When someone wants to renew his/her garden, there may be some trees to get rid of to get the desired landscape. Although there are services that are offered, one has the option to do the tree removal without seeking professional help. There are considerations to take into account and it will be beneficial for those who are into landscaping and removing of trees to be familiar with the important factors related to trees that must be removed.
Removing Stumps
For stump removal, it can be done by garden owners. Stump grinders can be rented, but they are costly and that is why, considering a strategy relating to the removal of stumps without asking for professionals is a good choice to make especially when it comes to cutting landscape costs. Although it is a cheap alternative, one must keep in mind that patience is a must and the time required would be about one hour and the difficulty is average.
For the tree removal involving stumps, the first step is making a decision on the technique to use. When opting for manual local tree removal, a mattock must be used since its broad end allows someone to dig around the stump and the other end serves as an axe for chopping through the roots. It must be dug and chopped under the root ball to the taproot. For the removal of large tree stumps, taproots may require cutting with a full-size axe.
There are two ingredients that can speed up the rotting process and these are the nitrogen and water. These two things can be used for removing stumps quicker than nature’s removal technique. Before using them, the stump must be cut down as close to the ground by using a chainsaw, but without allowing the teeth of the chainsaw to strike the ground as it can dull the chainsaw. The stump must be drilled with holes in numerous places using the widest drill. The wider the holes and the deeper they are, the better. The water must be filled in holes first, then with a fertilizer rich in nitrogen. Cow manure can be used for instance. When using a commercial fertilizer, the first of the three numbers of NPK is the highest.
The ground must be soaked all around the stump and it must be covered with a plastic tarp. The tarp is used to help retain moisture for the removal. Over the plastic tarp, organic mulch must be applied and water must be thoroughly poured. A tree bark or hay holds additional moisture and keeps the area even wetter. Wet mulch helps weigh the tarp down because it is heavy. It is a great way to consider so that the tarp does not blow away. The steps above can speed up the natural process, but the technique used requires lots of patience as the tree removal of stumps require several weeks. However, the time for the completion of the removal project will be reduced by removing the mulch and tarp periodically, soaking the stump and the ground around it, and adding nitrogen source. Then, reapplying the plastic tarp and soaking the mulch again. To apply this technique, the necessary tools include chainsaw, plastic tarp, garden fertilizer that is high in nitrogen, mattock, axe, mulch and drill.
Services Offered
Cutting costs is practical, but it becomes risky and costly when trees are removed without proper skills and competence to do it. Thus, there are services offered by many professional companies. When hiring someone you must make sure they are a qualified and licensed contractor. Aside from removing of trees, some tree services offered include:
- Tree trimming
- Stump grinding
- Tree felling
- Tree planting
- Soft landscaping
- Management plans
- Tree surveys
- Vegetation control
For tree maintenance:
- Pruning
- Formative pruning
- Crown thinning
- Crown lifting
- Dead wooding
- Pollarding
Tree Removal Costs – Typical And Extra Costs
For the cost of the tree removal service, it varies depending on the location of the trees, height and width, number of branches, other obstacles and proximity to utility lines.
Small trees up to 30-feet high with clearance of buildings and utility lines, the cost would be about $125-$437. The cost of medium-size trees from 30-60 feet tall that are set apart from utilities and buildings is about $175-$900. Large trees (60-80 feet tall) are about $400-$1,000. Trees that are 80-100 feet tall cost about $962-$1,400+.
There are additional costs for the removal of a tree including the large (average of $169-$300) and small (about $75) stump grinding, hauling (around $350 to haul trunk wood from a 30-foot tree), chipping branches ($65-$150 per hour and a charge of $50 to haul the loads of chips away) and arborist consultations for about $125 per hour.
Tree removal may require skills, necessary equipment, money and patience. There is a technique used to cut costs of removing trees. However, there are also services that make the process easier to manage. The costs of removing trees vary from different factors.