AFFORDABLE TREE REMOVAL SERVICE IN Anderson, SC

What Are the Most Common Tree Issues in Anderson?

Perched atop the Piedmont plateau an hour from South Carolina’s iconic, forested Blue Ridge Mountains, Anderson is home to dozens of native and adaptive tree species. The region is lush in part because it’s fed by four major watersheds and has many areas filled with nutrient-rich, loamy soils. But that doesn’t mean trees grown in the area don’t struggle with a variety of tree issues and concerns.

Tree pests in Anderson remain a top concern for the city, our arborists, and homeowners. Common pests and problems that you may notice affecting your trees include:

• Gypsy moths: The caterpillars of the Asian gypsy moth and the European gypsy moth attack approximately 500 common North American tree and shrub species, many of which are native to South Carolina.
• Asian longhorned beetle: This beetle is a national threat to America’s hardwood trees, and is especially prevalent in South Carolina. Commonly targeted trees include ash, birch, poplar, willow, various forms of maple, and elm trees.
• Citrus greening: This disease, caused by psyllids, is only found in seven states. South Carolina is one of them. The disease is incurable and kills citrus trees in just a few years.
• Sudden oak death: Despite its name, this disease (which is caused by the Phytophthora ramorum water mold pathogen) affects more than 70 tree species in Anderson, including bigleaf maple, Douglas fir, horse chestnut, and the southern red oak.
• Spotted lanternfly: This insect can cause a buildup of sticky honeydew, which may attract other pests and lead to sooty mold problems on trees. Commonly targeted tree species include pine trees, maple trees, willow trees, and various fruit trees (e.g., apricots, nectarines, peaches, plums, etc.).

Some of the above pests injure and damage the tree. Others, like the sudden oak death, lead to total tree loss and will require tree removal.

If you are concerned about any of these tree health problems, or if you think you’ve identified symptoms of a specific pest or disease on your backyard tree, contact our team today for an expert inspection and diagnosis. You can also contact the Anderson County Cooperative Extension for pest identification assistance by calling (864) 226-1581. It’s important to take proactive measures before your tree needs extensive trimming, pruning, or even full removal.

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

According to a review of all of South Carolina’s counties and cities, Anderson has some of the least limited restrictions and fewest tree ordinances in place. For example, unlike many other municipalities in other states, Anderson does not even have a street tree ordinance governing how trees lining the street on your property need to be managed. While this can be advantageous when it comes to planting and removing trees, it also means the City of Anderson provides limited to no assistance with tree removal problems.

The City of Anderson’s Department of Parks and Recreation manages the growth and removal of trees in parks and public spaces. And the city’s Public Works Department handles safety issues as it relates to fallen trees that may be affecting a road, a sidewalk, or a public structure.

Beyond that, any tree removal problems must be dealt with by the residents and property owners of Anderson.

Who Is Responsible For Fallen Tree Removal in Anderson?

If you see a fallen tree that’s on public property, or fell onto private property but was originally growing on public property, call Anderson’s Public Works Department at (864) 231-2246 to report the issue. If the problem is on private property and the tree originally grew on private property, the exact responsibility depends on your specific role.

If you’re a homeowner?

The city ordinances of Anderson (specifically § 38.122; 38-396 to 38-397) dictate that homeowners properly maintain the appearance and safety of their property. This includes any issues regarding your established trees, including trees impeding on public right-of-ways and trees that have fallen.

If a tree has fallen on your property, it’s solely the responsibility of you as the homeowner to deal with the issue and contact our tree removal specialists to clear away the fallen timber.

If you’re a renter?

If you rent your home, your rental terms are a legally binding agreement between you and your landlord. Some rental agreements may specify that you provide basic landscaping services, such as mowing the lawn or raking up fallen leaves during Anderson’s crisp fall season.

However, nowhere in the South Carolina landlord-tenant law (S.C. Code Ann. § § 27-40-10 to 27-40-940) is fallen tree removal, or extensive tree pruning and trimming, explicitly included in landscape maintenance. Unless your rental agreement clearly outlines what landscaping duties are your responsibility, and that fallen tree removal is included in those landscaping duties, removing a fallen tree is likely the responsibility of the actual property owner.

If you’re a landlord?

Not unlike the above explanation for renters, South Carolina’s landlord-tenant law doesn’t explicitly include tree removal when it comes to property maintenance. Landlords will likely assume all legal and monetary responsibility for a fallen tree unless the landlord-tenant agreement was modified to put that responsibility on the tenant. 

