Drumcondra Tree Removal & Pruning
Tree and palm removal and expert pruning in Drumcondra by a qualified, insured arborist — free quotes, 7 days a week.
- Free quotes
- Fully qualified & insured
- 16+ years
Tree removal and pruning in Drumcondra, done properly
Big trees, awkward trees, trees over the neighbour’s fence — Drumcondra has its share, and most of them are perfectly manageable with the right rigging and a crew that does this daily. Aps Tree Removal removes and prunes trees across Drumcondra and Rippleside, Manifold Heights and Geelong, quotes free, and carries full insurance so the risk is ours, not yours.
The nearest suburbs we also cover are Rippleside (about a kilometre), Manifold Heights (2 km), Geelong (2 km), so a job in Drumcondra is often paired with one next door. 1 of the reviews on this site are from customers in Rippleside, Manifold Heights and Geelong, next door to Drumcondra.
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 Drumcondra backyards.
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 Drumcondra gardens within a couple of seasons.
Tree Removal & Pruning in Drumcondra — 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 Drumcondra, but we cut only with the owner’s say-so.
The full service pages: Tree & Palm Removal and Tree Pruning — every one available in Drumcondra.
Guides from Api: Professional tree removal vs tree lopping: why the method matters in Melbourne · Tree removal near me: how to find the right crew in Melbourne's west
Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Drumcondra?
Homeowners in Drumcondra ask this more than anything else, so here is Greater Geelong’s rule as the council publishes it.
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.
What customers near Drumcondra say
Jesse F
Geelong · Nov 2022
Quick to respond with quote, able to get to the job promptly, site was left clean and undamaged with the tree over hanging a fence. Would highly recommend them.
Tree removal around Drumcondra
The same crew, the same day rates, in the suburbs next door:
Other services in Drumcondra
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
Jane Liu
8 Sept 2026
Api and the team are very reliable and professional, and they always get the job done to a high standard. Their prices are reasonable, and their servi…
John GB Cia
2 Sept 2026
I had 2 gigantic yuccas removed by Api and I am very happy with their service. Im talking about huge trees, taller than my single storey home and more…
Geoff Blake
11 June 2026
We recently had tree works completed at our property and were extremely impressed with the entire process. Api and the team was punctual, professional…
Marilyn Evans
11 Feb 2026
API came saw and removed a large tree growing up against the house. No damage to the house and all the stump removed. Prompt and efficient. Sorry it w…
Robert Wise
14 Nov 2025
Api and the team did a great job removing our yucca’s and a fallen date palm that had been on its side for 4 years. Highly recommend APS Trees for qui…
PJ Maroney
13 Nov 2025
I highly recommend Api and his team. They came out to assess our job in werribee within a couple of hours of my request and offered the best most reas…
Mia C
26 Oct 2025
Api from APS Tree Removal was amazing! He removed our dying bamboo hedge and trimmed our other hedge beautifully. He was professional, friendly, and v…
Wayne J
18 Oct 2025
Api came this morning to give me a quote to remove 2 large Yuccas. His quote was more than competitive and after accepting his quote he was back this…
Mey Chua
17 Oct 2025
Api is really good with his work and prompt with his time, did everything so efficiently! He is the person to go to for tree removal! 😀
Adrian Brown
21 Sept 2025
Aps Tree Removal is a fantastic company. Apineru and his guys are great. Turned up on time. Did the work very professionally. They cleaned up after th…
Craig W
12 Sept 2025
Api and his crew did a brilliant job of removing two trees and a heap of yuccas etc. Highly recommended.
Shelley Lask
10 Sept 2025
Api and his team removed my cocos palm - they arrived when they said they would, communicated clearly and left the area cleaner than when they arrived…
Drumcondra Tree Removal & Pruning — common questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Drumcondra?
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 Drumcondra?
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 morning for most trees, a full day for the big ones. We do not leave a job half-done overnight.
Can you get in if the access is tight?
Yes. If a person can get to it, we can take it down in pieces small enough to carry out. Access affects the time and the quote, not whether it can be done.
What happens to the waste?
All of it — branches through the chipper, trunk in rounds on the truck, the yard raked and blown. If you want mulch or firewood, tell Api and we stack it where you like.
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.