Mount Cottrell Tree Removal & Pruning
Tree and palm removal and expert pruning in Mount Cottrell by a qualified, insured arborist — free quotes, 7 days a week.
- Free quotes
- Fully qualified & insured
- 16+ years
Tree removal and pruning in Mount Cottrell, done properly
Api Mariner has been climbing and cutting trees for more than 16 years, and the way he works in Mount Cottrell is the way he works everywhere: look at the tree properly, explain the options, quote the whole job including the clean-up, and turn up with the crew and gear to do it in one visit. That is the reason 1,400-plus customers across Melbourne’s outer west have used Aps Tree Removal.
The nearest suburbs we also cover are Chartwell (2 km), Eynesbury (6 km), Tarneit (7 km), so a job in Mount Cottrell is often paired with one next door. 3 of the reviews on this site are from customers in Chartwell, Eynesbury and Tarneit, next door to Mount Cottrell. Going by those reviews, the work around Mount Cottrell has mostly been clean-up and mulching (2) and tree removal (1).
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 Mount Cottrell gardens within a couple of seasons.
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 Mount Cottrell — 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
Ask any arborist in Mount Cottrell two questions: are you insured, and who is actually climbing? With Aps the answers are yes, and Api or a climber he has trained and supervises. A quote that is a lot cheaper than everyone else’s usually means one of those answers is different.
The full service pages: Tree & Palm Removal and Tree Pruning — every one available in Mount Cottrell.
Guides from Api: Hedge trimming and pruning in Melbourne: when to cut, how hard, and what each hedge needs · Hedge trimming contracts: what a regular hedge maintenance plan covers in Melbourne
Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Mount Cottrell?
Homeowners in Mount Cottrell ask this more than anything else, so here is Melton’s rule as the council publishes it.
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 Mount Cottrell say
Catherine C
Chartwell · June 2022
“I have used APS Tree Removal Service previously and would use again. They provide a good service and I would Recommend them.”
Doris
Tarneit · June 2022
Great job fantastic clean up
Doris J
Tarneit · June 2022
Definitely on time cleaned up nice people
Tree removal around Mount Cottrell
The same crew, the same day rates, in the suburbs next door:
Other services in Mount Cottrell
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
Pierre Macquet
26 Aug 2023
Excellent work nice and tidy relable
Amy
26 Aug 2023
I had some large trees at the front of my property that needed to be removed and also two small stumps . I contacted Ap’s tree removal on Wednesday an…
Ramesh
13 Aug 2023 · Werribee
I had 10 pine trees at my property which I planned to remove. I did a google search and found Aps Tree Removal. Api has quoted a very reasonable price…
Fiona Kennett
26 July 2023
Api was easy to deal with - prompt service - professional and good price - left the site clean and tidy - highly recommend
mckay sione
26 July 2023
Good honest workers, with quality outcome 👍 would definitely recommend to friends and family
Cam Rowe
26 July 2023
Api and his guys were great. Very happy with his service
Maria O'Leary
26 July 2023
Api and the team did a great job trimming my ginormous oak tree and other trees in my garden. They arrived on time, discussed with me what needed to b…
Fuyao Liu
26 July 2023
all jobs did very professional. Affordable price, good services. Hope this review can help other people needed .
Shane Gardiner
26 July 2023
Api and his team tackled a 20m high gum tree situated in very precarious position on my property and to watch the boys bring it down piece by piece wa…
Dion Eden
26 July 2023
I'm a freelance arborist and have contracted for Api several times, I haven't got one bad thing to say about the bloke. Api is as genuine and hard wor…
bert natural
26 July 2023
Got the job done! They arrived on time, trimmed the pine trees for a good hedge - looks neat, and tidied up after the job was done. Would recommend th…
Dean Crupi
26 July 2023
great work, back yard looks amazing and left the yard nice and clean . will use again A+++
Mount Cottrell Tree Removal & Pruning — common questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Mount Cottrell?
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 Mount Cottrell?
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 Mount Cottrell. 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 day and removed. If you would like the mulch or some firewood, say so when Api quotes and we will leave it stacked where you want it.
Can you save the tree instead of removing it?
If the tree is structurally sound, usually. A reduction takes weight and height off; thinning lets wind through; a lift gets it off the house. If it is decayed at the base or split, removal is the honest answer, and Api will say so.