What happens during tree removal or pruning, from the estimate to the cleanup
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What are the stages of a tree job?
An assessment and written estimate, the arrangements that have to be made before work starts, the work itself, the cleanup, and a final check before you pay. A small pruning job may run through all of these in one visit. A removal near a house or a power line may take several visits and some paperwork first.
What happens at the estimate?
Someone should look at the tree, the ground around it and what it could fall on. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) expects tree care employers to check the health of the tree and assess the site for fall and struck-by hazards before any work begins. A good estimate visit is where that starts: the estimator should ask where the wires are, what is underground, and where the trucks can go.
The result should be in writing. The Tree Care Industry Association, the companies' trade association, says to insist on a signed contract that states the cost, the dates and exactly what is to be done. Penn State Extension's checklist for that contract is set out in how to choose a tree service, and the questions worth asking at this stage are in questions to ask a tree service.
What has to be arranged before the crew arrives?
Depending on the job:
- A permit. Some towns require one, for street trees or for removals on private land. Agree who applies.
- The wire to the house. If the tree is near the service wire, PECO says it will drop or de-energize the wire at no charge while a qualified contractor works, and PPL asks for a call before any pruning or removal around it. The house is without power until the wire is reconnected.
- A call to 811 for stump grinding. The Public Utility Commission says the call must be made at least three business days before digging, and Pennsylvania One Call says the contractor should make it. Ask for the eleven-digit serial number.
- Clearing the area. The International Society of Arboriculture lists moving targets such as cars, picnic tables and garden features as one way to reduce risk around a tree. Move what you can.
What happens on the day?
The crew sets up a work area, and the method depends on the tree. OSHA's guidance describes the usual tools: climbers in the tree with fall protection, aerial lifts on trucks, ladders for low work, chainsaws, brush chippers and, for the largest trees, cranes. It says workers can be struck by moving vehicles in and around the work zone. Keep children and pets indoors or well back.
What you may see:
- climbers wearing harnesses and helmets, and chainsaw users in cut-resistant leg wear, which OSHA cites as required protective equipment for chain saw work;
- a crane lifting sections out over the house. OSHA does not allow a worker to ride a crane's hook to get into position, even though the industry's own safety standard permits hoisting people with a crane, so ask how the climber will get up;
- a chipper running at the curb. OSHA notes that chainsaws and chippers create high noise levels.
On a pruning job, Penn State says to look for cuts just outside the branch collar rather than flush with the trunk, no torn bark, and no paint on the cuts. The Tree Care Industry Association says climbing spikes belong only on trees that are being removed.
How long does it take?
The sources read for these guides do not give reliable times for removals, which vary with the tree, the site and the crew. For stumps, Iowa State University Extension says a grinding machine typically removes a stump to 8 to 12 inches below ground within a matter of hours. Ask the company for its own estimate of time, and get it in writing if timing matters to you.
What happens to the wood and the stump?
Whatever the contract says. The cost survey Angi prices hauling, chipping and splitting into firewood as separate items, at about $70, $95 and $70, so each is worth naming in the contract. PPL says that on its own maintenance work, larger wood is cut into handling lengths and left at the base of the tree for the owner, while smaller limbs are chipped and removed. Agree yours in advance.
If the stump is ground, Iowa State says a large pile of wood shavings is left in the hole and that most arborists remove it or fill the hole only if asked, usually for an extra charge.
Wood that leaves the property is subject to the spotted lanternfly quarantine. Penn State Extension says businesses that move regulated items such as logs and tree parts need a permit and must inspect what they carry.
How do you check the work before paying?
Walk the site with the crew leader before they leave. Check that every tree on the contract has been dealt with as agreed, that the cuts look like those described above, that the debris has been handled as promised and that lawns, beds, fences and the driveway are as they were. The Federal Trade Commission says never to make the final payment until the work is done and you are satisfied. If something is wrong, put it in writing then. The price ranges for this kind of work are in what tree work costs.
Sources
- Inspection Guidance for Tree Care and Tree Removal Operations, Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- Managing Hazards and Risk, International Society of Arboriculture (TreesAreGood.org)
- Pruning Landscape Trees, Penn State Extension
- Tree Trimming Assistance, PECO
- Line Clearing, PPL Electric Utilities
- PA One Call - 811, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
- FAQs Homeowners, Pennsylvania One Call System
- How to Remove Tree Stumps, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
- How You Can Comply with the Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine Regulations, Penn State Extension
- How Much Does Tree Removal Cost?, Angi
- How To Avoid a Home Improvement Scam, Federal Trade Commission
- Hiring a Tree Care Company, Tree Care Industry Association