Hillside Tree Removal & Pruning
Tree and palm removal and expert pruning in Hillside by a qualified, insured arborist — free quotes, 7 days a week.
- Free quotes
- Fully qualified & insured
- 16+ years
Tree removal and pruning in Hillside, done properly
If a tree in Hillside has become a worry — leaning after a storm, dropping limbs on the roof, lifting the paving, or simply too big for the block — Aps Tree Removal can remove it or bring it back under control. We are fully insured and led by a qualified arborist who has done this for more than 16 years.
The nearest suburbs we also cover are Sydenham (2 km), Calder Park (2 km), Fraser Rise (3 km), so a job in Hillside is often paired with one next door. 2 of the reviews on this site are from customers in Sydenham, Calder Park and Fraser Rise, next door to Hillside. Going by those reviews, the work around Hillside has mostly been clean-up and mulching (2), stump grinding (1) and tree removal (1).
A removal starts with a look at the tree, the access and what is underneath it. Api decides whether it can be felled in one piece — rare in a suburb like Hillside — or needs to come down in sections. A climber goes up, the limbs come off and are lowered on ropes where anything sits below, the trunk is blocked down, and the whole lot goes through the chipper on the street. The stump can be ground out the same day.
Every tree job in Hillside begins with Api on site. He looks at the species, the lean, the decay, what is under the drop zone and how the chipper will get close, then tells you what he would do — remove, reduce or leave alone — and what it will cost. Nothing is cut until you have that in writing.
Tree Removal & Pruning in Hillside — 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
Get the stump quoted with the tree. Coming back for it separately costs more than doing it on the day, and a stump left in a Hillside lawn is a job you will end up paying for later anyway.
The full service pages: Tree & Palm Removal and Tree Pruning — every one available in Hillside.
Guides from Api: Hedge trimming and pruning in Melbourne: when to cut, how hard, and what each hedge needs · Tree removal insurance: what home insurance covers when a tree comes down
Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Hillside?
The rule that applies to a tree in a Hillside 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.
What customers near Hillside say
Jason M
Taylors Hill · May 2023
Api and the team were very professional and did a thorough job including immaculate clean up. Highly recommend due to exceptional service. Their prices were very competitive
Geoff
Taylors Hill · Mar 2022
Very happy, Api and his team went above and beyond expectations. Trees cut down, removed, stump removal and cleanup, very professional and honest. Definitely recommend and will use in the future
Tree removal around Hillside
The same crew, the same day rates, in the suburbs next door:
Other services in Hillside
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,
Hillside Tree Removal & Pruning — common questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Hillside?
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 Hillside?
Removal is priced on the work involved — climbing versus felling, how much has to be roped down, chipper access and stump grinding — not on the suburb. The quote is free, written, and covers the clean-up.
How long does it take?
Most single-tree removals in Hillside are done in a day, often a morning. Large trees over structures can take two. Api gives you the timing with the quote.
Can you get in if the access is tight?
Yes — we do it every week in Hillside. Rigging, hand-carrying and a compact chipper on the street cover almost every side path in the area.
What happens to the waste?
Everything goes through our chipper on site. You can keep the mulch for the garden — it is good mulch — or we take it, along with the logs, and it goes to a green-waste recycler.
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.