AFFORDABLE TREE REMOVAL SERVICE IN Durham, NC

What Are the Most Common Tree Issues in Durham?

Durham is filled with gorgeous, towering trees that not only provide shade during North Carolina’s hot summers, but also bring a lot of beauty to the area. However, the large species native to the area can also cause immense damage if they fall or drop limbs. That is why it is vital to recognize signs of tree issues as soon as possible so that you can take the appropriate actions to get rid of the problem fast. 

In Durham, some of the most common tree issues that the city has to deal with include the following:

• Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB): This beetle has been known to infest many different Durham hardwood trees, including the maple, buckeye, willow, elm, birch, horse chestnut, ash, mimosa, sycamore, and hackberry trees. The ALB destroys these trees by tunneling through their stems and branches, which leads to the dieback of the tree crown and finally death to the whole tree.
• Anthracnose: This fungal disease tends to attack trees and plants in the spring when the weather is cool and wet. It often goes after ash, dogwood, maple, and sycamore trees and causes leaves to drop, become distorted or cupped, and get irregularly shaped blotches on them.
• Hypoxylon Canker: This disease appears as a dead lesion on limbs, trunks, and branches of affected trees. Hypoxylon Canker does not usually affect healthy trees. Instead, it tends to spread across trees that are already severely stressed, weakened, or damaged, especially after prolonged periods of severe drought.

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

In Durham, the Urban Forestry Division provides arboriculture services and consultations to the Durham residents on issues relating to the trees on city property and rights-of-way. This division is in charge of planting, pruning, removing, and protecting trees in the city using the latest safety standards and arboriculture techniques. 

Typically, trees on city property include trees growing on city-maintained streets and alleys, parks, and other city properties. If there are trees close to the road that need attention, the Urban Forestry Division will evaluate the tree and determine if it is on the right-of-way and whether it needs work done to it. If it meets the criteria, the division will take care of the work at no charge to you. 

Who Is Responsible for Fallen Tree Removal in Durham?

In general, property owners in Durham are responsible for maintaining their private trees. However, determining whether you are on the hook for the costs associated with removing a dead tree or a fallen tree will depend on several factors. 

If you’re a homeowner?

In Durham, if a tree falls because of natural causes such as storms or high winds, the property owner of the place where the tree has fallen is responsible for removing the tree. However, it is essential to note that homeowners must reasonably care for their trees in Durham to prevent them from damaging their neighbor’s property. Otherwise, these homeowners can be held responsible for damages the fallen tree causes. 

That is why if a homeowner notices their trees show signs of weakness or instability, they need to take care of the tree within a reasonable period of time. If the homeowner does not take these actions to correct the problem, they can be held accountable for the damage this unstable tree causes. 

If you’re a renter?

Generally, a landlord and a tenant will agree ahead of time on how to care for the rental property. They will discuss the various issues that need to be done and spell out their different responsibilities in a renter’s contract. Typically, if problems come up that are not mentioned in the lease, the landlord will often be responsible for making any of the necessary repairs to the property, while the tenant will be in charge of maintaining and cleaning the property. Consequently, if a tree falls on the property, it will likely go beyond the scope of the renter’s responsibility and become the landlord’s issue. 

If you’re a landlord?

A landlord is usually responsible for a fallen tree because they own the tree. Since the tree is their property, they are responsible for taking care of the costs associated with the fallen tree. However, before landlords do anything, they first need to contact their insurance company. If a tree fell because of a natural occurrence, their policy will most likely cover any damage the tree caused unless their policy does not cover “acts of God.”

If you’re a neighbor?

In North Carolina, the law of fallen trees is based largely on the legal theory of negligence. Under this principle, the property owner from which the fallen tree originated will be liable for a fallen tree only if the owner knew that the tree was hazardous or the hazard was obvious. 

As a result, if the fallen tree was a fault of an “act of God,” the property owner is generally not held responsible for the damage or the costs of removing the tree from a neighbor’s property.

How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Durham?

Most of the soil in the city of Durham is referred to as Ultisols. Ultisols soil is produced when heavy rain leaches many of the nutrients from the ground, and the warm weather prevents organic matter accumulation. Subsequently, the soil that is created under these conditions is highly weathered, acidic, and rich in clay. 

These clay soils make gardeners in Durham work harder than gardeners in other parts of the country, as this clay soil is a slippery muck when wet and cracks and hardens when dry, making planting difficult. However, one benefit to this soil is that it holds plant nutrients exceptionally well, meaning that plants and trees are well set up once they are planted. 

Additionally, it is also important to note that a tree’s root system will develop at a more shallow depth in heavy clay soils. As a result, if the tree is planted too deep, new roots will have difficulty developing because of the lack of oxygen. 

Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Durham?

Durham is a wonderful place to garden. Almost any type of vegetation can be successfully grown in the area because of the state’s three optimal growing seasons- spring, summer, and fall.

However, because the climate in the city includes high temperatures and humidity in the summer and freezing temperatures in the winter, to successfully grow plants and trees in this environment, you need to pick varieties that are tolerant to temperature extremes and plant the vegetation at appropriate times in the year. 

For example, birch trees and pine trees thrive in Durham because of the climate and are incredibly tolerant to North Carolina’s extreme weather changes, including several inches of snow and rain every year.

What If Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines in Durham?

Utility companies such as Duke Energy have a proactive policy of vegetation management, which means that they prune trees away from wires to prevent power outages under specific circumstances. Other utility companies, such as cable and internet providers or telecommunication providers, react to outages by repairing breaks in lines only after they occur and do not prune trees away from the lines proactively. 

If you have any questions regarding trees near power lines, it is important to contact Duke Energy and make a service request or speak with a representative that can provide you the information you need. 

How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Durham?

Removing unwanted shrubs or trees in Durham requires professionals with the right tools to get this job done. Our specialists at Tree Triage can help you eliminate diseased trees or vegetation that is dangerous to your property and help you create a nurturing environment. For tree removal services in Durham, most homeowners can expect to spend anywhere between $500 and $700, but some costs can get up in the thousands depending on the work that needs to be done. In general, the price of the tree removal will fluctuate based on a number of factors, including the height, location, and size of the tree. 

The Tree Size

In Durham, the tree size will be a significant factor when determining the overall cost of the tree removal. For instance, do you have a 40′ pine or a 70′ tall magnolia? Do the climbers need to ascend a tall tree and rope it down in order to break it up into manageable pieces? Do the professionals need to bring in specialized equipment to grind the trunk and sturdy stumps down? Finally, do you have a large oak tree with a broad branch spread or a small pine tree? 

You must examine all of these factors, as they can impact the overall cost of the tree removal and result in fees ranging from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. 

Access to the Tree

Another factor that can impact tree removal costs has to do with access to the tree and the terrain. Typically, tree removal services will look whether:

• The property is small and difficult to access.
• Will it be challenging to get large equipment into the yard to get the job done?
• Will removing debris and getting it into the chipper be a time-consuming and labor-intensive process?

In addition, these professionals will look to the area surrounding the tree and see if it poses any problems, such as if gardens and fences are blocking the tree or if the tree is on a slope. All of these elements can affect the final cost. 

Tree Health

Usually, if a tree is diseased, dying, or at risk of falling over, it may require increased safety measures and special equipment to ensure that injury is prevented when the tree is being removed. As a result, this special care may increase the cost of the removal process.