Tree removal in Puyallup

When removal is the right call

A healthy tree in the right spot is worth keeping, and pruning solves a lot of problems. Removal usually makes sense in these situations, which are among the most common in Puyallup:

• Dead or dying conifers, such as a fir with a thin, yellowing crown or a cedar browning from the top down.
• Cottonwoods with big dead limbs, cracks or decay, especially over a house, shop or play area.
• A lean that's new or getting worse, with lifted or cracked soil on the far side. This is a real warning sign in wet valley soils.
• Decay signs: conks, mushrooms or carpenter ants at the trunk, or hollow-sounding wood.
• Too close for comfort: trees crowding the foundation, septic drainfield or side sewer, or roots breaking up the driveway.
• Making space for a shop, ADU, addition or garden. If the property isn't single-family or small residential, or the tree is in a critical area, check permits first.

Big trees, small margins

A mature Douglas fir or cottonwood can weigh many tons. On most Puyallup lots there's no room to drop one in a single piece, so crews climb or use a lift or crane and lower it in sections. On hillside lots, crews also have to think about where the pieces will roll and how to keep soil disturbance down on the slope. That's work for a trained, insured crew.

A good estimate spells out

• Exactly which trees come down
• What happens to the wood and brush: hauled, chipped, or left as rounds
• Whether stump grinding is included, and how deep
• How the lawn, beds and hardscape will be protected
• The contractor's registered name and WA contractor registration number
• Who handles any city permit, replacement planting or arborist report the city requires

What affects the price

Price depends on the tree and the site, so a fair estimate needs someone to see it. The big factors are height and trunk size, the tree's condition, how close it is to buildings and power lines, whether climbing, a lift or a crane is needed, slope and access, and how much cleanup you want.

Power lines

Puyallup's electric utility is Puget Sound Energy. For street trees, the city's tree removal flow chart says work within 15 feet of energized power lines may only be done by the power utility, and it points property owners to PSE for that pruning. Even on private property, don't let anyone who isn't qualified for line-clearance work near energized lines.