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Trees. They’re shields of protection along the edges of your property. They’re Mother Nature’s masterpieces in your own backyard. They’re beautiful, comforting, And sometimes they’re family.

So, removing a tree from your landscape—your life —could be a difficult experience to encounter. But when a tree poses risks to the people and objects in its shade below, the safest thing to do is leave its fate in the hands of a professionally trained arborist.

Below, learn about the telltale signs of a dead tree, and find out what to do when a tree needs to be removed.

When It’s Time To Remove A Tree

Diagnosing a dead tree is a two-person task. You and your arborist both play an important role in keeping your yard safe from a hazardous tree.

Signs And Symptoms That Your Tree Is Dead

Here’s what you can do: start by scratching a small piece of bark off of a few twigs on the tree. If the layer underneath the bark is brown and dry, your tree could be in trouble. Continue on to look for other signs of a dead tree, including:

• Decay-producing fungi, such as mushrooms, growing at the base of the trunk
• Chipped or peeling bark and cracks in the trunk
• Cavities in the trunk or large scaffold branches
• Dead or hanging branches in the upper crown
• Fine twigs without living buds near the ends of branches, and which fail to leaf-out in the spring

If you spot one or more of these symptoms, it’s time for a professional arborist to step in. Get in touch with one right away, and schedule a tree risk assessment. A certified arborist can help you decide if it’s time to remove your tree or if there’s a chance your prized plant can be saved.

Should I Remove My Tree Or Hire A Professional To Do It?

When you work with a professional arborist, she/he will inspect your tree, assess the need for removal, and provide you with an estimate.

Removing a tree on your own can be very dangerous, especially if you have to climb a ladder with cumbersome tools to remove bulky branches. It is all-too-easy to fall from the ladder, be cut by a tool, or be struck by parts of the tree as you cut them off. Many people are badly hurt or even killed every year trying to work on their own trees. These are just some of the risks that come along with DIY tree removal.

A certified arborist who is licensed, insured, and educated on how to safely remove trees is by far the best person for the job.

Hazards And Safety Issues Regarding A Dead Tree

A dead tree might not “look” like a danger to your property. But once it’s determined that a tree is declining or no longer living, it’s a safety hazard if there are targets nearby—even if it doesn’t have hanging branches, or a leaning trunk to show for it yet.

Dead tree signs are subtle, but they should always be taken seriously. A dead tree poses a great risk to you and your home because it’s particularly weak and will quickly lose strength over time. It can lose branches or tip over in a storm and severely damage your home or property. The scariest part is that dead trees are completely unpredictable. There’s no way to tell if a storm coming up next week or next year will lead them to their breaking point, or if they’ll come down on their own on a calm day.

And that’s just one of the reasons to remove a dead tree. If a pest or disease prompted the tree’s decline, it’s critical to remove it so nearby trees aren’t at risk of infestation and infection.

Safely removing a dead tree protects you and your landscape from these hazards and leaves room for you to bring new life to your landscape.

When it comes to DIY home and landscape improvements, there are some projects you can handle like a pro and others you should leave to a pro.

Painting a room? Go for it! Retiling a bathroom? Tricky, but you can master it, right? Planting a tree? Sure! But what about removing a tree?

Read on to find out if it’s ever okay to remove a tree on your own.

Is It Safe To Diy Tree Felling & Cutting? Are There Risks & Dangers With Diy Tree Removal?

Rule of thumb: If you would have to use a ladder to reach and remove tree limbs, that tree is too big for you to remove safely.

If you were to get up on a ladder with a chainsaw, so many things could go wrong. You are putting yourself and your home at great risk. You could fall off the ladder, get struck by falling limbs, lose control of your saw and cut yourself or worse. And the tree limbs you’re cutting could fall on your home, go through a window, hit you, or even hit the ladder, knocking you off while holding a running chainsaw. Falling tree limbs can be large and unpredictable, which makes a dangerous combo.

While there are many landscape projects you can safely and easily DIY, tree removal is one that is not worth the money you save. If you hurt yourself, you’ll be slammed with medical bills, and if you damage your home, you’ll have to pay for those repairs, too. 

What If I Pull Up A Tree Or Tree Stump With My Truck?

