Carlton Tree Removal & Pruning
Tree and palm removal and expert pruning in Carlton by a qualified, insured arborist — free quotes, 7 days a week.
- Free quotes
- Fully qualified & insured
- 16+ years
Tree removal and pruning in Carlton, done properly
Tree removal in Carlton 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 inner Melbourne have used us and left the reviews you can read below.
The nearest suburbs we also cover are Fitzroy (about a kilometre), Collingwood (2 km), Princes Hill (2 km), so a job in Carlton is often paired with one next door.
Crown reductions are measured, not guessed. We agree the finished height and spread with you, cut back to suitable growth points so the tree recovers with a natural shape, and never “top” a tree — a topped tree regrows weak, fast and dangerous, and ends up costing more.
Pruning is about the right cut, not the most cuts. We remove deadwood and hazard limbs, lift the canopy off roofs, sheds and driveways, thin a dense crown so wind moves through it instead of pushing on it, and clear power-line and neighbour boundaries. Trees pruned properly stay healthy and need less attention; trees hacked back sprout weak regrowth and become a bigger problem in Carlton gardens within a couple of seasons.
Tree Removal & Pruning in Carlton — 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
A tree that has started to lean, or has a crack opening at a fork, is not a tree to wait on in Carlton’s spring winds. Ring for a look — the assessment is free and most of the time the news is better than you fear.
The full service pages: Tree & Palm Removal and Tree Pruning — every one available in Carlton.
Guides from Api: Hedge trimming contracts: what a regular hedge maintenance plan covers in Melbourne · Tree removal and stump grinding: why they go together and what stump grinding costs
Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Carlton?
Homeowners in Carlton ask this more than anything else, so here is the City of Melbourne’s rule as the council publishes it.
The City of Melbourne says plainly that it has no authority over trees on private property except those on its Exceptional Tree Register — 268 trees across the municipality chosen for outstanding size, age, habitat value, Aboriginal association or unusual form — which are protected through the planning scheme.
For a registered tree, any buildings or works inside its Tree Protection Zone, significant pruning, lopping or removal needs a planning permit. Nominations to the register are reviewed roughly every five years.
In the residential zones — Kensington, Parkville, Carlton, North Melbourne and parts of the rest — the state canopy-tree clause applies to large trees near the street or rear boundary.
Source: City of Melbourne — 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 inner Melbourne. Nothing staged, nothing stock.
Tree removal around Carlton
The same crew, the same day rates, in the suburbs next door:
Other services in Carlton
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 inner Melbourne say
V J
29 Aug 2024
Fantastic service! What a great company! Thank you Api and his amazing team. I have a large gum tree out front that had become a menace to my neighbou…
Joseph Faltas
17 Aug 2024
APi is a great guy , honest and knowledgeable
Scott Cooper
16 Aug 2024
I called to have my tree trimmed. API and team done an excellent job they came on time and cleaned up afterwards. They were very polite and friendly I…
utkarsh singh
14 Aug 2024
Api's been amazing in helping us remove hedges off our property. He is quite honest, friendly & reasonable,always wiling to share the best advise for…
Nik Westbury
8 Aug 2024
The job Api performed was top notch. His professional advice on how the job should be done was much appreciated and the clean up after left no sign of…
Taiwo Adebayo
3 Aug 2024
Excellent job on the Yucca removal and the price was good
Trisha Jenkins
26 July 2024
Api and his team were great. Friendly and responsive. Arrived on time and completed the task well. Would highly recommend.
Benjamin Phiri
24 July 2024
Had Api come around yesterday to trim some trees in the backyard that were getting too high. Api's service was well quoted and went above and beyond o…
Stewart Vong
12 July 2024
Api did an amazing job with our trees. He was very friendly and the work was done to a very high standard. I would highly recommend his services to an…
Thi Tran
11 July 2024
Api did a great job, excellent and very friendly. High recomment.
Alex Tsilemanis
12 June 2024
Api and team removed a couple of trees for us from a tricky narrow space. Great job and customer service, highly recommend.
jojo jojo
29 May 2024
Api did a great job removing and stump grinding big yuccas on the narrow side of my house. Turned up to quote and did the job by himself. Reasonable p…
Carlton Tree Removal & Pruning — common questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Carlton?
Only if the tree is one of the 268 on the City of Melbourne’s Exceptional Tree Register, which the planning scheme protects, or if it is a canopy tree near a boundary in a residential zone under the state-wide clause. The council states it has no authority over other private trees. 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 Carlton?
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. Sectional dismantling with rigging is designed for exactly that: a tree comes down piece by piece in a courtyard without touching a wall.
What happens to the waste?
Chipped on the street and taken away, or left as mulch if you want it. Larger logs are cut to size and removed unless you ask for firewood.
Can you save the tree instead of removing it?
Often, yes. Deadwooding, a crown reduction or a canopy lift solves most of the reasons people want a tree gone — it is dropping branches, it is over the roof, it is blocking light. Api will tell you which option makes sense for the tree in front of him.