Tree Removal in Cincinnati, OH

Tree removal on a Cincinnati lot almost never means notching the trunk and letting the whole tree fall. Houses here sit close together, backyards slope toward alleys and creeks, and garages, fences and stone walls are often within reach of a mature canopy. So most removals are done in sections: limbs first, then the trunk in pieces, with anything heavy lowered on rope instead of dropped. How long that takes, and what it costs, depends far more on what is underneath the tree than on its height.

Signs a tree is past saving

Some cases are clear. A tree with no leaves in midsummer, a trunk with a long vertical crack, mushrooms or conks at the base, or a fresh lean with soil heaved up on one side is a removal candidate. So is an ash that lost most of its canopy years ago. Other cases are judgment calls: a healthy silver maple dropping big limbs on the roof every winter, a sweetgum lifting a driveway, a tree of heaven sprouting along a foundation. We tell you what we see, and when pruning or cabling would solve the problem for less, we say that too.

Rules to check first

In the City of Cincinnati, a tree in the right-of-way, usually the tree lawn between sidewalk and curb, is a public tree. Removing one, pruning one, or working within 15 feet of one needs a Public Tree Work Permit from Cincinnati Parks under Chapter 743 of the Municipal Code, and the city's Urban Forestry program may remove a failing street tree itself. For trees on private property, we have not found a city permit requirement for ordinary removal, but some suburbs, historic districts and HOAs have their own rules, and the Kentucky cities across the river set theirs separately. We check the address before quoting.

Trees near the service drop

The wire that runs from a Duke Energy pole to your meter is the property owner's responsibility to keep clear of branches. Before we work near it, Duke de-energizes the line at no cost to you. Trees touching primary lines on the poles are left to Duke's line-clearance crews.

Removal on a slope

About a fifth of Cincinnati is hillside, and ODNR warns that cutting vegetation on landslide-prone slopes can set a slide in motion. On those lots we usually cut the trunk low and leave the root plate in the ground, and we talk with you about replanting so the bank is not left bare.

The wood

You decide: logs left in rounds for firewood, stacked, or hauled away; brush chipped and the chips left for mulch or removed. Hamilton County is under a spotted lanternfly quarantine, so firewood should be checked for egg masses and not carried far.