Contents (Click To Jump)
- 1 What Are the Most Common Tree Issues in Tomball?
- 2 Does the City of Tomball Provide Any Assistance in Tree Removal Problems?
- 3 Who Is Responsible for Fallen Tree Removal in Tomball?
- 4 How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Tomball?
- 5 Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Tomball?
- 6 What If Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines in Tomball?
- 7 How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Tomball?
What Are the Most Common Tree Issues in Tomball?
Tomball is plenty when it comes to rain, but less so when it comes to sunny days. In fact, there are fewer sunny days in our area than the U.S. average, making the area great for residents and vegetation that can survive the wet climate and mostly cloudy weather. On a more positive note, we see fewer winter days below freezing, and our hot summers replenish our vitamin D from the rest of the year.
Lining our streets and forests, you’ll mostly find Tomball native trees like:
- Bald Cypress
- Bur Oak, Chinquapin Oak, Live Oak, Texas Red Oak, Shumard Oak, Water Oak
- Cedar Elm
- Crabapple
- Desert Willow
- Loblolly Pine
- Mexican Plum
- Oklahoma Redbud, Redbud
- Pecan
- Southern Magnolia
- Western Soapberry
Despite being accustomed to the Tomball area, our trees still lose their lives to tree diseases. This is because no matter how great the environment is for trees, it often makes a great home for common tree diseases too. The most common tree diseases in Tomball include the following.
Oak Wilt
As you can tell from the previous list of native trees, oaks are all over Texas and often thrive in our climate. Unfortunately, that means our area is prone to serious damage done by oak wilt if it makes its way around our landscapes without early detection. To prevent this from happening, the Texas A&M Forest Service and the Forest Health Protection branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service partnered together to create the Texas Oak Wilt project.
The idea is for Tomball and other Texas city residents to get informed on the tree disease to help stop its widespread damage to the whole Texas area. Signs include veining on leaves, browning, premature falling, and an overall decline in health.
Early detection is significant because our oak trees typically only have about 2 to 4 months after infection before dying.
Insect Infestations
Another common problem in the area is the pests that often feed and live on our native trees. In most cases, their regular feedings and burrowing cause major damage, weakening the trees over time and eventually becoming fatal.
According to USDA APHIS, insects that find Tomball, Texas a suitable habitat are the Asian Gypsy Moth, Asian Longhorned Beetle, Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle, European Cherry Fruit Fly, European Grapevine Moth, False Codling Moth, Giant African Snail, Khapra Beetle, Light Brown Apple Moth, Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Oriental Fruit Fly, and Spotted Lanternfly.
As for tree pests under federal quarantine, the most common in Texas are:
- Asian Citrus Psyllid—attacks citrus plants.
- Imported Fire Ant—attacks buds, fruits, and crops.
- Mexican Fruit Fly—attacks citrus and mangos.
Does the City of Tomball Provide Any Assistance in Tree Removal Problems?
The City of Tomball does not assist with tree removal problems on private property. However, they do assist residents seeking help with tree removal of a tree on city property. In fact, they encourage you to call (281)290-1400 to request a tree trimming/pruning, report a fallen tree or limb, and/or report a leaning/dead tree.
They explain that you will “need to provide the address, nearest cross street, your name, and daytime telephone number” at the time of your request or report.
Who Is Responsible for Fallen Tree Removal in Tomball?
It’s stressful enough dealing with a fallen tree on your lot, but it can be an even bigger headache when other parties are involved. To help relieve a little of that stress, the following sections lay out tree removal responsibility by party in Tomball for you.
If you’re a homeowner?
If you’re a homeowner, you inherently take on the responsibility of taking care of and removing trees on your property. However, there are special circumstances that can tweak this responsibility a bit. For instance, if the tree is on several properties and fell due to a natural cause, you are only responsible for the portion up to your property line–other property owners (including the City for the public areas) are responsible for the portion on their end.
More on this can be seen in the ‘neighbor’ section.
If you’re a renter?
