Ceres Tree Removal & Pruning
Tree and palm removal and expert pruning in Ceres by a qualified, insured arborist — free quotes, 7 days a week.
- Free quotes
- Fully qualified & insured
- 16+ years
Tree removal and pruning in Ceres, done properly
There are two kinds of tree job in Ceres: the one you have been putting off for years, and the one that arrived with last night’s wind. Aps Tree Removal does both — planned removals and reductions quoted and booked at your convenience, and storm work made safe the same day where we can. Qualified arborist, fully insured.
The nearest suburbs we also cover are Wandana Heights (2 km), Highton (4 km), Fyansford (4 km), so a job in Ceres 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.
Storm-damaged and dangerous trees get priority. A split trunk, a hung-up limb or a tree that has started to lean gets assessed the same day where we can, made safe, and then either removed or reduced depending on what is left of it. Api will tell you honestly whether a damaged tree in Ceres can be saved.
Tree Removal & Pruning in Ceres — 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
If the tree is on or near the boundary, sort out with the neighbour whose it is before you book. We are happy to quote both sides of a fence in Ceres, but we cut only with the owner’s say-so.
The full service pages: Tree & Palm Removal and Tree Pruning — every one available in Ceres.
Guides from Api: Emergency tree removal in Melbourne: what to do first and how fast help comes
Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Ceres?
Before anything is cut in Ceres, the permit question comes first, and the answer depends on City of Greater Geelong.
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 Ceres
The same crew, the same day rates, in the suburbs next door:
Other services in Ceres
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
Siva Sankar
4 Dec 2024
Just Fab, Awesome job. Thank you for your work.
Emily Cavka
3 Dec 2024
I had 3 trees removed and I am very happy with their work.
Harrison singh
19 Nov 2024
Api is very professional and reliable. I have used his services few times and he has always exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend his services.
Sonny Reyes
14 Oct 2024
Very professional. The best job done at reasonable price. Thank you so much!
Suhair Bdeiwe
3 Oct 2024
Great service, I highly recommend them.
Ian Rogers
3 Oct 2024
Very happy with Api and his team with the removal of a very large jacaranda tree and several yucca trees. Always on time and provided advice on tasks…
Graciela Marinaro
26 Sept 2024
The guys were fantastic, very helpful with great customer service. I needed a very tall she oak removed in between my other plants, the guys were very…
Daniel M
26 Sept 2024
Api was a pleasure to deal with from the first call. He came the same day to have a look at the trees which needed to be cut and provided a very compe…
mikep p
25 Sept 2024
Two trees and stumps removed and site cleanup afterwards at a very reasonable price. Professional and friendly staff. Apps Tree Removal should be your…
Em
13 Sept 2024
Had Api come and trim back some out of control trees on our new property to a maintainable level, looks fantastic and he and his team were prompt, tid…
Mostafa Haroun
12 Sept 2024
API came through to our house with his team and gave us a quote for the work that we where happy with. When he was done we where so greatful and appre…
MonS S
4 Sept 2024
Exceptional service. Api and the team chopped and mulched trees and cleaned up to leave the yard immaculate. Highly recommend!
Ceres Tree Removal & Pruning — common questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Ceres?
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 Ceres?
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?
Most single trees are a morning; large ones a day. The quote gives you a start date and a finish time and we keep both.
Can you get in if the access is tight?
Yes — we do it every week in Ceres. Rigging, hand-carrying and a compact chipper on the street cover almost every side path in the area.
What happens to the waste?
We chip the branches, cut the trunk into manageable rounds, and take the lot away unless you want firewood or mulch left. The yard is raked and blown before we go.
Can you save the tree instead of removing it?
Frequently. Most “this tree has to go” calls end with a prune, because the real problem was a limb over the roof or a canopy blocking light. A structurally sound tree is worth keeping, and Api says so when it is.