Contents (Click To Jump)
- 1 What Are the Most Common Tree Issues in Chesterfield County?
- 2 Does Chesterfield County Provide Any Assistance in Tree Removal Problems?
- 3 Who Is Responsible For Fallen Tree Removal in Chesterfield County?
- 4 How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Chesterfield County?
- 5 Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Chesterfield County?
- 6 What if Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines in Chesterfield County?
- 7 How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Chesterfield County?
What Are the Most Common Tree Issues in Chesterfield County?
The lush environment provided by the two rivers that border our county and the transition of rocky Piedmont into the coastal plain provides an ideal habitat for trees to thrive. This same environment can also encourage other species that prey on the trees, though. Many ailments could affect trees in Chesterfield County, but some of the most common ones to look out for are:
- White Pine Blister Rust
- Sudden Oak Death
- Thousand Cankers Disease
- Gypsy Moths
- Southern Pine Beetles
- Hemlock Wooly Adelgids
- Emerald Ash Borers
Does Chesterfield County Provide Any Assistance in Tree Removal Problems?
Unfortunately, Chesterfield County doesn’t provide much in the way of assistance for problems you may have with tree removal on private property. To help manage waste wood and foliage from removed trees, though, you can apply to Chesterfield County Fire and EMS for a permit to burn any tree waste.
Who Is Responsible For Fallen Tree Removal in Chesterfield County?
Though tree law in Virginia can often get complicated, the responsibility for maintenance and eventual removal of a tree falls on the property owner where the tree initially grew. This law means that even if trees fall across property lines, the tree owner is still obligated to handle the removal.
If You’re a Homeowner?
If you’re a homeowner here in Chesterfield County, the trees are part of what makes your property appealing. They contribute shade, privacy, and beauty to your property and can be a massive boon to the long-term value of your investment in your home. Like the rest of your property, however, your trees come with some responsibilities to maintain. Chesterfield County has laws requiring trees to be held to specific standards and require the prompt removal of fallen trees.
If You’re a Renter?
If you’re a tenant on a rental property in Chesterfield County, tree removal is likely the responsibility of your landlord rather than you. Though lease agreements regularly require tenants to handle maintenance like lawn care and essential yard work, trees are considered a feature of the property and are considerably more permanent than grass. Just like your landlord is responsible for maintaining your home’s infrastructure to specific standards, they also have a responsibility to maintain trees and promptly remove any fallen trees before they can become an inconvenience or safety hazard.
If a tree falls at your rental home, communicate with your landlord right away. They may want you to give us a call and arrange everything, or they may want to take care of the tree themselves, but your first call should be to communicate with them about the issue.
If You’re a Landlord?
If you own a rental property, your trees probably shouldn’t be left in the hands of your tenants. Your trees massively affect the value of your property as an investment, and so you should maintain control over their maintenance and eventual removal when necessary.
Unless your lease agreement with your tenants directly assigns them responsibility for maintenance and care of trees on the premises, you likely have a legal duty to take care of fallen trees since your trees are an integral part of your property. You wouldn’t necessarily want tenants to have control over your trees anyway. Since they have no vested interest in your investment, you shouldn’t put them in a position to make choices that could affect the long-term value of your property.
If You’re a Neighbor?
If one of your neighbors here in Chesterfield County has a tree that’s fallen, they are usually the ones who need to have it removed. If you need it to go right away and can’t get your neighbor to do anything about it or can’t contact them, then they will owe you compensation for your costs of removing it yourself. Having disputes over money with neighbors can be a little unsavory in the future of living next to them, so try your best to communicate with your neighbor before taking any unilateral action.
If your neighbor has fallen trees that didn’t fall on your property but are still causing a nuisance, they still have a duty to remove them. If fallen trees aren’t promptly removed and left to rot on the ground, they can commonly bring pests and diseases that may negatively affect your property. If you can’t resolve issues with fallen trees directly with your neighbor, reach out to Chesterfield County Code Enforcement and see if there’s any solution they can provide.
How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Chesterfield County?
The soil in Chesterfield County is highly diverse. Luckily, almost all of the earth we have around here is rich in nutrients that trees love. While the land around our rivers tends to be much better-drained soil with finer particles of limestone and shale, the Piedmont soils can also have incredibly coarse grains of minerals in the sand. If your soil is more uncultivated, your soil will likely struggle to retain moisture, drain quickly, and be less likely to flood. Finer grain sands in your soil mean that it keeps water excellently but can be less permeable as wet sand seals itself against taking on more moisture.
Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Chesterfield County?
The weather in Chesterfield County is nearly perfect for growing strong and healthy trees. Our precipitation stays at steady levels most of the year, ensuring that trees get a fairly regular moisture diet. Our winters have a fair bit of snowfall, but usually not so much that trees are overwhelmed. The hottest months in our summer can frequently push above 90 degrees and occasionally above 100, so it pays to ensure that all of your trees are in excellent health before the height of the summer hits.
What if Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines in Chesterfield County?
Dominion Energy is the power utility around here, and they clear trees around power lines regularly throughout Chesterfield County on a four-year cycle. Trees should never be planted anywhere where they have the potential to fall on power lines, as they could pose a significant risk of causing widespread outages or even fire.
If dead trees on your property are encroaching on power lines and could potentially cause damage to them, call Dominion immediately about tree trimming or removal. Whenever trees are near power lines, a trained specialist with tools and experience to mitigate the risk of working near power lines needs to perform trimming or removal.
How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Chesterfield County?
The cost of tree removal can cover a wide range in Chesterfield county. Often, you can get simple tree removals done for as little as $100 to $150, while larger or more complicated removals could exceed $2,000. No two trees are alike, however, and depending on the specific circumstances of the tree you need to be removed, the cost of tree removal can vary greatly.
Accesibility
Every tree grows in unique ways, and trees that are a little crowded may cause problems with removal. If your tree is growing near other trees, it could be challenging for our team to get in and remove the problem tree without causing any damage to the healthy trees. Trees growing nearby structures also pose a significant threat of damaging structures as they’re being removed. We would need extra planning to ensure that no harm comes to your home or any other structure on your property.
Sometimes trees are just playing hard to get to as well. We’ve removed our share of trees from creek beds and other hard-to-reach locations, but if vehicles or tools are challenging to get to the tree, it will increase the effort required to remove it.
Health of theTree
Even if a tree is long dead, its health could still affect its removal. If a tree’s been dead for a long time, it’s likely rotted. This could mean that limbs, branches, and even the trunk of the tree are structurally unstable. While this seems like it may make it easier to bring it down, it means the tree may come down in unpredictable ways that cause a significant safety risk to all of us involved. Rotted trees can splinter and crack and cause unexpected damage to structures around them as well, and we’ll have to take extra time to plan so that we can ensure that that does not happen.
Trees that have died from diseases could also pose significant challenges. If a tree has a pathogen that other trees could catch, you don’t want to spread it to the rest of the trees on your property. We’ll have to take extra care when removing the tree and possibly quarantine it, which could take extra time and add additional costs.
Size
Size can be a huge factor in determining the cost of tree removal in Chesterfield county. Big trees can be huge jobs– and not just because of the extra material to dispose of. Large trees can pose a significant safety hazard to surrounding buildings, surrounding trees, and sometimes even to us as we work on removing them. Safety is always a priority, so it will take extra tools and planning to remove the biggest trees, which might increase the cost.
