Contents (Click To Jump)
- 1 What Are the Most Common Tree Issues in Staten Island?
- 2 Does the City of Staten Island Provide Any Assistance in Tree Removal Problems?
- 3 Who Is Responsible for Fallen Tree Removal in Staten Island?
- 4 How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Staten Island?
- 5 Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Staten Island?
- 6 What If Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines in Staten Island?
- 7 How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Staten Island?
What Are the Most Common Tree Issues in Staten Island?
As one of New York City’s five boroughs, Staten Island is a unique mix of hometown community and big city life. You can hop on the Staten Island ferry to cross New York Harbor to reach all the museums and cultural events in Manhattan or take in some fresh air and explore nature at Fresh Kills Park or the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden. At the Staten Island Museum and the National Lighthouse Museum, you can explore some local history.
Staten Island is home to more than 476,000 residents living in more than 181,000 housing units. Unlike other boroughs, such as Manhattan, Staten Island has many single-family homes. While these homes are densely packed on the island, there are many gorgeous trees in the yards. When you’re a homeowner, you like to keep your home and yard in impeccable condition. Despite all your care, a tree might die in your yard and need to be removed.
Our team talks to many Staten Island homeowners, so we’ve put together this guide to tree removal to answer some questions that we hear most often.
Does the City of Staten Island Provide Any Assistance in Tree Removal Problems?
Staten Island and the New York City area are home to some gorgeous trees. They offer shade in the summer months and a place for your kids to climb to new heights. Here are a few of the trees we most commonly see in the area:
- Norway maple
- Green ash
- Callery pear
- Red maple
- Honey locust
- Silver maple
- Pin oak
- Ginkgo
When a tree dies in your yard, it might seem like a daunting task if it’s the first time. One of the questions we hear most often concerns why it happened. Here are a few of the most common tree issues we see in the Staten Island area:
Root Rot
This is a disease that affects the roots of the trees in your Staten Island yard. Root rot is a fungal infection that can move from one tree to the next. Excess moisture in the soil is a typical cause of root rot.
The Staten Island area sees a stunning 25 inches of snow and 47 inches of rain, which is 9 inches above the national average each year. This is a lot of water soaking into your soil and submerging the roots of your trees. All this excess moisture can lead to root rot.
Our team can treat root rot if it’s caught early. To catch it early, you’ll need to know the signs. These include:
- Stunted growth
- Discolored leaves
- Smaller than normal or paler leaves
- Fungus growing on the tree trunk
- Areas of sunken bark
If you think your tree might have root rot, our team can make a determination.
Hard Freezes
In Staten Island, the winters can get cold with the overnight lows in the mid-20s. The below-freezing temperatures for days on end can create a hard freeze where the moisture in the soil freezes. Trees in your yard are faced with the inability to get water and nutrients.
Some evergreen trees can sail through a cold winter unscathed, but young trees won’t fare so well. There are some trees that appear to flourish in the spring when actually a section of the tree has died and can no longer process nutrients. Eventually, the problem spreads to the rest of the tree.
Freezing temperatures can damage and kill a tree in your Staten Island yard. If you think a tree isn’t growing properly in the spring, our team can evaluate its condition.
Bugs and Other Pests
Bugs and other critters play an essential role in the ecosystem, but they aren’t always good for the trees around your Staten Island home. There are some insects that live in or consume trees, causing massive amounts of damage. The insects we see most commonly in the area include:
- Asian Long-horned Beetle
- European Gypsy Moth
- Asian Gypsy Moth
- Spotted Lanternfly
An insect infestation that’s caught early might be treatable, and your tree might recover. In order to catch it early, you need to know what to look for in your yard. Here are some signs to look for:
- Bugs on the tree
- Misshapen leaves
- Discolored leaves
- Areas on the tree trunk with missing bark
- Sunken areas where the tree has died
- Areas, where the branch leaves the trunk, show signs of weakness
Our team is always ready to evaluate the situation and make recommendations for moving forward.
