Tree Surgery & Pruning
- Llanelli and South Wales
South Wales Tree Services Ltd are qualified, fully insured tree surgeons based in Llanelli, covering Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot, North Gower, Bridgend, Cardiff and Newport. We provide tree pruning, tree felling and 24/7 emergency tree services.
Need a tree surgeon urgently?
Call us on 01792 732032 or 07590 900888Â
NPTC & Lantra certified
Fully insured
24/7 emergency callout
Our Tree Surgery Services
We offer a full range of tree surgery and grounds maintenance services across South Wales:
Tree pruning - crown reduction, lifting and thinning
Dead wooding
Tree felling and dismantling of dangerous trees
24-hour emergency callouts
Stump grinding
Grounds maintenance and hedge cutting
Whatever the job, our tree surgery team can handle it – from planned maintenance work booked weeks in advance, to a genuine overnight emergency.
Areas We Serve
South Wales Tree Services Ltd is based in Llanelli, and it’s where we do a large share of our work – if you’re local to Llanelli, you’re working with a team based on your doorstep, not a call centre routing you to a subcontractor.
We also cover:
Swansea
Neath
Port Talbot
North Gower
Bridgend
Cardiff
Newport
...and the surrounding areas across South Wales
Why choose us?
All landowners have a duty of care to keep their trees in a safe condition, and we work within the guidelines that duty requires. Tree work can be a genuinely dangerous business, which is why our team is fully insured, and we hold NPTC and Lantra certification to carry out tree work safely and correctly.
Tree Pruning
What It Involves and When to Do It
Tree pruning may be necessary to keep a tree safe, remove dead branches, promote healthy growth, control size and shape, or improve the quality of flowers, fruit or timber. There are three main techniques we use, each with its own purpose and its own limits.
Crown Reduction
Crown reduction is the reduction in height and/or spread of a tree’s crown – the foliage-bearing part of the tree. It’s used to ease mechanical stress on individual branches or the whole tree, help a tree suit its immediate surroundings better, or reduce shading and light loss. Done properly, it keeps the tree’s main framework and most of its leaf-bearing structure intact, just on a smaller scale. We keep cuts as small as possible and generally under 100mm in diameter, because larger cuts heal more slowly and carry a higher risk of disease getting in.
Crown Lifting
Crown lifting is the removal of the lowest branches, or preparing lower branches for future removal – usually to clear traffic or keep people safe underneath. Good practice means avoiding the removal of large branches growing directly from the trunk, since that can leave big wounds that decay badly over time and cause long-term problems or short-term structural instability. On older, mature trees we avoid crown lifting where we can, or restrict it to secondary branches rather than full removal. It’s an effective way to let more light through to the area below a tree or improve access underneath, but we restrict it to under 15% of the live crown height and always leave at least two-thirds of the tree’s total height intact – that balance protects the tree’s structure and its ability to feed itself.
Crown Thinning
Crown thinning removes a portion of the smaller, outer branches to even out the density of foliage across the tree, usually on broad-leaved species. Unlike reduction or lifting, it doesn’t change the tree’s overall size or shape – it’s about density, not scale. We remove material systematically throughout the tree and never exceed 30% overall. Crown thinning lets more light through, reduces wind resistance, and cuts down on weight, though it doesn’t necessarily reduce leverage on the tree’s structure. It’s rarely a one-off job, particularly on species that produce a lot of regrowth.
Reduction vs Lifting vs Thinning: At a Glance
Technique | What changes | Typical reason | Our limit |
|---|---|---|---|
Crown reduction | Height and/or spread of the crown | Ease mechanical stress, reduce shading, fit the tree to its surroundings | Cuts generally under 100mm diameter |
Crown lifting | Lowest branches removed | Clear traffic, footpaths, or sightlines underneath | Under 15% of live crown height; two-thirds of total height stays intact |
Crown thinning | Density of foliage, not size or shape | Let more light through, reduce wind resistance and weight | Never more than 30% of foliage removed |
When to Prune: Timing Matters
As a general rule in arboriculture, most pruning work is best carried out in the dormant season, roughly November to March, when a tree is free of leaves. This isn’t a hard rule – some situations, like storm damage or a genuine safety hazard, need pruning carried out straight away regardless of season.
Improper pruning can leave a tree unsightly, diseased, or even dangerous. South Wales Tree Services Ltd carries out all pruning work - crown reduction, lifting and thinning - to the standards above.
What happens when you get in touch
Enquire
Tell us what you need, whether that’s a quote, a general question, or an emergency.
Quote or site visit
We’ll talk through the job and arrange a visit if it’s needed to give you an accurate price.
Work scheduled
We’ll agree a time that works for you.
Site cleared
We clear up and take the waste away once the work’s done.
Customer Reviews
Rated 5 out of 5
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need permission to prune or fell a tree?
It depends on whether the tree has a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) or sits in a conservation area – if it does, you’ll usually need permission from the local council before work goes ahead. We can help you check this as part of a site visit.
What's the best time of year to prune a tree?
Most pruning is best done in the dormant season, roughly November to March, when a tree has no leaves. Storm damage or safety hazards need dealing with straight away, regardless of season.
Do you cover emergency and storm-damage callouts?
Yes – we’re available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for emergency tree work.
Are you insured and qualified?
Yes. Our team is fully insured and holds NPTC and Lantra certification.
Ready to get started?
Get in Touch for a free quote, or call us directly to discuss emergency work.