AFFORDABLE TREE REMOVAL SERVICE IN Asheville, NC

What Are The Most Common Tree Issues in Asheville?

Asheville is a city in western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. It is known for its vibrant arts scene and its beautiful, historic architecture, including the dome-topped Basilica of Saint Lawrence. Best of all, the area is home to gorgeous vegetation that covers the hillsides, county parks, and even the quaint neighborhoods. The trees in the area create an oasis in the summer heat and develop into a red, yellow, and orange paradise when temperatures start to dip. 

That is why for homeowners in Asheville to ensure that these trees remain healthy, they must take the time to learn about the unique tree issues in the area and recognize signs of tree problems, so that they can take appropriate actions fast and stop the diseases from escalating further. 

In Asheville, some of the more common tree issues that the city has to deal with include:

Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB)

The Asian longhorned beetle is a bug that kills hardwood trees including the horse chestnut, birch, maple, willow, elm, buckeyes, and ash trees. The beetle has been known to infest these trees and destroy them by tunneling through their branches and stems, causing the dieback of the tree crown and finally resulting in the tree’s death. 

Hypoxylon Canker

This plant disease appears as a dead lesion on trunks, limbs, and branches of affected trees. Although this disease does not usually affect healthy trees, it can spread across trees that are already severely weakened, damaged, or stressed because of prolonged periods of drought. 

Anthracnose

This fungal disease tends to attack plants and trees in the spring, when the weather is wet and cold. It often goes after dogwood, ash, maple, and sycamore trees, and causes their leaves to drop, become cupped or distorted, or get irregularly shaped blotches on them. 

Does the City of Asheville Provide Any Assistance in Tree Removal Problems?

In Asheville, trees are the lifeline of the city as they beautify cityscapes and neighborhoods, provide shade, absorb harmful gases, and offer privacy screens for the homeowners. Yet, the benefits do not stop there. These city trees also create a natural habitat for wildlife and birds, while also protecting the soils from erosion and the area’s homes from harsh winter winds. 

That is why the City of Asheville is dedicated to removing damaged or dead trees, maintaining trees in the city, and trimming trees in the right-of-way, to enhance the area’s natural beauty. 

For these reasons, if you believe there is an issue with a tree and it requires trimming or if you see a tree is blocking the road, you need to contact the City of Asheville’s Customer Service Division at 828-251-1122 for further information and guidance. 

Who Is Responsible for Fallen Tree Removal in Asheville?

Typically, property owners in Asheville are responsible for maintaining their plants and private trees. However, determining who is liable for the costs associated with removing a fallen or a dead tree will depend on several factors. 

If you’re a homeowner?

If a tree falls because of natural causes such as a strong wind or a severe storm, the property owner of the place where the tree has fallen is responsible for taking care of the costs of removing the tree.

However, it is also important to note that homeowners in Asheville must reasonably care for their trees, to prevent them from damaging their neighbor’s property. Otherwise, they can be held liable for the damages that result due to the fallen tree. What does this mean exactly? If a homeowner notices that their tree shows signs of instability or weakness, they need to take reasonable action and either trim the tree or remove it within a reasonable period. 

If you’re a renter?

Typically, a renter and a landlord will enter into a rental property agreement ahead of time, agreeing to how each party will care for the property. However, if problems come up that are not mentioned in the lease, the landlord will often be responsible for making any necessary repairs to the property, while the renter will be in charge of cleaning and maintaining the property. As a result, if a tree falls, it will likely cause damages beyond the scope of the renter’s responsibility and become the landlord’s issue.

If you’re a landlord?

It is customary for a landlord to be responsible for a fallen tree since they own the property the tree is located on. Consequently, they will be responsible for taking care of the costs associated with a fallen or dead tree. However, before a landlord takes care of this issue on their own, they should first reach out to their insurance company. Many times, insurers will cover the damages resulting from a fallen tree, unless the policy explicitly states that it does not cover “acts of God.”

If you’re a neighbor?

North Carolina often follows the legal theory of negligence when it comes to a fallen tree. Under this principle, the property owner from where the fallen tree originated will be liable for a fallen tree if the owner knew or should have known the tree was dangerous. Otherwise, if the tree falls because of a natural cause, the property owner will generally not be held accountable for the costs of removing the tree or the damages that result. 

How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Asheville?

North Carolina is known for its Ultisols soil. This soil is produced after heavy rain leaches many of the nutrients from the ground and the warm weather prevents organic matter accumulation. Consequently, the soil created is a highly weathered, acidic soil that is rich in clay. 

Clay soils are not an easy soil to garden with. Compared to other soil types, this soil is incredibly slippery when wet and will harden and crack quickly when dry, making planting difficult and frustrating. Typically, a tree’s root system will develop at a more shallow depth in heavy clay soils, which means that if a tree is planted too deep, new roots will have a hard time developing because of the lack of oxygen.

Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Asheville?

Asheville is a fantastic area with warm summers, mild winters, and gorgeous, blue skies most of the time. Subsequently, almost any type of vegetation can be successfully grown in the area because of the state’s optimal growing seasons including spring, summer, and fall. 

However, it is important to add that because weather controls many aspects of tree health, even minor changes in the temperatures can mean disaster for the different types of vegetation. This is bad news for the trees in Asheville, since the state’s climate is constantly changing. Most of the area has already warmed .5–1 degree in the last century and the sea is rising about one inch every decade, resulting in submerging lowlands, eroded beaches, and increased salinity of aquifers and estuaries. As a result, when planting trees in the area, it is important to find ones that will thrive in these ever-changing conditions such as birch trees and pine trees. 

What If Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines in Asheville?

Utility companies such as Duke Energy have a very proactive policy when it comes to tree management. They make it a goal to ensure that trees near power lines are pruned away from the wires, to prevent power outages in the area. In comparison, other utility companies in North Carolina such as cable and internet providers react to outages by repairing a break in the line only after they occur. They do not prune trees away from the lines proactively. 

For these reasons, if you have a tree near a power line, it is essential to contact Duke Energy and make a service request to get the tree taken care of or speak with a representative and get further information on what can be done about the situation. 

How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Asheville?

Removing a tree or unwanted shrubs in Asheville will cost homeowners anywhere from $500 to $700. However, depending on the work that needs to be done, these costs can also get much higher. In general, the price of tree removal will depend on numerous factors including the size of the tree, the location of the tree, and the tree’s accessibility. 

Tree Size

In Asheville, a tree’s size plays a more critical role in the removal costs than the type of tree that is being removed. Removing a large tree can pose more risks and safety issues than removing a small tree, and our arborists will often require special equipment for climbing when removing these tall trees. As a result, since the risk is greater, the costs will be too. 

Tree Access

Another factor that will impact the cost of tree removal has to do with the terrain the tree is on and access to the tree. For instance, we will look into whether:

• The property where the tree is located is small and whether the tree is difficult to access
• Removing tree debris from the area will be incredibly time-consuming and labor-intensive
• It will be challenging to get large equipment into the yard and make sure the job is completed properly

Additionally, our arborists will also check out the area surrounding the tree and see if it poses any issues for them such as if the tree is on a slope or blocked by a fence or a garden. Unfortunately, all of these elements can end up affecting the final costs.

Tree Health

If a tree is dying, diseased, or at risk of falling over, it may require increased safety equipment and safety measures to ensure that injury is prevented when the tree is being removed. Consequently, these special precautions can end up significantly increasing the cost of the removal.