How much does hedge trimming cost per running meter, and what about thujas?

A hedge up to 2 m high is trimmed at about 6 running meters per labor hour, including raking up the clippings — at 134 PLN per hour that is roughly 22 PLN net per running meter. That is above the market range of 10–20 PLN per running meter for hedges up to 250 cm (kb.pl, January 2026): we bill the hours actually worked on your hedge with the raking included, rather than a per-meter rate fixed before anyone has seen it. Example: 100 running meters of hedge next to an apartment block is about 17 hours and roughly 2,280 PLN net with the raking included; removing the chips is added by volume. Individual thujas and rows above 2.5 m are billed by the hour, because the time depends on height, access and how many years the plants have gone untrimmed. We quote from photos or after a site visit.

What percentage of the crown can be removed without a penalty?

Up to 30% of the crown that has developed over the tree's whole lifetime (art. 87a(2) of the Nature Conservation Act, ustawa o ochronie przyrody). Removing more than 30% counts as damaging the tree, more than 50% as destroying it. The limit does not apply in three cases: removing dead or broken branches, maintaining an already formed crown shape, and a documented procedure to restore the tree's stability. Nor does it apply to trees that can be removed without a permit (art. 87a(6)): fruit trees and trees with a trunk girth of up to 50, 65 or 80 cm. Penalty: 0.6 of the removal fee for damage, twice the fee for destruction (art. 89); 70% of the penalty for destruction is deferred for 5 years if the tree can survive. That is why we put the scope in writing and photograph the crown before cutting.

Do I need a permit to prune trees?

No. Pruning up to 30% of the crown requires neither a permit nor a notification — the Nature Conservation Act (ustawa o ochronie przyrody) only regulates the extent of the cut (art. 87a). A permit or notification concerns tree removal. Without any formalities you may remove a tree whose trunk girth measured 5 cm above the ground is up to 50 cm (most species), up to 65 cm (horse chestnut, black locust, plane) or up to 80 cm (poplar, willow, box elder and silver maple), fruit trees outside heritage-listed properties and public green areas, and shrub clusters of up to 25 m² (art. 83f). Above those thresholds a private individual files a notification, while a housing community, cooperative or company applies to the city mayor for a permit (art. 83).

Is hedge trimming banned from 1 March?

No, Poland has no statutory ban on trimming hedges or trees from 1 March. That “ban” is a German rule (BNatSchG) copied into Polish guides. In Poland, the Minister of the Environment's regulation of 16 December 2016 on the protection of animal species (rozporządzenie w sprawie ochrony gatunkowej zwierząt) prohibits destroying the nests and habitats of protected species, and according to the General Directorate for Environmental Protection (GDOŚ) the bird breeding season mostly runs from 1 March to 15 October. Cutting in that period is legal as long as it breaks none of those prohibitions — so before every cut we check the shrubs and crowns, record the result with a photo, and if a nest is occupied we postpone the work until after 15 October or apply to the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection (RDOŚ) for a derogation. Destroying a nest is an offense under art. 131(14) of the Nature Conservation Act (ustawa o ochronie przyrody), punishable by a fine or detention.

When should fruit trees, hedges and thujas be pruned?

Pome fruit trees (apple, pear) and plums are pruned from February to mid-April, sour and sweet cherries from mid-February to the end of March, and summer pruning falls in July and August. Deciduous hedges are shaped from March to September, 1–5 times a season, leaving 2–3 cm of annual growth. Thujas and other conifers are trimmed from March to early August, at most 1/3 of shoot length at a time; cutting later weakens the plants before winter. Sanitary cuts (deadwood, broken branches) are done all year round, in the breeding season after a nest check. Spring-flowering shrubs (forsythia, lilac) are cut right after flowering in May–June, summer-flowering ones (buddleia, panicle hydrangea) in early spring before growth starts.

Do you fell trees and handle the notification or permit?

We arrange tree removal only after the authority's decision, but we help prepare the paperwork. A private individual removing a tree above the girth threshold for private purposes files a notification: the authority has 21 days for an inspection and 14 days to object; with no objection the tree may be removed, and this must be done within 6 months of the inspection (art. 83f of the Nature Conservation Act, ustawa o ochronie przyrody). A housing community, cooperative or company applies for a permit (art. 83), and a community board must first give its members at least 30 days to comment. In Cracow the cases are handled by the Department of Environment, Climate and Air of the City Office (Wydział Środowiska, Klimatu i Powietrza UMK, os. Zgody 2, procedures WS-5 and WS-6), in Katowice by the Katowice City Office. Trees on properties in the heritage register: the voivodeship heritage conservator.

Do you work at height and from a cherry picker? What does it cost?