The wonderful benefit of being a renter is you do not have to take on the responsibility of major projects like replacing a roof or removing a tree. However, we do recommend letting your landlord know of any concerns or signs of decline you notice, so they can hopefully take care of it before it falls.
If you’re a landlord?
As a landlord, you should expect to have the same responsibilities as a homeowner. The biggest difference, however, is that you are responsible for more people than the ones in your home. You must keep up with maintenance and tree care to ensure the health and safety of all your tenants.
If you’re a neighbor?
Who is responsible in this area depends on the situation at hand. For instance, if a healthy tree falls from your neighbor’s land onto your property, then you’re responsible for removing the tree (and vice versa). However, if the tree was dead, damaged, or dying and fell due to neglect, then your neighbor is at fault and must pay all the costs to fix damages, compensate for injuries, and remove the tree.
How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Tomball?
According to Established Series, Tomball, TX soil “consists of very deep, poorly drained, very slowly permeable soils that formed in loamy fluviomarine deposits derived from the Willis Formation”, and is classified as “fine-loamy, siliceous, semi-active, hyperthermic Typic Epiaqualfs.”
All this jargon means that your soil in Tomball is not efficient at holding in water and nutrients for your plants and trees, so it can be difficult for some vegetation to survive in this area. Fortunately, native trees are accustomed to this environment, so they don’t usually have a problem unless there’s some sort of unexpected weather extreme.
Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Tomball?
Speaking of weather extremes, it’s completely true that Tomball weather can affect the health of your trees. In fact, it’s more likely than you may think. Since natural disasters are a common risk for the area, trees will always be vulnerable to them.
Take, for example, tornadoes and hurricanes in Texas. Tomball has a moderate risk of tornadoes, with an average of at least 3 tornadoes every year that can damage the health of your trees. Likewise, Tomball is at high risk of hurricanes, being hit with more than 50 recorded hurricanes since 1930 and certainly hurting the trees in the area in the process.
What If Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines in Tomball?
According to CenterPoint Energy, “Trees and plants cause about 20 percent of unplanned power outages [in the area] (when the source of the outage is certain).” For this reason, residents must call their electric company whenever they notice a tree (dead or alive) too close to power lines. You are, by no means, ever authorized to take care of the problem yourself since it’s dangerous and can end badly.
Additional services by the electric company include tree trimming, pruning, and planting education to help “teach customers to plant the right tree in the right place, so plants can grow to full maturity without threatening [the] electric grid.”
How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Tomball?
Before going forward with any kind of tree removal, every Tomball resident should be careful to abide by the city’s laws. For instance, Tomball residents are required to get a tree removal permit before the service. According to section 18-261 of the Code of Ordinances, “A person commits an offense if the person intentionally or knowingly clears land or removes trees, or causes the clearing of land or removal of trees, without a permit for such clearing of land or removal of trees required by this article.”
With that being said, residents in Tomball typically pay around $550 for a standard tree removal service, with a range of $200 to $1,700 for most jobs. The following cost factors can play a big part in swaying that number up or down.
Tree Height
Tree height, for instance, is a major factor in what you should expect in final costs. This is because the taller the tree, the more difficult the job is for us to bring it down. The job will consist of longer hours, harder work, and more dangerous situations than what we would have to do to remove a small tree less than 30 feet in height.
On average, most Tomball property owners pay around $10 to $20 more for every foot of height on the tree you’re looking to remove. On a more positive note, you may also be looking at less in costs if your tree is shorter than 30 feet (or already fallen over since most of the job is already taken care of at that point!).
Land and Lot Clearings
Land and Lot Clearing is another great service to take advantage of if you can. We’ll professionally clean and clear your property of all the trees and shrubs where you plan to build a home extension, deck, patio, or landscaping feature. We can also come help clean up the property after a bad storm that leaves debris scattered about your property.
While it can cost you nearly $1,487 more per acre to have done, it can be extremely beneficial for homeowners who don’t want to do the work themselves and/or aren’t familiar with all the laws and regulations associated with its disposal and don’t want to accidentally get any of it wrong.
