O'Rourke Landscaping and Tree Surgery

02/06/2026

All trees in Mayo need to be maintained as untreated they can become a danger to families and the public. Trees naturally produce deadwood which should be removed before it falls and cause damage to property and people. We now offer a complete service for all tree surgery needs from remedial surgery, complete felling, site clearance and safe removal. We also do commercial tree removal and contract tree removal.

Dismantling & Felling

Complete safe removal of trees, in sections, where an unsage tree is a hazard to property or the public or in cases where complete or partial site clearance is required.

Crown Reduction & Thinning

Appropriate, safe reduction of the size of Mayo trees using equipment like tree shears.

Dead Wooding

The removal of weak, crossing, or duplicated branches to improve the structure of the crown.

Stump Removal

We can grind all sizes of stumps in all locations with our new compact stump grinder and mulcher.

Formative Pruning

This is when young trees are "trained" to grow in a particular way. This is very important in tree surgery Mayo.

Hedge Trimming

We provide an excellent service in trimming back and shaping hedges and hedgerows in your garden.

Shrub Pruning

Shrubs create the structure in a garden so it's important to keep them in good condition with regular pruning. This will improve a plant's shape and encourage flowers and fruits.

With a 100% safety record and decades of experience, call Tom today! Give us a buzz on 086 251 7202 or send us an email at [email protected]
www.orourkelandscaping.com

25/05/2026

Cherry pickers

A vital piece of equipment when trying to prune and manage trees is a cherry picker or work platform. This is named after old lifts that were used to pick cherries from tall trees, but nowadays we have much larger machines that can safely reach even the tops of the tallest trees. This is a great help when undertaking professional pruning like pollarding, espaliering and pleaching, and particularly removing high-growing dead branches, diseased growth and dying sprouts from the main trunk.

An experienced tree surgeon is needed to know the difference between damage, disease, and health in various different kinds of trees. Once these have been removed, other branches might need to be taken down from the heights, as you don't want to be liable if an oversized branch splits off in a high wind and lands one someone or their property. This is especialyl true of long branches sticking far out at a height as the tree tries to absorb as much sunlight as it can.

Tom O'Rourke has some of the most sophisticated and highest-reaching cherry pickers, tree lifts and tree elevators in the country, enabling him to take down, shape and remove the riskiest outlying growth from even the tallest trees.

Everybody loves trees but these gentle giants need to be treated with respect and care in order to secure the safety of people nearby.

With a 100% safety record and decades of experience, call Tom today! Give us a buzz on 086 251 7202 or send us an email at [email protected]
www.orourkelandscaping.com

18/05/2026

Tree Safety

A dangerous tree in Mayo is one that is likely to cause serious damage to property or injury to people. Many trees become unstable when entering the later stages of disease - though perfectly healthy, young trees also can become a danger if damaged by severe weather.

If a tree is overhanging a road or building, don't hesitate in seeking the advice of a professional tree surgeon or arboriculturist. Most commonly the tree will not have to be removed in its entirety - just the limbs causing the potential danger.

Look for places on the tree's trunk where there is no bark. This can indicate a dead section or a fungus attack. Tree surgery Mayo may be needed.

One of the most obvious tree dangers is dead wood that can fall. You can spot dead wood easily : dead branches have leaves that are completely brown or there won't be any leaves at all.

If you identify a dangerous tree owned by someone other than yourself, express your concern to them and encourage them to take action immediately.

Deadwooding

Deadwooding: Very often Mayo tree surgeons are employed for the removal of minor and major deadwood. This is a particularly dangerous operation, with dead branches overhanging roads or pathways and posing high risk to people/property

Crown Reduction

Crown reduction is normally required when a tree has grown too large for its permitted space. A long term, often favourable solution, is to remove the tree completely and replant. If crown reduction is necessary, it is often required when a tree or part of a tree is touching or very close to a building.

Crown reduction should be considered in order to achieve an overall reduction in the volume of a tree. Work usually involves a general shortening of minor branches. Generally 20% is the maximum that can be taken from the crown.

Tree Felling and Safe Tree Surgery

Tree felling is a skilled and potentially hazardous operation that should be undertaken only by a competent tree surgeon or tree surgery company. If there is non significant risk of damage to people or property a tree can be felled in one piece.

Where there are restrictions, e.g. lack of space, building, roads, other features, land ownership or use, or other shrubs or trees in Mayo which are to be retained, tree surgeons will dismantle a tree in sections (sectional felling). Tree surgeons will often set up rigging systems or use hoists in restricted areas to prevent branches and pieces of wood from falling freely or pose a risk to surrounding property.

Stump Removal

With Stump removal we use purpose built stump grinding hardware machinery which neatly removes the eyesore of a tree stump from your lawn or surrounding grounds.

The advantage of grinding machinery to large diggers is less potential damage to your lawn, easy access to small, hard to reach areas and a significant cost savings to homeowners and businesses alike.

In the final stages of stump removal, the tree stump is gradually turned into a pile of wood chip. At that point, the only visible sign of the remaining stump is the wood chip, which can be taken away or retained by the homeowner for use as mulch.

The very final step is to cut through the tree roots around the footprint of the stump.

Formative Pruning

This is when young trees are "trained" to grow in a particular way. Trees can become prone to wind and snow damage as they mature to a lack of structual training. Your tree surgeon Mayo can often help in providing this structural or formative pruning.

Crown Thinning

Crown thinning is used for specific purposes such as to let in additional light through the canopy or reducing the height.

When crown thinning, a tree surgeon should try to keep an even density of foliage and branches should be balanced. Ideally, no more than one third of the leaf-bearing area should be removed in crown thinning and branches and foliage should be kept as even as possible.

