Glorious, Great and Grounded: A Tree Blog

Some Questions to Ask a Tree Lopping Service

Tree lopping is almost always best done by a professional company. Cutting and trimming branches is often more dangerous than you may assume, as those branches can fall in any direction and cause property damage or injury to those below. If you don't trim or lop a tree properly, you can also cause damage to its growth and see your tree start to die away. When you do call a tree lopping service, note a few questions you might want to ask them so you know they're the right company for the job.

Ask what they do with the branches they trim

A good tree lopping service should recycle the wood from the branches they trim; they might chip that wood and then resell the wood chips as mulch, or simply drop off the whole branches to a wood recycling facility of some sort. This can help reduce the number of trees that need to be cut down to harvest wood needed for chips or other such projects. In some cases, you might also be able to have the tree lopping service chip the wood and then leave it with you, if you want to use it as mulch for your own landscaping. In any case, always ask so you know it's not simply tossed out as rubbish.

Ask if they can get permits for you

It's not unusual to need a permit to trim a tree, even in your own property but especially if the tree overlaps a public or shared area, such as a street or alley. You may also need to get a permit if the branches overlap your neighbor's property. In some areas, you may also need special permission to trim certain trees, such as those that are certified to be very old or rare. Your tree lopping service will usually know if a permit is required for you and if they can obtain that permit themselves, this can make it much easier for you.

Ask if they can determine why the tree needs lopping

If your tree always has dead branches, a trunk that seems to be weak or doesn't support those branches, or is showing any signs of permanent damage, you might ask the tree lopping service for assistance. They can often inspect and examine the tree and note if it's not native to your area, if it's suffering from root damage, or another problem that needs to be addressed so you avoid continuous problems with the tree's overall growth.


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