What shapes the job
Every removal is priced after someone sees the tree, so quotes vary. The things that usually change the work:
- How tall the tree is, and how much room there is to drop it or take it down in sections
- What's underneath: the house, a garage, a fence, power lines
- Whether a truck or crane can get close
- Whether you want the wood, the brush and the stump gone too
Questions to ask every tree service
- Do you carry liability insurance and workers' compensation, and can I see the certificates?
- Is cleanup, wood removal and stump grinding included, or priced separately?
- Who handles any permits or the tree warden if the tree is near the road?
- If we're in the beetle quarantine, do you have the federal compliance agreement to move the material?
When the town or the quarantine gets involved
- Near the road: a tree in or on the edge of the public way is usually a public shade tree, and no one but the tree warden, or someone with the warden's permission, may cut it. Street trees.
- Inside the beetle quarantine: moving debris and hardwood firewood out of the area is restricted. Check your town.
- Near water or wetlands: ask the town's Conservation Commission before work starts.
Next: storm damage · the beetle quarantine