It is often necessary to remove weak, defective, hazardous and/or crossing branches so care should be taken to retain a balanced look of the tree.

Shrub Pruning & Thinning

It is important to keep shrubs and other plants in the garden in good condition with regular pruning and trimming. This will improve the plant's shape and encourage flowers and fruits. However, pruning must be done with care to avoid damage

Hedge Pruning & Shaping

Most formal deciduous hedges will need reshaping at least twice a season. Usually, pruning when the plants are at the desired height and then later in the year.

With a 100% safety record and decades of experience, call Tom today! Give us a buzz on 086 251 7202 or send us an email at [email protected]
www.orourkelandscaping.com

11/05/2026

A fantastic review for Tom O'Rourke Tree surgery!

I recently engaged Thomas O’Rourke Landscaping and Tree Surgery to remove a large number of severely overgrown trees that had become a significant safety concern due to their proximity to the road. Thomas and his outstanding team — his daughter Ciara and son Conor — arrived on site and carried out the work with exceptional professionalism and care.

The team approached the project with impressive precision. Trees were thoughtfully selected for removal, while those that could be retained were expertly pruned and tidied. I had been worried that such extensive clearing would leave the area looking bare, and I fully expected to have to replant shrubs to restore the landscape.

Instead, Thomas, Ciara, and Conor transformed the space into a beautifully balanced and natural-looking environment. They created a hedge and boundary screen using the existing shrubbery, allowing holly saplings, hawthorn trees, and rhododendrons to thrive once again. The site opened up into stunning vistas, with sunlight returning to areas that had been shaded for years.

Their skill and confidence in operating highly technical and potentially dangerous machinery were evident throughout the project. They are clearly experts in their field, with a remarkable work ethic and a genuine passion for what they do. When the job was complete, the site was left immaculate — not a leaf or twig out of place — making ongoing maintenance effortless and ensuring the area can be enjoyed for many years to come.

I consider the work carried out by Thomas and his team to be a valuable investment in the property, and I cannot recommend them highly enough.

Grainne Riordan

With a 100% safety record and decades of experience, call Tom today! Give us a buzz on 086 251 7202 or send us an email at [email protected]
www.orourkelandscaping.com

27/04/2026

Large tree removal

The removal of any trees, but especially larger trees and large tree heads, can be a hazardous business. The sheer mass of wood involved is often not appreicated when we live beside them for years, so one of the main things to think about when looking at removing a tree is safety. There may be risks of electrocution in the case of felling a tree near power lines, fire, and personal and property damage, such as to fences or your neighbour's land. There are also regulations and insurance to consider.

Tree felling is one of the most dangerous jobs you can undertake in Mayo, so it's always best to get a professional in to deal with it.

Here at O'Rourke tree surgery we have a range of the latest equipment, including some that can be found nowhere else in the country, to safely, quickly and efficiently remove trees from your property, even the largest. Our many years of expertise will ensure that a problem tree is taken down and out, and the wood chipped if need be, usign our cherry picker lifting work platform and specialised heavy vehicles.

A tree lift or tree elevator is a very tall machine that lets a tree surgeon rise up to the height of the top of the tree and remove pieces in segments, or prune back branches as need be. Every tree surgery job is different, and the techniques used can vary with live trees and dead trees, small and tall trees. It can be very difficult to tell which way a dead tree will fall regardless of wedges being used, unless you have a lot of experience in felling trees, as we do. If you're just clearing a large tree to let smaller ones nearby grow, that is again something different.

The location of the tree is also a primary factor to think about - if you're felling a tree in the middle of busy towns like Castlebar or Claremorris, it's a different story to taking one down in the countryside out in Dunmore or Roundfort. Timing and speed of operation are essential aspects to safe and efficient tree removal.

And once you have the tree down there is the stump to consider. We can chip the wood and take away the tree sections, and we can grind the stump down too. This brings its own challenges, since roots can dig under buildings and into foundations, or work their way around water, sewerage, gas or power lines.

So if you're looking for a chainsaw man, wood chipping or stump grinding, look no further, Tom O'Rourke in county Mayo is the best tree surgeon you can find!

With a 100% safety record and decades of experience, call Tom today! Give us a buzz on 086 251 7202 or send us an email at [email protected]
www.orourkelandscaping.com

20/04/2026

13/04/2026

People are loving Tom O'Rourke Tree surgery!

I want to express our sincerest thanks for a wonderful job.

It was an absolute pleasure to deal with you and your team. Conor and Ciara, first class work taking down all our 15 trees, some of which were facing onto a main road. There was no problem with traffic and the road was kept clear of debris. Your attention to detail was outstanding. I would highly recommend you to anyone looking for landscape or tree felling.

Once you arrived the work never stopped till tea time. Lovely friendly banter.

Breda Doyle

With a 100% safety record and decades of experience, call Tom today! Give us a buzz on 086 251 7202 or send us an email at [email protected]
www.orourkelandscaping.com

06/04/2026

Another great review for Tom O'Rourke Tree surgery!

Thank you to Tom and his team for an excellent job done, hedge trimming, tree pruning and tree removal. All completed to the highest standard. Tom is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about his work and they all work efficiently as a team.

They come fully equipped with top of the range machinery to get all work done without any damage to lawns or driveway and cleaned up immaculately throughout the job and left all areas clean.

I was very impressed and would highly recommend them to anyone.

Clare Owens

Headford
Co Galway

With a 100% safety record and decades of experience, call Tom today! Give us a buzz on 086 251 7202 or send us an email at [email protected]
www.orourkelandscaping.com