In some cases, a landlord may be able to recoup some of the tree removal expenses if the landlord can show that the actions of the tenant contributed to the tree’s demise (e.g., a tenant damaging a tree to the point that the tree got too weak and died). In such scenarios, the matter would be a civil dispute and likely handled by the landlord and tenant’s respective insurance companies.

If you’re a neighbor?

A tree is always the responsibility of the property owner upon whose land the tree was growing. If a tree falls, the property owner who owns the tree must handle all removal and may also need to cover the costs of fixing any damage on the neighbor’s side (e.g., a broken fence or damaged garden shed hit by the falling tree).

The City of Anderson extends this concept to all other nuisance cases, such as loud pets that affect a neighbor’s right to enjoy their backyard and home in peace.

How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Anderson?

Because of its proximity to the watersheds, a lot of the soil in Anderson is rich loam. In other areas, it tends to have a loamy surface with a more clay-based soil layer beneath the loam. This results in soil that’s relatively high in moisture content, and where clay is present, soil that occasionally suffers from permeability issues (i.e., water does not get deep into the soil easily).

This often results in trees that thrive due to the high moisture content and makes Anderson a haven for willows and other species that are attracted to such conditions. 

If your property has more clay-based soil, soil amendment strategies can improve soil aeration and permeability and improve the health of your trees:

• Contour the land using berms, terraces, and raised beds to help direct water away from pooling and flooding.
• Aerate the soil using an aerator, digging fork, or similar tool.
• Add organic matter to the soil, such as compost, leaf mold, and rotted manure.
• Avoid compacting the soil further by staying off of it after one of Anderson’s notoriously heavy rain showers.

Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Anderson?

The temperatures in Anderson can fluctuate wildly over the calendar year. In the winter, the mercury drops to the mid-50s and then soars in the opposite direction to the low-90s in the summer months. These temperature swings require careful consideration when it comes to your tree care:

• Mulching and extra watering during heat spikes can keep your tree’s roots cool and moist.
• Frost shields, piling up straw or hay, and similar strategies may be necessary for young trees during the winter.

Thankfully, Anderson is not known for heavy hail or snow, which bodes well for the strength and structure of your tree’s limbs.

What If Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines in Anderson?

If you notice dead trees touching power lines, or if a fallen tree has downed a power line, stay away from the area and report the safety issue to Dominion Energy immediately by calling (888) 333-4465. You may also call the Anderson Police Department at (765) 648-6715.

Dominion Energy also handles the trimming and pruning of dead trees near power lines. However, there are a few caveats:

• Trees are inspected and trimmed every four years.
• The utility company will cut and remove dead and dying trees or limbs near power lines, but they will not remove and take away large limbs and tree trunks. The actual removal of the cut debris is the responsibility of the property owner.
• You can request Dominion Energy’s help with cutting trees that are dangerously close to power lines, but once again, they will leave the cut tree on your property and you will need to hire someone like Tree Triage to remove the tree debris.

How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Anderson?

Every tree is different, and the location of the tree also impacts the actual cost of cutting and removing it. In general, you can expect tree removal to start in the $300 to $500 range, and easily reach upwards of $1,200 to $1,500 depending on the tree size and complexity of the project. Additional factors can influence these prices even further.

Permits

Anderson’s zoning rules do not require a tree removal permit for small trees, which is defined as a tree that has a trunk diameter smaller than ten inches when measured at a height of 24 inches above the ground. However, you will need to apply for a permit from the city’s planning department if:

• The tree is larger than the above measurements
• The tree is in Anderson’s historic overlay area 

The extra permitting and review process can add time and expense to your tree removal costs. Additionally, any tree removed in the historic overlay area must be replaced with a similar tree that’s at least 8 feet tall and that will reach a height of at least 30 feet. The cost of replanting a tree should be factored into your estimates for tree removal costs.

Size of the Tree

Many of the trees native to the area that thrive in Anderson’s soil reach an exceptional size. Prominent examples include the American yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea), which grows up to 50 feet tall and 50 feet wide, and the bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa), which spreads its limbs up to 80 feet wide at a height of nearly 100 feet.

If you’re hoping to remove a tree of this size, you’re looking for our team of experts that can carefully trim away tree limbs before topping the tree and bringing it down slowly. Simply cutting it down would pose too much of a safety risk to surrounding structures, yet the slower and safer approach will drive up the costs.

Condition of the Tree

A healthy tree is far easier to cut and remove than a weak, dead, or diseased tree. That’s because such trees are more prone to breaking or falling unpredictably during the removal process, and are also harder to navigate for our tree cutting crews. The added difficulty obviously influences the final time and associated costs required.