Yes. Work from the ground and ladders is done by the Reefa crew. Crowns of taller trees, cherry-picker work and rope access are handled by certified partners (arborists) under a single contract with Reefa and liability cover of up to 1,000,000 PLN. Cherry-picker hire is charged separately, at actual cost: market rates are 300–600 PLN net per day for a standard lift and up to 1,500 PLN per day for a larger lift with an operator (Kiloutou 2025, mulching.pl 2026). Where the equipment stands, which parking bays it takes and how the sidewalk is cordoned off is agreed with the property manager before the date, and we plan the work so that the equipment comes in once.

What do you do with the branches after pruning?

Branches are chipped on site and removed as green waste — site clean-up is included in the labor hours, while the removal cost depends on volume and is stated in the offer. Market rates for green-waste removal are 100–300 PLN per m³ (cenauslug.pl, 2026), and chipping cuts the volume of branches several times over, so one van run is enough where loose branches would need a container. On request we leave the chips on site for mulching beds and shrub groups, and cut thicker limbs into lengths for the client to keep. Sidewalks and lawns are cleared with a blower, and photos of the site go into the report.

Is a drastic thuja cut (from the bottom, by half) safe?

We advise against it. We trim thujas by at most 1/3 of shoot length at a time and spread the rejuvenation of a neglected row over several seasons — as recommended by the shrub-care standard of the Cracow Municipal Greenery Authority (ZZM Kraków, SUTZ-4): arborvitae only to a minimal extent, drastic cuts only as a sanitary measure. Arborvitae regenerates poorly from bare, woody parts, so a thuja cut back by half usually stays brown at the bottom for years. Instead we propose topping and slightly narrowing the sides in March–April, repeated in June and early August, and only for plants above 1.5 m. Thuja quotes are given from photos.

Przycinanie korony młodego drzewa sekatorem na wysięgniku na osiedlu — przycinanie drzew i krzewów, Reefa Kraków i Katowice

Reefa specialty · Cracow

Tree and shrub pruning in Cracow.

Maintenance pruning, hedges, thujas, fruit trees — in line with the Nature Conservation Act

Call 737 576 876

50+

properties served

from 134PLN

hour

15min

response

Service scope

What's included in tree and shrub pruning

Maintenance and sanitary pruning of tree crowns — removal of deadwood, broken and crossing branches, up to 30% of the crown in line with art. 87a of the Nature Conservation Act (ustawa o ochronie przyrody)
Formative pruning of young trees and crown correction next to buildings, streetlights and overhead lines — clearance over sidewalks, parking lots and roadways
Trimming and shaping of deciduous hedges (privet, hornbeam, boxwood, cherry laurel) with gas and battery hedge trimmers, trapezoid profile
Trimming of thujas (arborvitae), yews and junipers — at most 1/3 of shoot length at a time, rejuvenation spread over several seasons
Fruit-tree pruning: winter (February to mid-April) and summer (July–August) — apple, pear, plum, sour cherry and sweet cherry
Rejuvenation and pruning of ornamental shrubs (forsythia, lilac, hydrangea, spiraea, roses) timed to their flowering period
Removal of root and trunk suckers, self-seeded saplings and dead shoots from beds and shrub groups
Work in the crowns of tall trees from a cherry picker and by rope access — certified partners (arborists) under a single contract with Reefa
On-site chipping of branches and removal of the biomass as green waste; on request the chips stay on site for mulching
Nest check before every cut in the bird breeding season (1 March–15 October), recorded with a note and photo in the work order
Help with the removal notification (private individuals) or permit application (housing communities, cooperatives, companies) — felling only after the authority's decision
Stump grinding and grubbing out of shrubs after removal — partner, one invoice

01 / 01

Tree and shrub pruning in Krakow — 1.3 million trees, ZZM standards and listed tenements

Krakow has roughly 1.3 million trees (krakow.pl, 29 April 2026), about 250,000 of them on land run by the Municipal Greenery Board (ZZM), operating since 1 July 2015 and planting some 25,000 trees a year. The rest — trees by apartment blocks and offices, in the gardens of tenements and the villas of Wola Justowska, Zwierzyniec or Swoszowice — are handled by contractors like Reefa. We work to the SUTZ standards (“Standards for maintaining urban green areas”, Sendzimir Foundation 2022, co-authored with ZZM Kraków and published at standard.zzm.krakow.pl) — formally they bind only municipal land, but we apply them on housing estates and private plots as well.

The paperwork depends on who removes a tree and where. A housing community, cooperative or company applies for a permit under procedure WS-6 at the City Hall Department of Environment, Climate and Air; a private individual files notification WS-5 with the Greenery Protection Unit (os. Zgody 2; inspection within 21 days, objection within 14 days). In the Old Town and Kazimierz, where many tenements and courtyards are heritage-listed, the application goes to the regional heritage conservator. Estate hedges run into kilometres — the Podgórze cooperative maintains 6,600 running metres in Wola Duchacka — and the market reference is a flat PLN 515 net for a maintenance cut of a tree up to 125 cm in girth (kb.pl, 29 April 2026). Reefa bills hours, not trees: PLN 134 net per labour hour, a 1.5-hour minimum (PLN 210 net) — a short sanitary cut from the ground lands below that flat fee, a full crown reduction (5–8 labour hours, PLN 670–1,080 net) above it; the hours go into the quote after a site inspection.

