Tree Removal

When a tree should come down

Most trees are worth keeping, and we would rather prune one than remove it. Some cannot be saved. A tree that is dead or mostly dead, one with a large crack or cavity in the trunk, a sudden new lean, or mushrooms growing from the base or the roots may be close to failing. Ash trees badly hit by emerald ash borer become brittle as they die, which makes them more dangerous to climb the longer they stand. Other trees are healthy but in the wrong place: growing into the house, lifting a foundation or a driveway, or planted under power lines. We look at the tree, tell you what we see and give you the options before we talk about price.

How we take a tree down

In open yards, a tree can sometimes be felled in one piece. Most trees around Denver homes cannot, because there is a house, a fence, a garage or a neighbor's yard in the way. In those cases a climber or a bucket truck takes the tree down in sections from the top, and large pieces are lowered on ropes instead of dropped. When a tree is too large, too weak or too close to the house to climb safely, a crane can lift each section out over the roof. We decide which method fits during the estimate and write it on your quote, because it affects the price.

Power lines and street trees

If any part of the tree is near an overhead power line, only workers qualified for line clearance work may cut near it. For the line that runs from the pole to your house, Xcel Energy can disconnect it for the job on request, and for the larger lines it may clear the branches itself first. We arrange that before the work day. In Denver, the strip between the sidewalk and the street is public right-of-way, and the adjoining owner is responsible for the trees in it. Removing a street tree there needs a free permit from the Office of the City Forester, and we apply for it. Other cities have their own rules, and we check them when we quote.

Cleanup and what happens to the wood

Before heavy equipment crosses the lawn, we lay plywood to spread the weight. Brush goes through a chipper, logs are cut and loaded, and the yard is raked and blown off before we leave. If you want to keep firewood or a pile of wood chips for the garden, tell us at the estimate and we will price it that way. Please do not move ash firewood out of the area, since moving infested wood is one of the main ways emerald ash borer spreads.

What is left behind

Removal leaves a stump cut close to the ground. Grinding it is a separate line on the quote, so you can choose. Roots stay in the soil and break down over the years. If you plan to replant, ask us where the new tree should go so it is not on top of the old roots or under the same power line.