Contents (Click To Jump)
- 1 What Are the Most Common Tree Issues in Punta Gorda?
- 2 Does the City of Punta Gorda Provide Any Assistance in Tree Removal Problems?
- 3 Who Is Responsible for Fallen Tree Removal in Punta Gorda?
- 4 How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Punta Gorda?
- 5 Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Punta Gorda?
- 6 What If Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines in Punta Gorda?
- 7 How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Punta Gorda?
What Are the Most Common Tree Issues in Punta Gorda?
Over the years, we’ve treated all sorts of tree issues here in Punta Gorda, but there are some problems that we see pop up in trees around here time and time again. The most common problems we run into trees around here suffering from are:
- Fusiform Rust
- Lethal Bronzing Disease
- Brown Spot Needle Blight
- Bacterial Leaf Scorch
- Anthracnose
- Fire Blight
Does the City of Punta Gorda Provide Any Assistance in Tree Removal Problems?
Punta Gorda, unfortunately, doesn’t provide any assistance with tree removal problems on private property, and it’s likely you’ll have to get a permit through the city before you can even remove a tree on your land.
Punta Gorda is incredibly active as a city in maintaining and encouraging healthy trees within city limits. With this goal in mind, they don’t allow property owners within the city to arbitrarily remove trees without first gaining the approval of the city. Tree removal permits are given free of cost, however, to anyone applying for the removal of a tree that is dead or dying or potentially can pose a safety hazard to surrounding buildings and trees.
Who Is Responsible for Fallen Tree Removal in Punta Gorda?
Under Florida law, if it’s your tree then it’s your responsibility to remove it once it’s fallen. This applies even if a tree falls across property lines and no longer remains on your property. If a tree grew on your land does end up falling on someone else’s property, and they are forced to remove it before you get to it, it’s likely you’ll be legally obligated to compensate them for their costs during the tree’s removal.
Even though you’re responsible for removing your fallen trees from a neighbor’s property, you’re typically not liable for the damages that the tree falling may cause. Generally, insurance companies consider these no-fault incidents and don’t hold you liable for the damage caused by your tree. If you’ve been forewarned that the tree is in ill health and in danger of falling, though, by a neighbor, the county, or the city, for instance, then your insurance company could find you negligent and refuse to pay for damages caused when it fell.
If you’re a homeowner?
For homeowners here in Punta Gorda, the trees on their property are what make it beautiful, homey, and your unique property. Trees can be a huge benefit to the value of your property over time, and if they’re maintained and cared for, as they thrive so too could the worth of your home. Tree care does include removing fallen trees when necessary though. When falling trees are left to sit in your yard, they could have long-term effects on the ecosystem of your property that could damage the health of other trees. Removing fallen trees promptly is just as important as getting your trees the care they need to stay healthy.
If you’re a renter?
If you’re a tenant at a rental property in Punta Gorda, chances are removing fallen trees is a job for your landlord rather than you. It is very normal for lease agreements to task tenants with regular property upkeep such as lawn care, but trees are usually considered a permanent feature of the property like a home and other buildings. Just like the maintenance on these buildings, the maintenance and care of trees are typically the responsibility of the property owner.
If a fallen tree is in need of removal on your rental property, contact your landlord right away. They have an obligation to remove nuisances like fallen trees promptly under Florida Rental Code, and they likely want to deal with the issue quickly to protect against further damage to their property. As a tenant, you should never take tree maintenance and care, which includes removing fallen trees, into your own hands without first communicating with your landlord about what they want to be done.
If you’re a landlord?
If you own a rental property here in Punta Gorda, the trees on your property are part of the investment you purchased along with the land. Diligently maintaining and caring for the trees on your land protects the value of your investment over the long term. Even if your tenants are responsible for lawn care and other routine property upkeep, legally the State of Florida still considers tree care the responsibility of the property owner unless it’s specifically stated otherwise in your lease agreement. This means even if you’re renting the property out, you’ll likely need to deal with removing fallen trees and not your tenants.
Even if fallen trees legally weren’t your obligation on your rental property, you frankly wouldn’t want your tenants making decisions about the trees on your land. Since the trees on your property can have serious effects on the value of your investment over time, it’s better to keep control of those trees in hands of someone who has a vested interest in the future of your property– you. Communicate clearly with your tenants that you are the only one to make decisions about the care of trees on your property, which includes the removal. Dealing with tree care and tree removal issues promptly when they pop up will lessen the possibility that your tenants may take matters into their own hands and potentially damage the long-term health of trees on your property.
