Tree removal in Tacoma

Signs a Tacoma tree may need to come out

Keeping a healthy tree is almost always the better choice. Removal tends to make sense when a tree is dead, structurally failing, causing damage it can't be pruned out of, or simply the wrong tree for a small city lot. What Tacoma homeowners most often describe:

• A fir or cedar that's thinning from the top down, or browning far beyond the normal fall needle drop.
• Conks, mushrooms or oozing at the base, or wood that sounds hollow when tapped. Root and butt rots are common in older Puget Sound conifers.
• Soil cracking or heaving on one side of a leaning tree, especially after a long wet stretch.
• Split unions in multi-stem maples, alders and old ornamental street-side trees.
• Roots lifting the sidewalk or the garage slab, or crowding side sewers. (Sidewalk repair next to your property is generally the owner's responsibility in Tacoma.)
• Making room for an ADU, garage, addition or solar panels. Check permit needs first; trees removed as part of development in Urban Residential zones need a permit.

How removals work on city lots

There's rarely room to fell a big tree in one piece between Tacoma houses. A crew usually climbs or uses a lift, takes the tree down in pieces, and lowers each one on ropes so nothing drops onto roofs, fences, cars or the neighbor's garden. Alley access helps. Where there's no alley, wood may have to go out through a side yard or the front. Removals on a bluff or gulch slope need even more care, and because those spots are often regulated critical areas, a permit may be required before work starts.

Questions to ask before you hire

• Which trees exactly, and will they be marked or photographed?
• Is wood hauled away, chipped on site, or cut into rounds you keep?
• Is stump grinding part of the job, and how deep?
• How will lawns, beds, fences and pavers be protected, and who covers any damage?
• What is the company's registered name and WA contractor registration number?
• Who is getting any city permit that's required, and will the work follow it?

What drives the estimate

No two removals are alike, which is why a fair quote comes after someone looks at the tree. The main factors are the tree's height, trunk size and condition, how close it is to the house and to wires, whether climbing, a lift or a crane is needed, how wood can get out to the street or alley, slope, and how much cleanup you want.

Trees near power lines in Tacoma

Most of Tacoma gets its power from Tacoma Power, part of Tacoma Public Utilities, not Puget Sound Energy. The city says never to try pruning a tree that has grown into power lines. Tacoma Power prunes trees under its high-voltage lines on a schedule and responds to emergencies. For trees in overhead lines, call the TPU Tree Line at (253) 502-8729. A tree service can work around the utility's schedule or arrange a line drop when one is needed.