Projects · Stirling
Storm Damaged Tree Removal in Stirling: a Split Stem Rigged Down Safely
By Gillon Staley, Director · 16 October 2026
Storm damaged tree removal in Stirling almost always starts the same way: a tree that looks fine from the ground turns out to have split where its main stem forks, and it is suddenly hanging over something that matters. This one was a mature tree in Stirling whose main union had started to go after a spell of high winds, tilting towards a fence and a shed. We climbed it and took it down in careful sections, so that nothing underneath was touched.
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PUBLIC LIABILITY ON EVERY JOB
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STIRLING AND CENTRAL SCOTLAND
What we found
A storm damaged tree, split down the main stem in Stirling
From the ground, the problem was easy to miss. Up in the canopy it was clear: the main union, where the stem divides, had started to pull apart, and a long split had opened down the trunk with the exposed wood behind it dark with decay. A tree in that state is deceptive. It can stand for a while looking settled, then come down without much warning. With a fence and a shed in the way if it failed, it was not a tree to leave standing.
How we did it
How we took it down in sections
A split tree next to a fence and a shed cannot simply be felled in one go, because there is nowhere safe for it to fall. So we climbed it and rigged it down from the top, cutting it into manageable sections. Each piece was tied onto a rope and lowered under control, so the weight came down slowly into the clear space we had set aside rather than dropping onto the fence, the shed or the ground. The area below was taped off while the work was going on. Taking a tree apart in the air, under tension and with a running saw, is exactly the sort of work that calls for a trained climbing team rather than a ladder and a handsaw, and it sits at the centre of our emergency tree work.
The local rules
The rules before a tree like this comes down
There is a check to make before a tree like this is cut. If it is covered by a Tree Preservation Order or stands within a conservation area, written consent from Stirling Council is needed first, and the council is clear that it is an offence to carry out work on a protected tree without that consent. Trees in a conservation area are controlled too, unless they are small enough to be exempt. Over the whole of Scotland, Scottish Forestry sets the wider rule: most felling needs a felling permission, and you must not begin until it has been issued. The important exception for storm work is that a tree posing an immediate danger to people or property, including a boundary structure like a fence or a dyke, can be felled straight away, as long as the danger cannot be dealt with by pruning instead. Knowing which of these applies, and working inside it, is part of the job.
If a storm has left you a dangerous tree
If high winds have left you with a tree that has split, lifted at the roots or started to lean, it is worth having it looked at before it decides the matter for you. Whether it needs full tree felling or careful dismantling in sections, we work across Stirling, Dunblane and Bridge of Allan and the wider central Scotland area, we carry £5 million of public liability insurance on every job, and the quote is free with no pressure to go ahead. For a tree that cannot wait, we are available seven days a week, including evenings. You can reach us through our contact page or call us on 07599 008809.
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Tree surgery and arboriculture across Stirling, Falkirk and Central Scotland. Family-run, fully insured, qualified team.
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