For those of us with mature trees in our yards, the cost of removing a dead or diseased tree can be pretty expensive. These ancient maples, elms and walnuts require the skill of an trained arborist who must scale the trees using rigging, then drop the limbs where they can’t damage property. Depending on the size of the tree, and how difficult it may be to access, tree removal can cost anywhere from $500 to $2000.
Costs like this are hard on a budget, which is why it makes sense to explore cheaper alternatives.
Determine first who owns the tree
In many communities, the county owns a right-of-way section that flanks both side of the street. If the tree is close to the street, chances are the city or county owns the tree and will take responsibility for pruning it back or removing it altogether. In the city, the trees are taken for grinding into bark chips for city parks. Out in the county, the crews will leave you the firewood upon request.
Advertise for a logger
It wasn’t until after we had a mature black walnut removed, we learned that older trees, such as walnut, maple, pine, fir, and oak are highly prized for their lumber. In certain parts of the country where logging is common, offer the wood to a logger in exchange for taking down the tree.
Share the work
If all else fails and the tree must be removed by a tree removal company, don’t be afraid to get bids and negotiate down the price. We learned that the majority of the cost involved was not in actually cutting down the tree, but in hauling off the wood and cleaning up the mess.
To drop our 70 foot walnut, we were charged $350, and saved $850 by cleaning up the mess ourselves.
To remove the pieces, there were several options. U Haul” wood could have been offered up on Freecycle.com or Craig’s List, or given to neighbors with wood stoves. We opted to invite the neighbors who showed up with pickup trucks and chainsaws, and had the bulk of the wood gone within a couple of hours. For the smaller pieces, we bought a $90 Black and Decker electric chainsaw to trim branches into manageable pieces that could be brought to a wood recycling center.
And the stump? The arborist cut the stump level to the ground for us, and it’s now being used it to hold a collection of potted herbs and flowers.
By investing in an inexpensive electric chainsaw, and inviting neighbors to share in the wood, we saved a significant amount of money on a project that could have been very costly.
Removing mature urban trees is not a job for an unskilled person. One wrong cut, and the tree can topple onto a house or bring down lines. Whether you decide to hire a logger or contract out to a tree removal crew, whomever you choose to hire should be certified in tree removal, and properly insured and bonded. For a listing of reputable tree removal services, contact a locally owned landscape center or your city’s Urban Forestry division. Urban Foresters generally sub contract out tree removal in public right of ways, and have a listing of qualified arborists they can recommend.
