What does tree removal involve?
Tree removal means cutting a tree down to the ground and taking the wood away. In open space, a tree can be dropped in one piece. On most lots here, it can't. A climber or bucket truck takes the tree apart from the top down, and each section is tied to a rope and lowered to the ground. The crew then cuts the wood up, loads it, and rakes the site. The stump is cut close to the ground, and grinding out what's left of the stump can be added to the same visit.
When does a tree need to come down?
- More than half the crown is dead or bare in summer.
- The trunk has a deep crack, a large cavity, or mushrooms growing from its base.
- The tree started leaning recently, or soil is lifting on one side of the root plate.
- It's an ash with thinning leaves, D-shaped exit holes, or woodpeckers stripping the bark.
- It's growing into a foundation, roof, or wall and can't be pruned back far enough.
Leaving a tree like this in place doesn't make it safer. Dead wood only gets weaker and harder to remove, and the price usually goes up once a crew can no longer climb it.
Why do trees near homes here become dangerous?
Emerald ash borer has killed ash trees across the region, and those trees turn brittle within a year or two of dying. Construction is the other big cause. Many trees were left standing right at the edge of new buildings, and the roots cut during excavation never grew back. Rocky, shallow soil means the roots that remain are spread thin, so a weakened tree can tip in a nor'easter once the ground is soaked.
What affects the cost of tree removal?
- Size. Taller, wider trees take more cuts and more hauling.
- What's underneath. Roofs, cars, fences, and power lines mean rigging every piece down slowly.
- Condition. Dead trees can't always be climbed, which may require a bucket truck or crane.
- Access. A tree in a back courtyard with no truck access means carrying wood out by hand.
- Extras. Stump grinding or keeping the firewood changes the total.
We look at all of this in person and give you one written price.
Should you remove the tree or try to save it?
If the trunk is solid and the problem is a few bad limbs, a careful trim can often buy the tree years of safe life. If the trunk is cracked, hollow, or the roots were badly damaged, pruning won't fix it. Ash trees already infested by emerald ash borer are almost always removals. We'll tell you plainly which side your tree falls on, even when the smaller job is the answer.