Tree Removal in Tacoma and Pierce County

The short version: Large and hazardous trees next to houses, fences and power lines, rigged down a section at a time and cleaned up the same day. The estimate is free and Ismael looks at it in person. Call or text (253) 590-8194. In Tacoma? See tree removal in Tacoma.

When does a tree need to come out?

Dead tops, a lean that is getting worse, roots lifting the driveway or the foundation, a split after a windstorm, or a fir that has simply outgrown a small lot and now drops limbs on the roof every winter. Sometimes the tree is healthy and the problem is where it stands: too close to the house, over the power drop, or in the way of a build.

Ismael looks at the tree in person before he says anything. If trimming or thinning will solve it, he says so. If it needs to come down, he tells you how he would do it and what it will cost, on the spot.

How we take down a big tree in a small yard

Around Tacoma the trees are tall and the lots are not. Dropping a 120 foot fir in one piece is not an option when there is a house on one side and a fence on the other, so almost every removal we do is a climb and rig job. A climber goes up with ropes and a saw, limbs the tree on the way up, and then blocks the trunk down in sections. Each section is tied off and lowered on a rope, or caught on a rigging frame like the one in the photos, so nothing free falls onto a deck, a roof or a flower bed.

One customer, Joshua M., wrote about a fir over 160 feet tall on his fence line, five feet from his deck and gazebo. Not one piece hit either, and the job was done in a day. That is the normal way we work, not a special effort.

Where there is room, a bucket lift or a mini loader does the heavy lifting. Where there is not, it is ropes, a tripod and a crew who have done it hundreds of times.

Free estimate: call or text (253) 590-8194

What happens to the wood and the mess

You choose. Many customers keep the rounds for firewood, so we buck the trunk to fireplace length and stack it where you want it. If you do not want it, we haul it away. Limbs and brush go through the chipper, and the chips can be blown into your beds as mulch or taken with us. A straight, sound trunk can also go to our sawmill and come back to you as slabs or lumber, see wood milling and firewood.

Before we leave, the yard, the driveway and the roof get raked and blown clean. The stump can be ground the same day or on a return visit, see stump grinding.

What does tree removal cost in Tacoma?

There is no price list, because no two trees are the same. What moves the number: the height and trunk diameter, how close the tree is to the house, the fence, the neighbor’s property and the power lines, how much of it has to be lowered on ropes instead of dropped, whether a lift can reach it, how far the wood has to be carried, and whether you want the stump ground and the wood hauled.

Ismael comes out, looks, and gives you a number. Customers tell us two things about our estimates over and over: the price comes quickly, often the same day you call, and the price on the day is the price he quoted. Several of them, like Erin E and David G, wrote that our bid was the lowest they got without being the cheapest looking job.

Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Pierce County?

Usually not for a tree on your own lot, but it depends on the city and on the tree. Tacoma, Lakewood, University Place, Puyallup and the county each have their own rules for trees in the public right of way, in critical areas near streams and steep slopes, and for landmark or heritage trees. If your tree falls into one of those cases we will tell you before any work starts. For a tree that is already down or is an immediate hazard, the rules are different again. When in doubt, ask us or call your city’s planning desk.

Trees next to power lines

If the tree is touching or leaning into a power line, call Tacoma Power, Puget Sound Energy or Lakeview Light and Power first and stay away from it. Once the line is safe, we handle the tree. For trees near a service drop to a house we work around the line with ropes and a lift and keep every section clear of it. Gregory Lopez’s review describes two trees we took down next to a power line with no problems.