How much does tree removal cost in Cairns?
Hiring arborists in Cairns starts with one thing: tree height, access, proximity to buildings and stump grinding set the price. Cairns is in Wind Region C, where homes are designed for cyclone gusts of 250 km/h at roof level (QRA), and that rating follows exposed work onto the quote. Storm work is priced as urgent work. The table below prices 15 tree removal jobs for Cairns, with low, typical and high figures, followed by local notes on timing, rules and suburbs.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Tree removal cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Tree Removal Cost in Cairns 2026
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small tree removal (under 5 m) | $270per tree | $540 | $865 |
| Medium tree removal (5–10 m) | $865per tree | $1,625 | $2,700 |
| Large tree removal (10–20 m) | $2,150per tree | $3,775 | $5,400 |
| Extra-large tree (20 m+) | $4,850per tree | $7,000 | $16,200 |
| Palm tree removal | $270per tree | $430 | $1,300 |
| Stump grinding (small <30 cm) | $160per stump | $215 | $325 |
| Stump grinding (medium 30–60 cm) | $270per stump | $380 | $540 |
| Stump grinding (large 60 cm+) | $430per stump | $650 | $970 |
| Tree pruning / trimming | $215per tree | $485 | $1,300 |
| Hedge trimming, maintained hedge up to 2.5 m (per m) | $5/m | $13 | $27 |
| Arborist report | $325per report | $485 | $755 |
| Emergency / storm damage | $540per job | $1,625 | $5,400 |
| Arborist hourly rate | $76/hr | $130 | $195 |
| Large palm (10 m+) or Canary Island date palm removal | $1,300per tree | $1,950 | $3,250 |
| Tree on house / structure, crane-assisted emergency removal | $3,250per job | $7,550 | $12,950 |
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Get Cairns quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Cairns metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
What to Know About Tree Removal Work and Cost in Cairns
Greater Cairns is home to 153,425 people (ABS 2021 Census), strung along the coast from Palm Cove and the northern beaches through the city and Edge Hill to the southern estates at Mount Sheridan, Bentley Park and Edmonton. A arborist working the whole area spends real time on the Captain Cook Highway and the Bruce Highway, so ask whether travel is charged.
The calendar is tropical. Cairns Aero averages 2,019.1 mm a year, with 436.1 mm in February and 26.9 mm in August (BOM), and the cyclone season runs from November to April (QRA). Planned tree removal goes best in the dry; storm and emergency work takes priority in the wet.
Rules sit with Cairns Regional Council and the State: CairnsPlan 2016 overlays (flood, coastal, bushfire, acid sulfate) can apply to a lot, and the Property Report tool shows which. Ask the arborist who handles any permit and whether it is in the price.
Arborist cost in Cairns (2026): hourly rates, reports and clearing trees
An arborist in Cairns charges $76–$195 an hour, with $130 typical for a qualified climber and a ground crew. Most tree work is quoted per job rather than by the hour, so the per-tree bands below are what you are actually asked to pay; the hourly rate is what sits behind them.
| Job | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arborist hourly rate | $76/hr | $130 | $195 |
| Arborist report | $325 | $485 | $755 |
| Small tree removal (under 5 m) | $270 | $540 | $865 |
| Medium tree removal (5–10 m) | $865 | $1,625 | $2,700 |
| Large tree removal (10–20 m) | $2,150 | $3,775 | $5,400 |
| Extra-large tree (20 m+) | $4,850 | $7,000 | $16,200 |
| Stump grinding (medium 30–60 cm) | $270 | $380 | $540 |
Arborist report cost in Cairns: $325–$755, with $485 typical. Councils across Cairns ask for a report from a qualified arborist before they will issue a permit to remove a protected tree, and it is also what a builder needs when trees on a block are in the way of a new house. The report is a separate fee from the removal itself.
Cost of clearing trees for a house or a block: clearing is priced tree by tree using the same size bands, from $270 for a small tree to $16,200 for a very large one, plus stump grinding if the stumps have to go. A block with several trees is quoted as one job, and the arborist report and any permits come first.
