Illinois tree service FAQ

As a rough guide: pruning a small tree starts around $250; pruning a large mature tree runs $500 to $1,200; removals typically fall between $400 and $2,500; stump grinding runs $100 to $400 per stump; land clearing is $1,500 to $6,000 per acre. Every property is different, which is why the on-site estimate is free and written.

Yes. We come out, walk the property with you, and give you a written number with no obligation and no pressure. We would rather you compare us honestly than feel cornered.

Yes. Emergency work outside normal hours is billed by crew hour, typically $250 to $600 per hour depending on time, crew size, and equipment. We tell you the rate before we roll.

Not for typical residential jobs. Large multi-day projects, land clearing, and commercial contracts may be scheduled with a deposit, which we spell out in the written scope.

Cash, check, and major credit cards. Commercial and municipal clients can be invoiced on terms.

We will explain the difference. Very low quotes in this trade usually mean no insurance, no workers' comp, or no cleanup, and when an uninsured crew gets hurt on your property, that becomes your problem. Ask every bidder for a certificate of insurance, including us.

Yes. We carry general liability and workers' compensation coverage, and we will send a certificate of insurance directly to you, your HOA, or your property manager on request. Always ask. Tree work has one of the highest injury rates of any trade.

Our insurance covers it, and we tell you immediately rather than hoping you do not notice. In practice, damage comes from surprises: a buried line, a hidden septic lid, a rotten fence post. Tell us about them at the estimate and the odds drop sharply.

Only on removals. Spiking a tree you intend to keep punctures the cambium and invites decay, which is why proper climbing on trees that are staying uses rope and saddle only.

For anything overhead, under load, or near a wire: yes, genuinely. Chainsaw and falling-object injuries spike every storm season. Ground-level brush in an open yard is fine. A leaning trunk over your garage is not a weekend project.

Yes. A utility locate goes in before we grind, every time. Gas, electric, fiber, and irrigation lines are all commonly shallow enough to be hit by a grinder wheel.

All of Illinois: from Rockford and the Quad Cities down to Carbondale and Metro East, including Chicagoland, the I-55 and I-74 corridors, and our home base in southern Illinois. Travel on longer hauls is factored into the quote up front, never added afterward.

Most non-emergency work goes on the calendar within the week, weather permitting. Spring storm season and fall cleanup are our busiest stretches. Emergency calls are answered 24/7 regardless.

Not necessarily, as long as we walked the job together beforehand and the crew has access. Most customers prefer to be there for the walkthrough at the end.

We call you. Wet ground means ruts, and high wind means unsafe rigging; we would rather move you to the next slot than tear up your yard or take a chance on a takedown.

A single-tree prune is two to four hours. A moderate removal with cleanup is half a day to a full day. Stump grinding is usually under two hours. Land clearing is quoted in days.

Every time, on every job. Brush chipped, wood hauled or stacked where you want it, yard raked and blown clean. If we leave your property messier than we found it, we have not finished.

Yes, and plenty of people do. Tell us before we start and we will cut the trunk into rounds and stack them instead of hauling them off, which also lowers your price.

Whatever you want. Spread in your beds, left in a pile, or hauled away. Fresh chips work well as mulch as long as you keep them off the trunk flare of living trees.

Once there is topsoil instead of wood grindings, yes. Wood chips tie up nitrogen while they break down, so if you want turf there this season, have us haul the grindings and backfill with soil.

You can, if we grind deep and wide and backfill with real soil. Honestly though, the better move is usually to plant nearby and pick a species suited to the space, especially if the last tree failed because it was too big for the spot.

Warning signs: a hollow or soft base, mushrooms or conks at the root flare, a long vertical trunk crack, more than half the canopy dead, soil heaved on one side, or a distinct new lean. Any one of those is worth an inspection; several together usually means removal.

Emerald ash borer. It has spread through essentially the whole state and kills untreated ash within a few years. Ash that is still healthy can be protected with repeated systemic treatment; ash more than halfway dead should come out, because dead ash turns brittle fast and becomes dangerous to climb or rig.

April through July. That is when the beetles that spread oak wilt are active and fresh cuts attract them. Prune oaks in dormancy, late fall through winter, unless you are removing a genuine hazard.

For long-lived shade: bur oak, swamp white oak, hackberry, American linden, and Kentucky coffeetree. For smaller spaces: serviceberry, redbud, and hornbeam. What we would avoid planting again: silver maple, Bradford pear, and anything in the ash family.

Fast growth means weak wood, they form included-bark unions that split, and they root shallow in the heavy clay much of Illinois sits on. Add a saturated spring and 60 mph wind and they come apart. Many can be saved with reduction pruning and cabling if you act before the split.

Depends on the species and its mature size, not its size today. Rough rule: small ornamentals at least 8 to 10 feet from the foundation, medium trees 15 to 20 feet, and large shade trees 25 to 40 feet. If it is already too close, clearance pruning and root-zone assessment come first; removal is the last resort, not the first.