Tree Service · Nashville, TN
The Nashville homeowner's guide to tree service
What the work involves, what drives the price, what your options are, and what a bad job looks like — written so you can judge any tree service in Middle Tennessee, including us.
Warning signs
How to know you need us
If you recognize any of these, it is worth having somebody look before it becomes a larger job.
- Dead limbs in the upper canopy, or a section that leafs out later than the rest
- Mushrooms or conks growing at the base or on the trunk, which indicates internal decay
- A crack or seam running vertically down the trunk
- Sudden lean, or soil heaving on one side of the root plate
- Limbs over the roof, the drive or a power service line
- Ivy or vine growth heavy enough that you can no longer inspect the trunk
Your options
More than one right answer.
A tree service who only ever recommends the most expensive option is not giving you advice. Here is the honest range.
Pruning and crown reduction
Removes weight and wind load from a structurally sound tree. Often the alternative to removal.
Deadwooding
Taking out dead limbs only. The cheapest meaningful risk reduction on a mature tree.
Removal
Where the tree is dead, hazardous or in the wrong place. Sectional dismantling where it cannot be felled.
Stump grinding
Below grade so the area can be planted or turfed, with the grindings either removed or backfilled.
What it costs
What actually drives the price.
We do not quote tree service over the phone, because an honest number needs somebody to look at the job. These are the things that move it.
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Size and species
Height, canopy spread and trunk diameter drive the price, and a dense hardwood carries far more weight per cubic foot than a softwood of the same size.
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Proximity to targets
A tree that can be felled into open yard is a fraction of the cost of the same tree over a roof, a pool or power lines, which has to come down in pieces.
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Access for equipment
If a chipper and a truck can reach it, the job is efficient. Backyard trees with no gate access are hand-carried and priced accordingly.
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Stump and debris
Grinding the stump and hauling the wood are separate decisions, and leaving the chips on site can reduce the cost.
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Emergency versus scheduled
A tree already on the house is a different job from one you want gone next month, and it is priced differently for good reason.
Every estimate is free, written and carries no obligation — including the parts we would find only after starting, which are priced up front rather than left open.
What happens
From your call to the finished job.
Assessment and quote
On site, looking at the tree, the targets and the access, because a quote by photograph is a guess.
Scheduling
Emergency work as fast as we can get a crew and equipment. Planned work within a couple of weeks in normal conditions.
The work
Most residential removals are a single day. Rigging over a structure takes longer and should.
Clean-up
Chips, brush and rounds cleared, and the lawn raked rather than left rutted.
Done badly
What goes wrong, and why it matters.
These are the shortcuts that make a quote look cheaper and cost you more later. Ask anyone you are considering about them.
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Topping a tree
Cutting the crown back to stubs produces weak regrowth and a more dangerous tree within a few years. It is not pruning.
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Working near power lines
Service drops and primaries are not a homeowner job, and in many cases not a general tree job either.
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Removing more than a quarter of the canopy at once
Over-pruning stresses the tree and invites decline in the following season.
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Grinding a stump too shallow
A few inches down leaves roots that sprout and a hollow that settles. Grinding needs to go properly below grade.
Before you hire anyone
Six questions worth asking any tree service.
Including us. If a contractor cannot answer these easily, that is the answer.
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Are you licensed for tree service and can I see the certificate?
A licensed and insured contractor will have this to hand and will not be irritated by the question.
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Is the estimate written, itemized and free?
A verbal number is not an estimate. Itemized means you can compare two quotes on the same basis.
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What happens if you find something once you start?
The honest answer names a rate and a process. The answer to worry about is that it never happens.
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Who is actually doing the work?
Employee crew or subcontractor is not a wrong answer either way, but you should know which, and who carries the insurance.
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What is the workmanship warranty, and is it in writing?
Materials carry a manufacturer warranty. Workmanship is the contractor, and it should be written down.
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Will you pull the permit?
For permitted work, a contractor who suggests skipping it is telling you something important about the rest of the job.
FAQ
Choosing a tree service in Nashville
How do I choose a tree service in Nashville?
Check the license and the insurance certificate, get the estimate in writing and itemized so you can compare quotes on the same basis, and ask what happens if something is found once work starts. A contractor who cannot answer those easily has told you what you need to know.
Should I get more than one quote for tree service?
Yes, and compare what is in them rather than the number at the bottom. The cheapest quote is often cheapest because it leaves something out, and on tree service the thing left out is usually the preparation that decides how long the work lasts.
Is the cheapest tree service quote usually a bad idea?
Not automatically — but an unusually low number is information. Ask specifically what is included, what grade of material is quoted, who is doing the work and what the workmanship warranty is. If all four answers are good, the low quote is a good quote.
Do I need a permit for tree service in Nashville?
It depends on the scope. Metro Nashville and the surrounding counties permit and inspect a good deal of this work, and a contractor suggesting you skip a required permit is telling you something about how they approach the rest of the job. We pull the permits our work requires.
How far in advance should I book tree service?
Emergencies we take as they come, day or night. For planned work, a couple of weeks gives you time to compare options properly rather than deciding under pressure.
Free estimate
Need a tree service in Nashville today?
Tell us what is going on and we will get you a free estimate from a local tree service. No obligation, no pressure.