If you’re a neighbor?
If one of your neighbors here in Punta Gorda has fallen trees that need removal, they have a responsibility to remove them promptly under the Punta Gorda city ordinance. Leaving fallen trees to linger can affect more than just the ecosystem of their yard and could easily bring diseases and pests to their property that could eventually affect the plant life on your property. Our nuisance laws exist specifically to avoid situations like this where private property owners allow annoying eyesores to sit on their property which could eventually lead to serious hazards for everyone around.
Obviously, you want to try to resolve things between you and your neighbor as peacefully as possible before escalating the situation in any way. If you can’t come to an understanding with your neighbor though, you may want to reach out to Punta Gorda Code Compliance and see if there’s anything they can do to help mediate the situation.
How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Punta Gorda?
Like much of Florida, our soil in Punta Gorda tends to be excessively sandy but contains a lot of valuable nutrients from the sea that trees love. Myakka soils are the official soil of Florida and are characterized by their extremely fine-grain sands and grayish color. A lot of our natural trees thrive in this soil, but it can pose some problems under the right conditions.
Soil with very fine grains of sand like Myakka can easily become packed tightly, especially as moisture is absorbed making sand grains more attracted to each other. This can lock moisture out of the soil during periods of excessive rain that could lead to runoff and flooding, in addition to potentially causing erosion around trees. Our soils tend to be very poorly drained as well, since small grains of sand fit closer together, limiting how fast water can trickle down to the deepest roots. Many of our native trees here have evolved to thrive here with wide and shallow root systems to catch more water, but the limitations of our soil can be challenging, especially for young trees.
Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Punta Gorda?
Weather in Florida can potentially affect anything around here and that includes trees. Even at the height of winter, we incredibly rarely see temperatures below freezing which can encourage trees to grow all year long. The heat though rarely lets up around here. Highs in the 90s for over half our year aren’t uncommon, and even our winters will feature warm, humid days. Our trees hold up quite well in the constant heat, but trees with underlying health problems could see their ailments escalate quickly under constant stress from high temperatures.
We can’t discuss tree health here in Punta Gorda without mentioning storms. We’re at a fairly high hurricane risk here, and even when the tropical storms steer clear of us, we still have quite a few intense storms every year. Storms around here can produce torrential rainfall and high winds that could test the limits of even the most structurally stable trees and flood out roots, further compromising their stability. We hope we never see devastation like during 2004’s Hurricane Charley around here again, but even when the biggest of storms miss us, the best policy is to always ensure your trees are in top health before hurricane season rolls around each year.
What If Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines in Punta Gorda?
Trees that are near overhead power lines can be a huge hazard. Trees should always be trimmed to ensure that there’s no chance that any part of the tree could make contact with a power line if it falls. If you have dead trees on your property, however, that could potentially encroach on the space of power lines, you’ll need to call Florida Power & Light to deal with them. Utility workers have specialized training and tools that allow them to mitigate the safety risks of working around power lines, and they are the only technicians that should perform any work on trees near power lines.
How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Punta Gorda?
Tree removal can be quite affordable here in Punta Gorda, but the price of any individual tree removal job could fluctuate greatly based on a number of different factors about the conditions under which your tree grew. The average cost of removal in the area is $680, with prices generally falling between $220 and $2,100.
Size
The size of the tree is probably the biggest single factor and how much its removal will cost. A bigger tree means a bigger removal job not only because there’s more material to deal with and dispose of but also because extremely large trees can create significant safety hazards for us as we work to move your tree and for nearby trees and buildings. We’ll have to do extra planning and take extra precautions to ensure the biggest trees can be removed safely and efficiently.
Tree Health
Even if your tree is dead, problems it had with its health and life can still affect it during its removal. Trees that died of sickness can still carry harmful pathogens that could easily be transmitted to other trees during removal if we’re not careful. Incredibly contagious and dangerous diseases, like lethal bronzing disease, may require us to take the extra measure of quarantining the tree during removal to prevent damage to the health of any other trees on your property.
Where Your Tree Is Growing
Every tree is unique and grows in its own way. Sometimes trees grow in such bizarre ways that they can pose serious challenges to their removal. Trees that you need to remove that are in close proximity or even interwoven with healthy trees will require extra care to remove the offending tree without damaging its neighbors. Likewise, trees that are growing near or against a structure could pose some serious hazards to that building during removal. We’ll likely have to use extra tools and take extra planning steps to ensure a removal that doesn’t cause any harm to your home or other buildings on your property in these cases.
