More than 5000 trees have been chopped down at schools across NSW with $13 million spent on "tree safety works" following the playground accident in February in which eight-year-old Bridget Wright was killed by a falling limb from a gum tree.

The Department of Education confirmed that arborist assessments had been completed for 1960 out of 2181 school sites (89 per cent) and that 5042 trees had been removed. Arborists recommended lopping and removal of trees at 1587 school sites and the work is expected to be completed by the end of next month.

Workers remove trees at Pitt Town Public School, where Bridget Wright was killed by a falling branch. Credit:James Brickwood

But the program, financed by the department, has been condemned as a knee-jerk reaction by one of the country's leading arborists who confirmed that he had been paid for work under the scheme.

The seven-metre branch fell from the tree at Pitt Town Public School at lunchtime as children settled to eat their lunches after the 1pm bell. Two other children, Matilda Hurst, 5, and her brother Thomas, 7, as well as teacher Warren Minton, were injured.