Harkness Tree Removal & Pruning
Tree and palm removal and expert pruning in Harkness by a qualified, insured arborist — free quotes, 7 days a week.
- Free quotes
- Fully qualified & insured
- 16+ years
Tree removal and pruning in Harkness, done properly
Tree removal in Harkness 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 Melbourne’s outer west have used us and left the reviews you can read below.
The nearest suburbs we also cover are Kurunjang (3 km), Melton (4 km), Long Forest (4 km), so a job in Harkness is often paired with one next door.
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 Harkness can be saved.
Palms are their own job. They are heavy for their size, the fronds and seed pods are a mess, and the trunk fibre blunts saws. We take them down in short sections with the rigging set up so nothing lands where it should not, and we take the trunk away rather than leaving you with something that will not burn and will not rot.
Tree Removal & Pruning in Harkness — 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 Harkness’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 Harkness.
Guides from Api: Hedge trimming and pruning in Melbourne: when to cut, how hard, and what each hedge needs · Local tree removal companies in Melbourne: what a good one actually does
Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Harkness?
The rule that applies to a tree in a Harkness garden is Clause 52.17 of the Melton Planning Scheme — here is what it says.
Melton sits on the Victorian Volcanic Plain, where only about one per cent of the original grasslands and grassy woodlands survive, so native vegetation is tightly controlled: a planning permit is required from the council to remove, destroy or lop it under Clause 52.17, and inside the Urban Growth Boundary Clause 52.16 and the Native Vegetation Precinct Plans in the estate structure plans apply instead.
Threatened species and habitat can also bring in the Commonwealth EPBC Act. None of that touches a planted exotic in a suburban yard.
What does apply to every residential lot is the state canopy-tree clause — large trees near the street or rear boundary need a planning permit.
Source: Melton City Council — 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 Melbourne’s outer west. Nothing staged, nothing stock.
Tree removal around Harkness
The same crew, the same day rates, in the suburbs next door:
Other services in Harkness
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 Melbourne’s outer west say
beachcomber cafe
20 May 2024
Amazing company Highly recommend the boys did an amazing job .
jay a
14 May 2024
Excellent service.
Adriana Sonda
30 Apr 2024
Had Api and he's crew cut some trees down and mulch the stumps, great job, would recommend him,he is a gentleman and honest, good price too.
Riki Paiti
15 Apr 2024
Big Thanks to Api and his team, for the pruning and cutting of Trees/Bushes on my property. As well as giving me a hedge I never knew existed or could…
Ring Tones
15 Apr 2024
Friendly team. Excellent service. Budget friendly. Recommend ✌️
Nives Trento
1 Apr 2024
Api removed 3 tree stumps and cut down 1 tree at my home in Werribee. Api is a very polite person, reliable, hard working, professional and very reaso…
John G
4 Mar 2024
I can't speak highly enough of Aps Tree Removal, especially Api, who was an absolute gentleman throughout the entire process. From the moment he arriv…
robyn gilbert
4 Mar 2024
My parents got 4 large trees removed Api was amazing very high quality job carrying for my parents who are pensioners excellent communication my paren…
Pat Bullen
19 Feb 2024
We employed AP's Tree REMOVAL to cut and prune our trees and can only say how happy we are with the work there did. It was a pleasure from start to fi…
Beata
19 Feb 2024
PROFESSIONAL and HONEST!!! Api did an amazing job with pruning and removing our trees as well as thoroughly cleaning when finished with the job. Highl…
Ahbo Sar
12 Feb 2024
A Big Shout out to APS & Teams , Can’t thank enough for their beautiful work that have done in my yard. What an awesome , humble and honest people tha…
Monty
26 Nov 2023
I highly recommend Aps tree removal,
Harkness Tree Removal & Pruning — common questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Harkness?
For native vegetation, yes — Melton requires a planning permit to remove, destroy or lop it under Clause 52.17 (Clause 52.16 inside the growth areas), and the Commonwealth can be involved on the western grasslands. For a planted exotic tree the state canopy-tree clause is what applies, if the tree is near a boundary in a residential zone. 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 Harkness?
Height, spread, what is underneath, chipper access and whether the stump is included — those five things set the price, and Api sets it in person, free. A Harkness quote is a written figure, not an hourly rate that grows on the day.
How long does it take?
Same-week for hazardous trees, normally within a fortnight for everything else. We tell you a date and keep it.
Can you get in if the access is tight?
Yes — we do it every week in Harkness. Rigging, hand-carrying and a compact chipper on the street cover almost every side path in the area.
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.