What moves an arborist quote in Cairns:
- Size and species: height, trunk diameter and how the timber behaves when cut set the band.
- Access: a tree that can be felled in one piece is far cheaper than one that has to be dismantled over a roof, a pool or power lines.
- Disposal: chipping on site is usually included; carting logs away or leaving them for firewood changes the price.
- Stumps: grinding is a separate line and depends on the stump diameter.
- "Cheap tree removal": the lowest quotes are often uninsured or skip the permit. Ask for insurance and whether the permit is included before comparing prices.
Whether a tree needs council approval in Cairns is covered in the questions below; the arborist will tell you before quoting.
Tree removal in Cairns: comparing the common jobs
Small tree removal (under 5 m) or medium tree removal (5–10 m)
Small tree removal (under 5 m) runs $270–$865 per tree in our Cairns table and medium tree removal (5–10 m) $865–$2,700 per tree. On typical prices, medium tree removal (5–10 m) is $1,085 dearer.
Large tree removal (10–20 m) or extra-large tree (20 m+)
Large tree removal (10–20 m) runs $2,150–$5,400 per tree in our Cairns table and extra-large tree (20 m+) $4,850–$16,200 per tree. On typical prices, extra-large tree (20 m+) is $3,225 dearer.
Palm tree removal or stump grinding (small <30 cm)
Our Cairns table lists palm tree removal at $270–$1,300 per tree and stump grinding (small <30 cm) at $160–$325 per stump; they are priced on different units, so compare each against its own quote line.
Figures are this page's table rows for Cairns.
What Affects Tree Removal Costs in Cairns
Wind Region C and cyclone season
Coastal Queensland north of Bundaberg, Cairns included, is Wind Region C, and homes there are classed C1 to C4 for gusts of 250 km/h at roof level (QRA cyclone resilience guideline). The season runs from November to April. Anything exposed to the wind should be rated for your site's cyclone class, so ask the arborist to name it on the quote.
Wet season scheduling
Cairns Aero records 2,019.1 mm of rain in an average year, and the bulk of it lands from January to March: 404.8 mm, 436.1 mm and 424.3 mm (BOM, Cairns Aero). By August the monthly average is down to 26.9 mm. Tree removal that needs dry ground or dry surfaces is easiest to schedule from June to October; in the wet, ask the arborist how rain days are handled before you sign.
Getting rid of the waste
Cairns is in Queensland's regional waste levy zone, $100 a tonne for 2026-27 (Queensland Government). Portsmith Transfer Station takes domestic asbestos only in small, double-wrapped and labelled bundles under 175 kg (Cairns Regional Council), so bigger asbestos loads go through a licensed removalist.
Approvals in Cairns
Whether tree removal needs approval depends on its size, height and position, under the Queensland Building Regulation and CairnsPlan 2016, whose overlays include flood and inundation, coastal processes, bushfire hazard and acid sulfate soils. The council's CairnsPlan Property Report tool shows which apply to your lot. Ask who lodges any approval and whether its fee is in the quote.
What Cairns homes look like
Separate houses make up 71.0% of occupied Cairns dwellings, below the 74.8% across Queensland, while flats and apartments are 17.0%, well above the state's 12.5% (ABS 2021 Census). Apartment jobs bring body-corporate rules, lifts and parking into the price; a house brings yards, roof space and longer runs.
How to Save Money on Tree Removal Cost in Cairns
- Ask for the site's cyclone class (C1 to C4) and for products rated to it, named on the quote.
- Book outdoor tree removal for June to October, when Cairns Aero averages under 50 mm a month, rather than January to March.
- Ask whether tip fees are in the quote; Cairns pays Queensland's regional levy on every tonne.
- Ask the arborist who lodges any building approval and whether the fee is in the price.
- Get three written quotes with the same scope, so the Cairns prices line up item by item.
- Ask what the quote leaves out: call-out, disposal, travel past the northern beaches or south of Edmonton.
Frequently Asked Questions — Tree Removal Cost in Cairns
Our Methodology
These are independent estimates from public cost guides, marketplaces and industry rate data, and no tradesperson can influence them, so always get a few quotes. Last reviewed October 2026. Read our full methodology →