Close-up of a freshly cut tree stump with a hollow centre, sawdust and a work boot in the corner — Cut stump with a hollow centre and sawdust spread around it

Back garden of a semi-detached house with a bare tree beside a tall fence, a trimmed shrub and bluebells — Garden looking down the lawn, fence on the left and a bare tree beside it

Lawn alongside a tall wooden fence with a small cut stump and bare soil where the tree had been — Lawn along the fence with the stump cut low and the soil beside it

This job took out a garden tree growing close to the fence on a semi-detached plot in Shirley. The photos show the garden as it was, a close-up of the cut stump with sawdust scattered around it, and the lawn afterwards with only a low stump left. The neighbouring houses and fences sit close, so the work was done carefully.

Removing a tree beside a fence

Trees growing against a boundary leave very little room to drop a trunk safely. For that reason a tree like this is usually taken down in sections, with branches cut and lowered first, then the trunk cut in lengths from the top. The stump photo shows the finished cut, with a hollow in the centre of the wood and fine sawdust spread across the soil.

The stump and the garden afterwards

After felling, the stump can be left low, as it was here, or ground out by arrangement if you want to lay turf or plant over the area. Cutting close to the fence leaves the panels and gravel board undamaged, which matters when the boundary is shared with a neighbour.

The last photo shows the lawn running along the fence with a small bare area where the tree stood. Sawdust and cut wood are cleared, and timber is logged and taken away. If a tree is protected or in a conservation area, the council needs to agree before it comes down.