you $0.5 per mile covered. It is, however, common for the travel fee to add up to $50 to $200. 

Determining the Best Time to Prune Trees 

Various factors affect the timing of tree pruning. These factors include:

• Safety – If the branches on your tree feature the risking of falling and causing damage to your home, pruning should be conducted as soon as possible. 
• Tree health – If you discover a health problem early enough, immediate pruning can keep the disease from spreading. 
• Property value – Pruning a tree can help you give your property a value boost. For this reason, you may time the pruning procedure to coincide with a property sale. 
• Growth stage – Professional tree service providers encourage tree owners to invest in tree pruning when the trees stop growing actively. The dormant stage starts in the fall and may last through winter. 

How to Save Money on Pruning 

• Use DIY tree pruning on small non-risky trees. 
• If your trees are standing next to powerlines, let the power company handle the pruning procedure for free. 
• Keep your trees as healthy as possible to avoid paying treatment costs during tree pruning. 
• Hire tree pruning professionals closest to your home. This will help you avoid paying the travel fees often charged when the tree pruners have to cover a significant distance to get to your home. 
• Wait for the low season – That is, wait for the period when tree pruning projects are at the lowest before hiring tree pruners. This will help you enjoy the lowest tree pruning cost. 
• Get tree pruning cost quotations from multiple companies. This will allow you to choose a team with the most competitive prices.