Felling a tree tends to dominate the conversation: the cost, the access, the noise, the neighbours. Then the last section of trunk hits the ground and a new question appears. There is now a pile of timber, branches and leaves in the middle of the section, sometimes several tonnes of it. What happens next affects the final bill, the state of the garden and, occasionally, what ends up in the firebox for the next three winters.
Before work starts, agree on what will happen to every part of the tree. It avoids surprises and gives you a chance to keep what is useful.
Leaves and small branches: the chipper pile
Most arborists run small material, typically anything up to about 150 millimetres thick, straight through a chipper on site. The result is a mix of shredded leaf and wood that can be used in several ways.
- Taken away: The default on many jobs. The crew loads the chip into the truck and disposes of it, often selling it on or using it on other sites.
- Left on site: Plenty of homeowners ask to keep it. Fresh arborist chip makes a good mulch for paths and around established shrubs once it has had a few months to settle.
- Composted: Mixed with grass clippings or manure, it breaks down into a useful soil conditioner over roughly six to twelve months.
Keeping the chip can reduce the cost slightly, since disposal and transport are part of the quote. Be realistic about volume, though. A large tree can produce a heap several cubic metres in size, and it is heavy to move by wheelbarrow.
One caution: chip from diseased trees should not be spread around other plants. If the tree came down because of a pathogen, ask the arborist whether the material needs special handling.
The trunk and larger limbs
Bigger wood is where choices multiply. Options usually include having it cut into rounds and stacked, split for firewood, removed entirely, or kept in long lengths for milling.
Firewood is the most common choice for hardwoods such as gum, oak or ash. Rounds cut to roughly 300 to 400 millimetres suit most domestic burners. Green wood needs to dry before it burns well, typically at least a year stacked off the ground under cover with airflow around it. Softwoods like pine and macrocarpa dry faster but burn quicker and leave more soot.
Milling is worth considering for straight, clear trunks of attractive species. Macrocarpa, tōtara, black walnut and some eucalypts can produce beautiful slabs for benchtops, outdoor furniture or a feature table. Mobile sawmillers can sometimes mill on site if access allows, but logs with nails, fencing wire or embedded stones from old garden use can damage blades, and they will check carefully before agreeing.
Stumps, roots and what is left behind
Unless you ask for it, the stump often stays. It can be ground out with a stump grinder, which turns it into a mound of wood shavings mixed with soil, or left to rot down over many years. Grinding leaves a hollow that will slowly settle as the remaining roots decay, so expect to top it up with soil over the following seasons.
If you plan to plant in the same spot, the grindings are worth removing rather than digging back in. Fresh wood fibre ties up nitrogen as it breaks down, which can leave new plantings pale and slow for a season or two. Many people move the shavings to a back corner to rot down, then replace the hollow with a mix of topsoil and compost. On a sloping section, ask how deep the grinding will go, because a stump left too high can trip mowers while one ground too deep near a retaining wall can loosen the soil it was holding.
Some species, including willow and poplar, can resprout vigorously from a cut stump. Others, like most conifers, do not. Talk through what you want the area to become before deciding.
Weather, timing and logistics
Felling and clean-up often run to the weather. Wet ground makes heavy machinery a problem on lawns and soft soil, and high winds can halt climbing work. Checking the MetService forecast for the planned day, and agreeing on a fallback date, saves frustration. Stacked firewood also seasons better if it goes into position before the long wet stretches of winter.
If the tree was coastal, consider where the wood will be stored. Salt-laden timber from exposed sites can be slightly harder to dry and may need extra time under cover. For a closer look at how coastal trees live with salt and wind, see this piece on pōhutukawa, salt air and garden paths on Waiheke Island.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell the timber from a tree felled on my property? Sometimes. Quality milling logs of desirable species can be worth something, but small volumes rarely justify the cost of extraction and transport. Firewood is easier to sell or give away locally.
Is it cheaper if I deal with the wood myself? Usually, yes, because disposal and cartage form a real part of the cost. The saving depends on volume and access. Just make sure you have the time, tools and safe storage for what is left behind.
How long should firewood season before burning? Most hardwoods need at least twelve months split and stacked under cover, and some dense species benefit from closer to two years. Dry wood burns hotter, cleaner and produces less creosote in the flue.