Planning Guide

Should Trees and Hedges Be Cut Before Clearing an Overgrown Garden?

Together, usually — but the ground gets cleared first so everyone can see what they are working with.

Updated 1 September 2026 Garden Clearance · Hanham

The Short Answer

Clear enough ground to work safely and see what is there, then do the tree and hedge work, then finish the clearance. In practice this is one visit with the stages interleaved rather than three separate jobs.

What should not happen is tree work last, after new fencing, turf or planting exist to be damaged.

Why Not Simply Trees First?

Why Not Simply Clearance First?

So: Interleaved

StepWhy
1. Cut back enough to move safelyAccess and visibility
2. Identify hazardsWells, ponds, dumped material, cables
3. Tree and hedge workWith clear drop zones and known ground
4. Clear the remainderIncluding everything the tree work dropped
5. StumpsWhile machinery is on site
6. Load and removeOne waste stream, not three
7. Reassess togetherBefore anything is built or planted
This is why combining the work costs less. One set-up, one chipper on site, one waste removal, and the arisings from the tree work go out with the clearance rather than in their own load. Booked as separate jobs by separate contractors, you pay for each of those twice — and the second crew works around what the first one left.

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Season Complications

Before Any Tree Is Cut

This matters more on a clearance than people realise, because trees hidden in an overgrown garden are easy to treat as undergrowth. A self-seeded sycamore is one thing; a protected mature tree that has disappeared into a thicket is quite another, and clearing it without consent is still an offence.

The tree nobody noticed in the brambles is the one most likely to be protected, because nobody has touched it for twenty years.

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FAQs

Trees, Hedges and Clearance in Hanham — FAQs

Should trees be cut before clearing a garden?

Neither strictly first — clear enough ground to work safely and see hazards, then do the tree and hedge work, then finish the clearance. In practice it is one visit with the stages interleaved.

Why not do the tree work first?

Because you cannot safely reach or fell a tree into dense undergrowth, drop zones need to be visible, and hazards like wells and drain covers need identifying first.

Why not finish clearing first?

Because tree work then drops material onto ground you have just cleared, access is churned twice and chipping happens twice.

Is combining cheaper?

Yes — one set-up, one chipper on site, one waste removal, and the tree arisings go out with the clearance rather than in a separate load.

Does the season affect it?

Yes. Nesting birds restrict tree and hedge work from around March to August, conifers are best cut in the growing season, and deciduous tree work suits winter.

Do I need to check for protected trees?

Yes, with South Gloucestershire Council. A tree hidden in a thicket is easy to treat as undergrowth, and clearing a protected one is still an offence.

Can stumps be done at the same time?

Yes, and it is worth it while machinery is on site — and before any levelling, or you level twice.

What if the tree work needs a different season?

Then the project becomes two planned visits rather than one compromised one. We will say so at quotation.

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