Tree felling in Stockholm

When does a tree need to be felled?

A tree needs to be felled when it is dead, diseased or damaged to the point where it risks coming down, or when it stands so close to a house, a power line or the boundary that pruning cannot solve the problem. Many trees in Stockholm's suburban gardens were planted in the 1950s and 60s and have now outgrown the space they were given: spruce and pine shading the whole plot, birches dropping branches onto the roof and aspens sending root suckers into the lawn.

Not everything has to come down, though. A crown reduction or a proper thinning is often enough for a healthy tree that has simply grown too big, and an old tree with a hollow trunk can have real value for wildlife. We assess the tree before proposing felling, and we say so when pruning is the better option.

• Dead branches high in the crown, bark-free patches or fungal brackets at the base of the trunk
• A lean that has increased, or soil lifting on the opposite side of the lean
• Cracks in the trunk or in a fork where two stems have grown together
• Spruce that has dried out after spruce bark beetle attack
• Roots lifting paving, a deck or the house foundation
• The tree stands so close to a power line or building that it cannot be maintained

Do you need a felling permit (marklov) in Stockholm?

Sometimes, and it is decided by what the local development plan says for your particular property. In parts of several Stockholm municipalities the plan contains provisions requiring a felling permit (marklov) for tree felling, often for trees above a certain trunk diameter and especially for oaks. Outside areas covered by a development plan, single trees on your own plot normally need no permit. As the owner you are the one who has to check the plan for your address before the tree is felled – the municipal building permit office will tell you what applies, and we are happy to help you read the provision.

A tree standing on your neighbour's land may not be felled by you, even if it shades your garden or drops its leaves there. Branches and roots growing in across your boundary may be cut back to the boundary line, but under the Swedish Land Code (jordabalken, chapter 3, section 2) you must first ask the neighbour to deal with them and allow a reasonable time, and if the cutting would seriously damage the tree the neighbour's consent is needed. If the tree stands on a housing cooperative's (BRF) land, the board decides, not the individual member.

Some trees and habitats also carry protection of their own. Large oaks, avenues and rows of trees can fall under habitat protection (biotopskydd) and require an exemption from the county administrative board, and protected species such as birds, bats and certain insects must not be disturbed. During the nesting season, in Stockholm roughly April to July, we check that there are no nests in the tree and postpone the felling if there are. Storm damage and acutely dangerous trees are dealt with immediately whatever the season.

How does sectional felling work?

Sectional felling means the tree is taken down piece by piece instead of being felled in one go, and it is used when there is no clear direction to fell in. Our tree felling specialist Eken climbs the tree with climbing equipment or works from a lift, cuts the branches and then the trunk in short lengths, and lowers the parts that cannot be dropped freely with ropes and blocks. The method takes longer than a straight felling but makes it possible to work a metre from a wall, over a deck or between two boundaries.

A straight felling is used when the tree has room to fall: a directional notch and felling cut with a chainsaw, a hinge that steers the direction and a safety zone of at least two tree lengths. If the tree leans the wrong way or its crown is caught in another tree, a pulling line or winch is used. If the tree stands close to an overhead power line we contact the network owner before work starts, as the line may need to be disconnected.

• Assessment of the tree: species, height, lean, decay, obstacles and felling direction
• Cordoning off the work area and protecting lawn, paving and flower beds
• The branches are taken off first, working from the top down
• The trunk is cut in sections that are lowered or felled freely
• The material is cut up and sorted into timber and brushwood
• The plot is raked clean and the stump is cut low ready for any stump grinding

What happens to the trunk, the brushwood and the stump?

That is up to you. The trunk can be cut into firewood lengths and stacked on the plot – pine and spruce are usable after a year under cover, while birch, oak and maple give considerably more heat. The brushwood can be left in a pile behind the hedge or taken away, and thicker branches can be chipped. If you want nothing left behind, we take all the material away for recycling.

The stump is always cut as low as the felling allows, but it stays in the ground until it is ground out. Stump grinding is booked as a separate service with our stump specialist Stubben, ideally during the same visit, and then you can sow grass or plant on the spot straight afterwards. If the stump is left, aspen, maple and cherry will send root suckers into the lawn for years.

What affects the price of tree felling?

The price is governed by how difficult the tree is to bring down safely, not only by how big it is.

Felling is work on the plot of your home and therefore qualifies for RUT deduction of up to 50% of the labour cost for private individuals, as does stump grinding. Removal and transport of timber and brushwood does not count as RUT-eligible work and is invoiced separately. Housing cooperatives, property companies and businesses are invoiced without RUT.

• Height, trunk diameter and species – a thick oak takes more work than a slender birch
• Lean, decay and whether the crown hangs over a house, a fence or the neighbour's plot
• Distance to buildings, decking, overhead power lines and the boundary
• Whether the tree can be felled in one piece or has to come down in sections with climbing equipment or a lift
• Access: whether vehicles and equipment can get in, or all the material has to be carried out
• How much timber and brushwood is to be taken away, and whether the stump is to be ground out

How to book tree felling with Service Plus

Describe the tree in the form and attach a photo taken from a few metres away, so the whole tree and its surroundings are visible. The photo is often enough for us to give you a free quote, which you receive within 24 hours. If the tree is large, leaning or standing tight against a building, we come out and assess it on site, also free of charge.

Tell us at the same time whether you want to keep the timber, whether the stump should be ground out, and anything we need to know about the plot: buried cables, a drainage pipe, a ground source heat loop or a gate that is too narrow. Storm-damaged and acutely dangerous trees are prioritised the same day – call rather than email in that case, especially if a tree is lying across a driveway or hanging loose in another tree.