Who Is Responsible for Fallen Tree Removal in Staten Island?
In Staten Island, it’s the homeowner who is responsible for removing a fallen tree on their property. The home and yard are considered private property. You might find that the tree sits on an easement owned by the city. If that’s the case, the city would handle the removal of a fallen tree. If you think the tree might be on an easement, you can check with the city before taking action.
If you’re a homeowner?
When you own a home on Staten Island, you’re considered responsible for removing any fallen trees since it’s private property. However, you may have a small area of easement on your property, where the city or a utility company retains the rights. A fallen tree on an area of easement should be removed by the city or the utility company.
If you’re a renter?
If you’re a renter on Staten Island, you might have a rental agreement that says you need to keep up with the yard work. This means routine maintenance and not something with such a large scope like removing a tree. You need to keep your landlord apprised of any that appear to be damaged or dying in the yard, so they can take action immediately.
If you’re a landlord?
Landlords are also property owners. In Staten Island, when it comes to a fallen tree on private property, the homeowner is responsible for its removal. This doesn’t change if you’re renting the house to someone. You may ask the tenant to take care of maintaining the yard, but this doesn’t include something as large as removing a fallen tree.
If you’re a neighbor?
We see many trees that have fallen into more than one yard. It’s the responsibility of the Staten Island homeowner to remove the tree. But which one? If the tree grew in your yard, it’s your responsibility, and the same is true for your neighbor if it grew in their yard. Talk to your neighbor when this happens, no matter which of you is responsible, to remain on friendly terms with each other.
How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Staten Island?
The most common soil types that you’ll find in your Staten Island yard are sandy or loam. Loam soil contains small particles in it. The sandy soil type will absorb lots of water, but it isn’t as effective at draining it. This can increase the chances of one of your trees developing root rot.
Also, the soil in the area tends to be acidic, making it essential that you use mulch to increase the nutrients. Our team can conduct a soil test to determine its type and help you develop a plan to keep your trees healthy.
Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Staten Island?
Yes, the weather in Staten Island can affect the health of your trees. The high rainfall and snow can add water to your soil that can affect your trees’ growth and root health, while the freezing temperatures over the winter months can damage a tree in your yard.
What If Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines in Staten Island?
In some cases, a dead tree on a power line is the responsibility of the power company to remove it. This happens when the tree grows on an easement owned by the power company. If the tree isn’t on an easement, it’s the responsibility of the Staten Island homeowner.
A dead tree may fall onto a power line and create a dangerous situation. Remember to call emergency services if this happens.
How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Staten Island?
All Staten Island homeowners ask this question first. Unfortunately, our team needs to evaluate the tree before we can give you an accurate quote. We can tell you that the cost of tree removal in the area typically ranges between $200 to $750 with an average cost of $475. However, costs can reach over $1,500 for challenging or very large trees.
Your cost might be around the average, on the high end, or the lower cost side. There isn’t a way to accurately gauge it without adding the various cost factors into the quote. Here are the three most common cost factors in the Staten Island area.
Tree Work Permit
The New York City area takes its public trees very seriously. If any work is done, including removing a tree within 50 feet of a public tree, then we need to secure a Tree Work Permit before we can begin work.
In fact, we need the permit five days before we start removing your tree. The permit comes from the Parks & Recreation department. This process takes extra time and adds to the final price that you pay.
Additional Services
Some homeowners want us to do more than cut down the tree. Popular additional services include running the tree through a wood chipper and removing the stump. If we run your tree through a chipper, you can use the wood chips as mulch to offset the acidic soil in the area.
Tree Height and Width
Some trees in the Staten Island area grow tall and wide. It takes longer and requires additional safety measures to remove the taller and wider ones, especially because the homes in the area are densely packed together. We want to make sure that a stray limb doesn’t damage your home or one of your neighbor’s houses. This is the largest variable in the quote.
