Cutting down a tree is the most common way of removing it. Many services exist to remove trees of various sizes in a safe and professional manner. Costs can vary from less than the US $200 to more than the US $1000 by including additional fees and services. You can get a quote yourself by considering some items, although you can also check with a tree removal service for an estimate in person.

Step 1

Determine if the tree is on public property or if it is considered protected by federal, state or local laws. Your local government may provide this information to residents. In some cases, a botanist will have to inspect the tree, and these consultation fees can vary greatly.

Step 2

Estimate the height of the tree to be cut down. Use the surrounding buildings to estimate the height of the tree. The higher the tree height, the greater the cost. For example, a tree less than 30 feet (9.14 m) will be at the cheapest end of the price range, while a 100-foot (30.5 m) tree is one of the most expensive. Trees of intermediate heights will have variable prices.

Step 3

Check if there are utility lines, posts and buildings or structures in contact or very close to the tree. The closer the tree is to these structures, the greater the cost.

Step 4

Consider additional costs such as the destruction of the trunk, pruning of branches and the removal of pruning. Some companies include these services with tree removal, while others may charge a fee based on the size of the trunk, the number of branches and pruning to clean.

What is the average cost to remove a large tree?

If you have a large tree in your garden that you want to remove, you should consider the total costs involved. If you have free time (and friendly hands), you may be able to cut and remove the tree yourself, but you still have to take into account the rental costs of the necessary heavy machinery. Hiring a service to take care of the tree in your place can be more efficient and possibly less expensive in the long term.

Process

Always examine where your tree is before beginning any removal procedure. The type and arrangement of the tree are very important: notify the local government and public service companies first. If the tree extends its roots deep into the ground, it can be a threat to the sidewalk and the water network. If the tree is in front of your house, it could belong to the city property, and there is a good chance that they will remove it for you free. However, if the tree is located near your home, it must be tied and felled by sections, which can increase the cost of hiring a tree extraction service.

Average trees

Medium-sized trees can reach 60 feet (18.2 m), but can also include smaller versions of 30 feet (9.14 m). Alders, gummies, wild apple trees and many other varieties fall into this category. In 2010, these trees can cost as much as the US $900 to remove the larger versions, but the smaller types can only cost around the US $175.

Larger trees

Trees between 60 and 80 feet (18.2 and 24.3 m) high are generally considered large trees, such as red pine and oak varieties. Removing these trees can cost the US $400 to the US $1,000. Extracting the largest trees, which reach as high as 100 feet (30.4 m), such as American ash, bur oak and sugar maple, can cost more than $1,500.

Additional charges

Several tree removal procedures may cost more, depending on the services you want. For example, if you want your branches and trunks to be splintered, services usually charge around $100 an hour for chop services. It also costs extra, between the US $50 and the US $300, for the company to take wood or chips from your home. If you want to make a consultation before you start, a tree specialist can charge up to the US $125 an hour for your consultation fees.

How to determine the age of a tree without cutting it

The easiest way to define the age of a tree is to cut it and count the number of internal rings. One way is for you to have a professional get a core drilling sample and count the annual rings. However, this method is invasive and may cause damage. Another method, developed by the International Society of Arboriculture, requires only a few simple measures and some calculations to obtain an accurate estimate of age.

Estimating the age of the tree

Wrap the meter around the specimen, about four and a half feet above the ground. This measurement is its circumference. Write down the result.

Use the circumference to find the diameter of the tree. The formula for doing so is Diameter = circumference divided by 3.14 (number pi).

Determine the age of the tree by multiplying the diameter by the rates of the growth coefficient for common species: 2.0: poplars of the genus Populus, poplars of the genus Populus Aegiros; 3.0: Silver Maple, Swamp Oak, Linden; 3.5: Water birch; 4.0: White elm, Green ash, American red oak; 4.5: American black walnut, American red maple; 5.0: Sugar maple, Birch birch, White oak, American black cherry; 7.0: dogwoods, Sticks iron, Tree of love. For example, suppose a silver maple has a circumference of 20 inches. The diameter (20 divided by 3.14) would be 6.369. This measure (6.369) multiplied by the growth coefficient (3.0) is equal to 19.108. The age for the specimen of this example would then be approximately 19 years.

Stump Lifting

The presence of trees demands a greater amount of water to the soil, which causes some drying of the land. Usually, those deciduous plants need more water than evergreen.

Another adverse effect that may arise after the felling of large trees is the decompression of the land. The roots that remain buried serve as food for termites, which is a short time consume and hollow them out. Or, for another cause, such as the stump lift.

Logging is very useful when you want to take advantage of wood from trees to make objects and also when you want to completely clean the land where it will be built. The removal of the stump consists in removing the pieces of the trunks and the root systems that remain after felling, and that can damage the conditions of the place where they are going to be built in the short or long term.

It is a cleaning procedure that requires a lot of effort. This work, in most cases, requires various machinery and tools, such as backhoes, shovels, among other things.

Due to the complexity involved in the removal of the stump, it is advisable to hire forestry professionals specialized in this work to ensure that the cleaning of stumps and tree strains is done properly and in the least amount of time possible.

Conclusion

If a tree dies from insect infestation, remove the bark from where the tree once stood. This will (hopefully) free you from most insects. One can buy sprayers to protect trees that have not yet been infested with insects, or buy an insecticide if it is already infested to prevent insects from spreading.