Frequently Asked Questions

For a tree on your own property outside a historic district, the city's Public Works FAQ does not describe a removal permit for homeowners. Trees in the strip between the sidewalk and the street can be city property, and those you may not cut or hire out at all; call 311. If your house is in a designated historic district, check with the city's historic preservation office before removing a large tree, since the design guidelines cover material changes to historic sites.

Curbside collection takes limbs up to four feet long and six inches across. A whole tree from private property needs a Tree For Fee pickup, which the city prices at $50 per load plus $76.50 per ton and says takes about a week. When we do the work, hauling is part of the quote, because city rules require contractors to remove their own waste.

Columbus says it cannot order private trees removed unless they are a direct threat to the right-of-way and the public, and it does not evaluate private trees. Its advice is to notify your neighbor in writing and keep copies for your insurance company. We can look at the tree and give you a written description of what we see.

The Georgia Forestry Commission lists the signs: dime-sized white to yellow pitch tubes on the bark, brown boring dust in the crevices, and green needles on the ground. Badly stressed trees may show only entrance holes and dust. Pines weakened by drought, storm damage or root injury are the usual targets.

Lines that run along the street and through easements belong to the utility, and work near them is regulated. Georgia 811 says anyone working in the vicinity of overhead high-voltage lines has to notify it at least 72 hours in advance, not counting weekends and holidays. If a limb is on or touching a line, call the utility first and stay clear.

National cost guides put most single-tree removals between a few hundred dollars and about $2,000, with tall trees, tight access and trees over the house at the high end. Pruning and stump grinding are usually less. We give you a free written estimate after seeing the tree, and that estimate is the price.

The Georgia Forestry Commission says hand-piled leaves and limbs can be burned without a permit if you follow its conditions: 25 feet from woods, 50 feet from buildings, sunrise to sunset, someone watching and water on hand. Land-clearing and storm debris burns need notification or a permit. Local ordinances also apply, so check before you light a pile.

Yes. We work throughout Columbus, including north Columbus, Midland, Green Island Hills and Fortson, and out into Harris County. Call or send the form with your address and a few photos, and we will set up a time to look at the trees.

If that strip is city property, no. Columbus says residents may not cut city trees or hire a private contractor to do it; call 311 and the Urban Forestry & Right-of-Way Division handles it. We can help you figure out where your property line likely falls.

A small tree in an open yard can take an hour or two. A large oak or pine over a house, cut down in sections and lowered by rope, can take most of a day or more. We give you an estimate of the time with the quote.

Yes, unless you want to keep it. Columbus curbside pickup only takes limbs up to four feet long and six inches thick, and contractors are required to remove their own waste, so hauling is included in the quote.

Our prices don't follow a set seasonal discount, but winter can make a job easier. Hardwoods are bare, so it is easier to see the structure, and the summer storm season hasn't started. Dry ground also helps keep equipment from rutting the lawn.

Only if you want it. The stump is a separate line on the quote, so you can have it ground the same day, later, or not at all.

Mature shade trees usually need attention every three to five years, sooner if they are dropping dead limbs or hang over the house. Young trees benefit from light structural pruning more often. Pines need little routine pruning beyond removing dead limbs and anything over the roof.

No. Hard cutting back every winter leaves knobby stubs that sprout thin, weak branches. Removing crossing branches, suckers and old seed heads keeps the natural shape, and if a crape myrtle is simply too big for its spot, a different plant may be the better answer.

It depends on the line. Work in the vicinity of overhead high-voltage lines requires at least 72 hours' notice to Georgia 811, and some limbs are the utility's to handle. We will tell you at the estimate which limbs we can take and which need the utility.

Pruning lowers the risk by removing dead wood and taking weight off long limbs, but it can't fix decay in the trunk or roots. If we see signs of internal decay, we tell you and talk through removal or monitoring.

Deadwood can come out any time. Larger structural pruning on hardwoods is often done in late winter, before spring growth and before the summer storm season.

Usually four to six inches below the ground, which is enough for grass or new topsoil. We can go deeper if you plan to plant or build in that spot.

Pine roots do not sprout after the stump is ground. Some hardwoods can send up shoots from roots for a season; pulling or cutting those a few times usually ends it.

Yes. Old stumps, new stumps and stumps left from storm cleanup are all fine. Old, partly rotted stumps often grind faster.

Grinding turns the stump into chips in place and leaves the deep roots to decay. Full removal digs the whole stump and root ball out with a machine, which leaves a big hole and costs more. For most yards, grinding is enough.

Usually. Smaller grinders fit through a standard gate opening. Measure your narrowest gate and tell us when you call.

Policies differ. In many cases, a tree that falls on a covered structure is handled under the policy, while a tree that falls in the yard without hitting anything may not be. Call your insurer, take photos before anything is moved and keep your written estimate and invoice.

Stay away from the tree and the line and call the utility. Don't try to cut, pull or move anything touching it. Once the utility has made the line safe, the rest of the tree can be dealt with.

That depends on your insurance policies and the circumstances, so start with your insurer. Columbus advises that when a neighbor's tree looks dangerous, you notify them in writing and keep copies for your insurer; that record helps if a tree later fails.

Yes, you can call any time to leave details about the tree and the damage. Work on trees in the dark is rarely safe, so most storm cleanup starts at first light.

Watch them. Pines that lost limbs or had roots loosened are more likely to be attacked by bark beetles in the following months, according to the Georgia Forestry Commission. Look for pitch tubes and boring dust on the bark.

Usually not once southern pine beetle or Ips have mass-attacked it. The Georgia Forestry Commission does not recommend chemical control for those beetles in forest settings and advises salvaging badly damaged pines promptly. Black turpentine beetle, which attacks the base, can sometimes be treated with an approved insecticide.

They can. Southern pine beetle in particular can move from tree to tree and kill groups of pines. If a neighbor's pine is dying, it is worth checking your nearby pines for pitch tubes and dust.

Not by itself. Healthy pines with a straight trunk and sound roots stand through most storms. Warning signs are a new lean, cracks, root damage, lightning scars, beetle signs and a thinning or browning crown.

You can, but beetle-infested wood is better hauled away from your other pines. Pine also burns with more resin and soot than seasoned hardwood. We can leave clean logs if you want them.

Yes. On bigger lots in north Columbus, Midland and Harris County we thin crowded pines and take out dead ones, and we can quote that work by the tree or by the area.

Clearing tied to a building or development project falls under the city's Unified Development Ordinance and its permits, so check with the planning office for that. Thinning brush and trees on an existing home lot is usually simpler. Burning the debris needs notification or a permit from the Georgia Forestry Commission for land-clearing burns.

Yes, that is the most common request. We flag the trees you want to keep and keep equipment off their roots where possible.

It is chipped on site, hauled away or both, as written on the quote. Pine Grove Landfill accepts land-clearing debris, and chips can also be left on the property for paths or mulch.

It depends on how thick the growth is and how big the trees are. Light brush on flat ground can be cleared in a day; a heavily wooded, hilly acre takes longer. We give a time estimate with the quote.

Yes. We work from your builder's site plan and clear the footprint, driveway route and work area, keeping any trees the plan saves.