Tree felling and stump removal in Lapalud
A tree that is dead, diseased, dangerous or too close to the house: Josué takes it down under control, including in tight spaces, and clears everything away.
What it involves
A tree is rarely felled in one piece on a domestic property. Where there is a house, a fence, a pool or a road nearby, the work is done by dismantling: Josué climbs, cuts the trunk into sections and lowers them on a rope. On open ground, straight felling remains possible, with a directional notch and a safety line.
Before any of that comes the diagnosis. A leaning tree is not necessarily dangerous; a perfectly straight tree with a fungus at its base may be far more so. During the visit Josué looks at the root collar, the deadwood, the cracks, and tells you plainly whether felling is necessary or whether pruning will do. A healthy tree is worth keeping.
Stump removal is treated separately: either by mechanical grinding or by extraction, depending on access and on what you intend to do with the ground afterwards.
Permission: the part not to skip
Not every tree can be felled freely. Depending on the commune, a tree may be protected by the local planning scheme, sit within a classified wooded area, form part of a protected hedge, or require a prior declaration to the town hall. Josué raises the question during the visit as a matter of course and points you to the right procedure. No felling starts until that point is settled.
Josué travels up to 30 km from Lapalud. Check the towns covered around Lapalud — Vaucluse, Drôme, Gard and Ardèche.
Six towns in the area have a page of their own, covering the journey from Lapalud, the kind of ground and the rules that apply there: Bollène, Orange, Pierrelatte, Pont-Saint-Esprit, Mondragon, Bourg-Saint-Andéol.
While we are there, this often comes up
- reducing rather than felling — a crown reduction settles many cases where felling looked like the only option.
- putting the ground back in order after felling — once the tree is gone, regrowth and scrub take the space back quickly.
- taking the garden back in hand once the space is clear — one tree fewer means more light — and a bed to rethink.
When to do it
Preferably in winter: the tree is bare, lighter and easier to dismantle, and firm ground copes better with equipment crossing it. Where there is a proven danger — a split tree, one leaning after a storm — the work is done without waiting.
What it costs
Trunk diameter, height, species, access for removing the wood, whether dismantling is required rather than straight felling, and any stump removal.
How it is priced
Per tree, with stump removal priced separately — you are never obliged to take it. Plenty of owners leave the stump for a year while they decide what to do with the space.
What a quote is made of
- Labour
- The main item. Directional felling in an open field is counted in hours; sectional dismantling above a roof, in days.
- Equipment
- Ropes, winch, climbing kit, chainsaws. On a constrained tree, hiring a platform may be added — and it appears on the quote, never afterwards.
- Removal
- A felled tree is a volume owners almost always underestimate. The quote separates cutting up, loading and disposal.
- Stump removal
- Machine grinding, excavation, or nothing at all. The diameter of the stump and how close it sits to a wall or a service decide the method.
- Travel
- Counted once, not per visit. On a two-day job it barely registers; on a small job thirty kilometres out, it shows.
What the market charges
The example quotes published by comparison sites for a large tree in a tight spot, with removal and stump grinding, run into thousands of euros; a small accessible tree in the open stays in the hundreds. What widens the gap is almost never the height of the tree: it is what surrounds it.
These figures are taken from national comparison sites. They are not PJ Espaces Verts’ rates: Josué prices after seeing the job, and his quote may fall outside these ranges either way. They are here so you are not calling in the dark.
Felling cannot be quoted over the phone: what surrounds the tree decides the method, and therefore the time. Josué comes out, tells you plainly whether it has to come down branch by branch or can be felled in one piece, and leaves you a written, free quote.
The 50% tax credit: what to know
Small gardening jobs at a private home fall under France’s personal services scheme: half the cost comes back to the householder as a tax credit, up to an annual ceiling per household, and an immediate-advance option means paying only half the invoice at the time. The catch is that the work has to fall inside that category — and many websites claim it for work that does not.
This service does NOT qualify. Felling and stump removal are forestry work, not small gardening: no tax credit applies, whatever the sites that print “50%” across every page may say. Better to know before setting a budget.
The tax credit requires a business registered under the personal services scheme. Ask Josué where that registration stands when he quotes: it changes what the work finally costs you, and he will tell you straight.
What the job includes
- Assessment of the tree during the quotation visit
- Regulatory constraints checked before any work begins
- Sectional dismantling or directional felling, depending on the site
- Trunk cut into transportable sections
- Stump removal on request (grinding or extraction)
- Full clearance, or cut into logs and stacked on site if you are keeping the wood
What you can count on
- Written quote, free and with no obligation
- Green waste removed, unless the quote says otherwise
- Ground raked clean at the end of the job
Tree felling: your questions
Can I keep the firewood?
Yes, and it is common. Mention it when the quote is drawn up: Josué cuts it into logs and stacks them wherever you say. It also reduces the clearance cost.
Is the stump included?
No, stump removal is a separate item, quoted separately. It is not always necessary.
My neighbour wants me to fell a tree whose branches overhang their garden.
A neighbour can require the overhanging branches to be cut back, not the tree to be felled. In most cases a well-judged reduction solves the problem without losing the tree.
Other services
Garden maintenance
Regular visits so your grounds stay tidy all year.
Lawn mowing
Mowing, edge finishing, clippings collected. One-off or all season.
Brush clearing
Overgrown ground, or a legal clearance obligation: back to a clean slate.
A tree, a hedge, a plot: tell us what you have.
The visit, the on-site assessment and the written quote are free and commit you to nothing.