Tree Removal in Chattanooga, TN

Tree removal on a Chattanooga lot often means working against the slope. A tulip poplar at the top of a backyard on Missionary Ridge, an oak downhill from a house on Signal Mountain, a pine leaning toward a garage in East Brainerd: in each case the question is not only how to cut the tree but where every limb and log will go, and how it gets back up to the street. Most residential removals here are done in sections. A climber or a lift takes off limbs first, then the trunk in pieces, and anything too heavy or too close to a roof is lowered on ropes instead of dropped.

Signs a tree should come down

Some cases are clear: a tree that is dead, a trunk with a long open crack, a large cavity or shelf fungus near the base, roots heaved up on one side after a storm, or a fresh lean that was not there last year. Others are judgment calls, such as a healthy tree that has simply outgrown a small lot, a pine shading out the whole yard, or a Bradford pear that splits a little more every spring. We tell you plainly what we see, and when pruning would solve the problem, we say that too.

Dead pines, ash and hemlocks

Standing dead trees are harder to remove the longer they wait. Pines killed by southern pine beetle dry out and lose their bark within months, and the beetles that killed them can move on to nearby pines that were already stressed. Ash killed by emerald ash borer turns brittle and can drop limbs without warning. Dead hemlocks in shaded ravines are often on the steepest ground of all. Climbing and rigging dead wood takes more care and more time, and HomeGuide notes that a dead tree often costs more to remove because of the added safety risk. Taking a dying tree out while the wood still holds together is usually simpler and safer.

Trees on slopes and near structures

On a hillside, logs roll. We plan where each piece will land, block or stake rounds so they stay put, and keep heavy equipment off soft or steep ground and retaining walls. Over roofs, limbs are rigged so they swing away from the house instead of falling onto it. Where a tree is too big or too close to rig safely from the tree itself, a crane is sometimes the safest way to lift sections out; when that is the case, we explain why on the quote.

Wires, street trees and neighbors

We do not cut near energized lines. If a tree is in contact with an EPB line, the utility deals with that part first, and EPB will remove a tree growing directly under its lines at no charge, leaving the stump. A tree at the curb may be a city tree: Chattanooga requires a Tree Ordinance Permit to remove or disturb any tree on city property. A trunk that straddles a property line belongs partly to your neighbor. We flag those situations when we visit, before we write a price.

The wood and the stump

You decide what happens to everything that comes off the tree: logs left in rounds for firewood, cut to length, or hauled away; brush chipped and the chips left for your beds or taken off site. The stump is a separate line on the quote, so you can grind it on the same visit, later, or not at all.