We’d recommend against it–especially if the tree you’re removing is close to your home or any nearby structures. It’s difficult to anticipate what direction the tree will fall, which could do serious damage. Whatever you save on tree removal will not outweigh the cost of repairing your truck or home.

Plus, trees can be incredibly heavy, much heavier than you’d think. An 80’ maple tree that’s two feet wide likely weighs more than 4,000 pounds or 2 tons. Most standard pickup trucks are designed with a towing capacity between 5,000 and 13,000 pounds. The stump alone could potentially exceed that limit when trying to pull it out of the ground.

If you attempt to uproot a large tree or stump that exceeds your truck’s abilities, the truck could be damaged. The ropes or chains you’re using could also break if their limits are exceeded. The stump or tree may strike your truck when it releases from the ground. All of this has the potential to damage your truck or cause injury.

The damage you could do to your truck or home just isn’t worth the “savings” of DIY tree removal.

Can I Safely Cut Down A Small Tree? 

If the tree is small (less than fifteen feet in height) that you could remove it without climbing a ladder to first remove limbs, and there is enough space around it to safely bring it to the ground, and you are properly trained, and you have the necessary tools and personal protective equipment, it’s likely OK if you remove it yourself. If you have any doubts about whether it’s safe to remove the tree on your own, contact a certified arborist, and they’ll provide guidance. To help with removing small stumps, wet the soil around stumps the day before digging them out with hand tools. Larger stumps can be removed by a professional arborist with a stump grinder.

If you’re 100% sure it’s time to remove your tree, then the next step is to make it happen.

While deciding to remove a tree can be emotional, it doesn’t have to be painful. We work with you to make the process as smooth as possible every step of the way. We’ll even save you a piece of the tree if you want–or help pick the perfect replacement tree.

But first thing first, let’s talk about the cost of tree removal.

Removal Cost Per Tree

Just like every fingerprint, every single tree is different and unique. That goes for every tree removal, too.

How Much Should I Pay For Tree Removal?

As mentioned above, the cost of tree removal really depends on the tree. To give an accurate tree removal cost, an arborist needs to see it in person. 

These Are The Factors We Consider To Determine A Tree Removal Cost.

• Location: The biggest factor that affects tree removal cost is location, location, location–just like real estate. If a tree is close to your home, other structures, or power lines, removal becomes much trickier. Think about it. A single limb can weigh up to 1,000 pounds. If that were to drop, it could make a serious dent in your yard or cause significant damage to your home. An experienced tree removal company creates a detailed plan to make sure that doesn’t happen.
• Size of the tree: As you guessed, larger trees cost more to remove. There’s simply more to do!
• Client specifications: We give our clients lots of options for tree removals. Don’t want us to drive on the lawn? Sure thing! We work with you to make it happen.
• Equipment needs: If you’re removing a large tree close to your home, we may recommend using a rig or crane to lower sections of the tree, piece by piece.
• Time and crew required: Based on the above factors, we estimate how long and how many people we’ll need to do the job safely. If it’s a small tree in a remote location, we could take it out in a few hours. On the flip side, if it’s a bigger, more involved job, it could take a couple/few days.

If A Tree Removal Cost Seems Too Good To Be True, Ask These 4 Questions.

1. Do you have insurance?
   Tree removal can be dangerous when done incorrectly. If you hire someone without insurance, any property damage or injuries that happen could be your fiscal responsibility. Always, always ask for proof of insurance before allowing someone to climb up your tree with a chainsaw.
2. What are your credentials? 
   To remove a tree, all you need is a chainsaw. To be an ISA Certified Arborist®, you need at least three years’ experience. Then, you need to pass a rigorous exam and sign a code of ethics.
3. Do you have any referrals I could talk to ahead of time? If you’re skeptical of a lowball cost, ask for referrals. Or hop online and read reviews before hiring a tree removal company.
4. How do you plan on removing this tree?
   “This is a big one!” Some companies will drive their truck right up to the tree (leaving marks on the way), chop it down, and have the limbs dent your yard as they fall. Then, they’ll leave these huge, heavy branches sitting there for you to deal with.
   
   Ask for details on how exactly the company will remove your tree. That way, you know you’re hiring experienced arborists, and you know exactly what you’re paying for. Unless otherwise requested; we do a full removal, and cleanup of the job site.