Tree Removal near you

One of these signs doesn't automatically doom a tree, but it calls for an arborist's assessment, especially if the tree could hit the house, a driveway, a play area or a line if it failed.

Many trees that worry homeowners can stay with the right pruning. Removing dead wood, thinning a dense crown, shortening a heavy limb over the roof or cabling a weak fork can keep a tree safe for years. Removal makes sense when the trunk or roots are compromised, the tree is dead or declining, it's an ash already heavily infested, or it can't coexist with the house or a necessary project.

Ask the arborist to explain what they see, and get a second opinion before removing a large healthy tree. Mature trees shade the house and soak up stormwater, and in cities that protect trees, a healthy one may not be removable without a valid reason anyway.

In Toronto, injuring or removing a tree on private property that is 30 cm or more in diameter, measured 1.4 m above the ground, is prohibited without a permit, and City-owned street trees of any size are protected. A tree that is completely dead can be removed without a permit, while an imminently hazardous tree may come down only after the owner requests and receives an exception confirmation from the City.

In Montreal, a felling permit, also called a certificate of authorization, is required; each borough sets its own size thresholds and replacement rules, and ash trees have their own procedure. Many other municipalities in Ontario and Quebec have similar bylaws, so check with yours before any cutting, and don't assume the crew has done it.

Shared trees need care too. In Toronto, a tree whose trunk crosses a property line belongs to all the owners, a permit application needs the other owners' consent, and a permit doesn't allow anyone onto a neighbour's land. Elsewhere, local rules and civil law decide ownership, overhanging branches and access, so talk to the neighbour first and put agreements in writing.

The emerald ash borer is an invasive beetle that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says attacks and kills all species of ash. It is present in the southern and central parts of Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick, among other areas, and spreads mostly through the movement of firewood and infested ash wood, although it can also fly. A dying ash turns brittle, so it becomes more dangerous to climb and fell the longer it stands.

If you have ash trees, have an arborist check them. Some valuable trees can be protected with treatment, while heavily infested ones are usually better removed before they become hazardous. CFIA asks people not to move firewood, especially ash, out of regulated areas, so ask the removal company how it will chip or dispose of the wood, and don't take ash logs to the cottage or a campground.

A branch touching a line can energize the whole tree, and a falling limb can bring wires down with it. In Quebec, Hydro-Québec states that, by law, only an arborist it has authorized may prune or fell where a person, part of the tree or a tool could come within three metres of electrical wires; those arborists are members of the Société internationale d'arboriculture Québec. Hydro-Québec also warns that an owner who hires an unauthorized company could be held liable if one of its workers is hurt.

In Ontario, the Electrical Safety Authority tells homeowners to call a certified utility arborist or their local distribution company when trees grow too close to power lines. If a storm drops a tree or limb on a line, stay about 10 metres back, the distance ESA gives for downed lines, keep others away and call your utility, or 911 if there is fire or injury. Tree crews can start only once the utility has made the area safe.

Credentials help you compare crews. ISA Certified Arborist is a private certification showing that a person passed an exam on tree care, and many Quebec arborists belong to the Société internationale d'arboriculture Québec. Neither replaces proof of the company's liability insurance and workers' compensation coverage, which protect you if a limb damages property or a worker is hurt on your lot.

Once the tree is down, the stump can be left, ground or pulled out. Grinding is the usual choice on residential lots: a machine chews the stump and the top of the main roots into chips below the surface, and the deeper roots decay on their own. Full removal digs out the stump and root mass, disturbs far more soil and is mostly needed where a foundation, addition or pool will go.