1. Hazard - The tree or trees stand as clear and present danger(s) to private or public property. Remember that a "hazard" condition requires two key components: a target within striking distance of a dangerous tree. Without a frequently used target, a nearby defective tree poses little or no hazard.
   

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2. Construction/Development - "... big green thing in the way”. This is a fact of life in growing cities and towns. Just make sure you have taken the time to adequately site your development in order to maximize and protect existing trees and their value to your property. Construction and development projects can include anything from a new tomato garden, a sidewalk, a septic field, a new house, a driveway to, a six-lane freeway.
   

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3. View - See above with the following caveat: think hard about the view you think you want. Often we can frame a view ("window" a view) through a tree that should remain standing. However, in most cases the only realistic alternative to removal is "topping," and most large tree species DO NOT SUSTAIN TOPPING DAMAGE WELL. Therefore, depending on the species we will consent to your removal requests. We will either offer alternative suggestions or suggest new replacement trees of more appropriately sized species - trees that will not grow into your view in their maturity.
   

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4. Power/Utility Lines - See #1 above. Utility companies, especially electric power companies, have a huge task maintaining safe corridors for their transmission and distribution systems. More enlightened utilities and their line clearance supervisors will offer free, clean, safe, entire tree removal and proper tree replacement rather than repeated topping and mutilation of poorly placed, large mature trees. If they don't call us.
   

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5. Maintenance/Nuisance - Sometimes a tree causes enough problems to a property that such nuisance exceeds any asset it may provide. Again, look at the situation carefully. Can other parts of the property be changed to alleviate the problem and conserve the tree? Often problems like damaged or destroyed drainage or pavement, or a perpetual over• shaded condition have no solution other than removal. (On the other hand, sometimes other solutions do exist. See the Root House for more info).
   

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6. Forest, Stand or Landscape Management - Responsible management often mandates culling or selectively thinning certain trees for the greater benefit of more desirable trees or other plants. A backyard garden, a golf course, a city greenbelt, or a county park - any of these may eventually require large tree removal to promote and prolong the larger plant community.
   

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7. Harvest - LOGGING!Any arborist or landscape professional (especially architects) who tell you to "save nursery landscaping by keeping large trees an difficulties" does not serve you well. - Sometimes trees provide more value as timber rather than as standing amenities. If the property upon which they stand offers enough room for easy felling and removal of large logs (30'-40' long), then such a project may well return revenue to the owner (you) or at least cover costs. On more restricted, confined sites large timber harvest can still greatly reduce costs. On extremely tight, difficult development sites, the costs required to properly protect and retain large trees will often easily EXCEED the costs for removal. In such cases it makes sense to harvest and get something in return for the pain and trouble of removal.

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Large tree removal can be divided into two basic categories: "Zero Impact" and "Collateral Damage.” In a "zero impact II situation no collateral damage occurs, no matter how slight. At City Foresters, whatever it takes to cut and remove large trees from a site and cause "zero" damage in the process, we will do.

Often a situation will exist that allows certain kinds of impact and damage to occur to the area surrounding a large tree scheduled for removal. In demolition and development projects some buildings may even be considered expendable.

"Zero impact" removals almost always cost more than "collateral damage" removals. Sometimes our customers have discovered, too late, that the time and money required to clean up and fix up property following a "collateral damage" removal added up to more than the quote we provided for a "zero impact" removal. We will try our best to help you understand all costs involved in safe removal and thorough clean-up. Please review the following notes on Methods of Removal.

1. Basic - No smoke, no mirrors, no bells, no whistles. A climber in saddle and spurs with a chain saw, rope and safety gear limbing and dropping on the way up; cutting and "chunking" down the largest, safest size logs possible. The ground crew processes limbs (brush) through a chipper and arranges for disposition of larger logs - whether for firewood, timber or some other use.
   

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2. Felling - Even more basic. No climbing. Sight the fall lines; face cut, back cut and "TIMBER!" Limb, buck, chip brush, clean-up and get out.
   

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3. Technical - In confined spaces with valuable targets nearby or beneath the tree, we employ various kinds of rigging for safe lowering and disposal of large sections of the tree.
   

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4. "Bucket" - Wherever possible we will use our "bucket truck" (aerial man-lift) to facilitate removal operations.
   

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5. Crane - Normally the most high-profile technique. When a tree's size and position combine to preclude any other sensible method, we employ a crane of appropriate size. In general we use the crane when we need the capability to "pick and lift" large parts of the tree directly from their upright or growing positions. The logs never touch the ground; we rig them and pick them clear. Usually we attempt to market the logs for timber or pulp. Quite often, a crane removal will cost less even with the added cost of a large crane. Site restrictions ultimately determine time and cost, however.
   

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No tree removal job is complete until the stump is out of the ground. Three basic methods for stump removal entail:

• grinding it out in place;
• excavating it and hauling it away to a landfill or recycling plant;
• leaving it in place and letting it rot away or poisoning it.

Most of the time we grind stumps in place following tree removal. We use two different grinders a walk-behind for most backyard applications and a much larger tow-behind machine that makes very short work of stump disposal. Keep in mind that even after we grind out the bole of a large tree stump, a large lateral root system remains in the ground. Depending on the species, these roots will rot away at varying rates. Some may sprout "root suckers" and require more cutting or poison in order to eliminate them. Almost all of our clients keep and use stump grindings (or "stump-chips") for garden mulch. You should too.

Most large tree removal projects generate three distinct, valuable by-products, which result from processing the tree: brush chips, stump chips, and logs too large to send through our chipper.

• Chips: Most of our customers keep and use their brush and stump chips. Otherwise we haul the material to various public agencies and private property owners who routinely mulch their landscapes with tree chips. (click to the Mulch House)
  

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• Logs - either fireplace wood or marketable timber: If the logs won't make lumber or pulp, then burn them. Some species - like willow or poplar - make terrible firewood and are too crooked to pulp, so we have to haul them away for disposal at processing plants that can beat and chip them.