Four pillars

Why choose Reefa.

Compliant with the Nature Conservation Act

We prune up to 30% of the crown (art. 87a of the Nature Conservation Act, ustawa o ochronie przyrody): beyond that it counts as damaging the tree, with a penalty of 0.6 of the removal fee, and beyond 50% twice the fee. We check for nests in the 1 March–15 October breeding season and arrange felling only after a notification or permit.

Safety and 1,000,000 PLN liability cover

Work in the crowns of tall trees, from a cherry picker and by rope access is carried out by certified partners (arborists) supervised by a Reefa coordinator — under one contract and a liability policy of up to 1,000,000 PLN.

Clean-up after pruning included

The rate of 134 PLN net per labor hour includes site clean-up: branches are chipped on the spot, sidewalks and lawns are left clean, and removal of the chips as green waste is priced by volume and stated in the offer. The property manager receives a before-and-after photo report.

Greenery and cleaning on one contract

Hedges, trees, lawn mowing and stairwell cleaning are run by one coordinator, with one consolidated VAT invoice a month. 50+ sites under regular service, 91% client retention.

Service area

Districts in Cracow.

We serve properties in every district of Cracow, with full on-site staffing.

Stare MiastoKazimierzPodgórzeKrowodrzaDębnikiBronowiceNowa HutaCzyżynyPrądnik BiałyPrądnik CzerwonyBieżanów-ProkocimMistrzejowiceWola Duchacka+ surroundings up to 15 km

Comparison

Reefa vs. a typical cleaning company.

Feature	Reefa	Typical company
Permanent staff assigned to property		rotating
Dedicated coordinator		call center
QR-code reporting system
Property profile document
Certified eco supplies		partial
Liability insurance 1,000,000 PLN		lower
Price fixed before start		can grow
Client retention > 1 year		50–60%

From

134PLN/hour

Billed by the labor hour: 134 PLN net, minimum 1.5 hours (210 PLN net) per visit, clean-up included. As a guide, a tree up to 5 m takes 4–6 hours, above 5 m 7–9 hours, a hedge is about 22 PLN per running meter. Cherry picker and partner arborists are charged at cost — final price after a site visit.

Updated: September 2026

Send inquiry

Guarantees

Properties served: 50+
Client retention: 91%
In Cracow since: 2020
Liability insurance: 1 000 000 PLN
Eco supplies: EU Ecolabel
Response time: 15 min

Working with us

1
Inquiry with photos
Send photos of the trees, hedge or thujas, the address and rough dimensions (height, running meters). We reply within 15 minutes and give a preliminary number of labor hours straight away.
2
Site visit and timing
On site we agree what to cut and how much (the 30% crown limit), match the date to the species and season, and in the breeding season check for nests. You know the price before we start.
3
Paperwork only for removals
Pruning needs no permit. If a tree is to be removed, we help prepare the notification (private individuals) or the permit application (housing communities, cooperatives, companies) and wait for the authority's decision.
4
Execution
Work from the ground and ladders is done by the Reefa crew; crowns of tall trees, cherry-picker and rope-access work go to certified partners (arborists) under one contract. We secure the site and cordon off the sidewalk.
5
Clean-up and report
Branches are chipped and removed, the site is left clean. You receive a before-and-after photo report and a VAT invoice — under a standing contract, one consolidated invoice a month.

Questions

Short answers.

Can't find your question? Write us — we respond in 15 minutes.

We bill pruning by the labor hour: 134 PLN net, minimum 1.5 hours, i.e. 210 PLN net per visit, with branch clean-up included. As a guide, confirmed after a site visit: a tree up to 5 m high takes about 4–6 hours, i.e. 540–810 PLN net; a tree above 5 m about 7–9 hours, i.e. 940–1,210 PLN net, plus a cherry picker where needed. Market price lists quote a flat 500–515 PLN net for maintenance pruning of a tree with a trunk girth of up to 125 cm (kb.pl, Cracow and Katowice, 2026) — a lump sum per tree, and our hourly billing usually comes out above that. What you get for it is the time actually worked — the nest check, the cut within the 30% limit and the clean-up afterwards — itemized in hours in the report, instead of a lump sum set before anyone has looked at the tree. VAT: landscaping and green-area maintenance services (PKWiU 81.30) carry the 8% rate; a one-off cut on a private plot may fall under 23%, so we confirm the rate in the offer.

Other services in Cracow

Gardening services and grounds maintenance

from 134 PLN/hour

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from 134 PLN/hour

Facade cleaning

from 1200 PLN/month

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Start with one conversation.

On-site audit in 48 hours. Quote with no commitment. Service starts in 5–7 days.

Send inquiry 737 576 876