Tree felling and tree surgery: check the permissions first in Malta

Felling removes a tree completely. In a garden, that is rarely done by cutting at the base: tree surgeons usually take the tree down in sections, lowering heavy pieces on ropes to protect buildings, fences and plants below. Pruning ranges from a crown lift, which raises the lowest branches, to a crown reduction or thinning. Stump grinding removes the stump below ground level after felling, so the area can be replanted, turfed or paved.

Storm damage is the urgent case: a split trunk, a hanging branch or a tree leaning on a roof. This work is among the most dangerous in the trade, because the timber is under tension and can move without warning. Keep people away and leave it to a tree surgeon with the right equipment.

Tree work during spring and summer has to allow for nesting birds, because it is an offence to damage or destroy an active nest. Bats roost in cracks, cavities and behind loose bark, and all bat species and their roosts are protected. A tree surgeon should inspect the tree before work and stop if a roost or active nest is found; delaying the job by a few weeks is often the simplest answer.

Tree work is not a job for a general handyman with a chainsaw. Many will. The quote should state exactly what is being done: which tree, which branches, to what extent, and what happens to the wood and the stump.

• species, rough height and position of the tree, with photos
• what is near it: buildings, power lines, greenhouses, neighbours' gardens
• access for a chipper, and whether the logs should stay or go
• whether the stump is ground out, and to what depth
• who applies for consent if the tree is protected

Branches from a neighbour's tree that hang over your garden can be trimmed, but only up to the property boundary. Going further, or damaging the tree, can lead to a claim for damage to the neighbour's property. Talking to the neighbour before the tree surgeon arrives avoids most disputes, and a joint job often costs less than two separate ones.

Whether the garden project needs a development permit from the Planning Authority depends on what is built and where; in apartment blocks, the rules of the condominium also apply. Ask before you commit, and let the business tell you which documents it needs from you.

Electrical installation work is carried out by licensed electricians; ask to see the licence and the certificate for the finished installation. Maltese businesses are registered with the Malta Business Registry, so ask for the company registration and VAT numbers, and check whether the quote includes VAT.

Source: mbr.mt

You confirm your mobile number with a text code and your email address with a link. We then show the request to businesses in your area, without your name or contact details. Only one business can take it on; it pays Offrano for the request, and it costs you nothing.

Before that business sees your details, we email you its name, address and phone number. We check only that it is a registered business, for example through its Malta Business Registry entry or VAT number, not the quality of its work. We cannot promise that a business will respond; if nobody takes the request within 21 days, we withdraw it. Offrano is not a party to any contract for the work.