Tree Service in Kiryas Joel, NY

What does a tree service company do for your property?

A tree service company cuts down, prunes, and cleans up trees that a homeowner can't safely handle alone. On a typical week our crew is taking down a dying ash in small sections, cutting limbs back off a roofline, grinding stumps, and hauling away storm debris.

Most properties here are tight. A big maple may stand four feet from a building, with a fence on one side and parked cars on the other. That changes how the work gets done. We climb the tree or use a bucket truck, tie off each piece of wood, and lower it to the ground on a rope instead of letting it fall. It takes longer, but nothing gets hit.

Why do so many trees near buildings in Kiryas Joel start to die?

Construction damage is the most common cause we see. A lot of the village was forest not long ago. When a building goes up, excavators pack down the soil and slice through roots that run well past the edge of the tree's canopy. A red oak or sugar maple left standing at the edge of a job site can look healthy for five to ten years before the top starts dying back.

The soil adds to the problem. Ground here is thin and rocky, with ledge rock and hard clay close to the surface. Roots can't go deep, so they spread out flat and shallow. A shallow-rooted tree in rain-soaked ground is much easier for wind to push over.

If you see dead branches at the top of a tree near a newer building, have it looked at. That dieback usually means roots were lost, and it rarely reverses on its own.

Which trees cause the most problems in this area?

White ash is the biggest concern right now. The emerald ash borer, a small metallic green beetle, has spread across this part of New York. Its larvae tunnel under the bark and cut off the tree's water supply. Most infested ash trees die within a few years, and dead ash gets brittle fast. That makes it dangerous to climb and dangerous to leave standing next to a house.

Other trees we keep an eye on

• Eastern hemlock along wooded edges is thinning out from hemlock woolly adelgid. Look for white, cottony bits on the underside of the needles.
• American beech is getting hit by beech leaf disease, which leaves dark stripes between leaf veins and slowly starves the tree.
• Callery pear, planted along many newer streets and parking areas, grows narrow forks that split apart under heavy snow.
• White pine grows tall and drops heavy limbs when ice builds up on the needles.
• Tree of heaven spreads fast in empty lots and is a favorite host for spotted lanternfly.

What kind of weather brings trees down here?

Winter does the most damage. Nor'easters bring hours of steady wind from the northeast, which pushes on trees from a direction they aren't used to. Wet snow is worse than dry snow, and an early storm in late October, while oaks and maples still hold their leaves, can load a limb far past what it can carry.

Ice storms coat every twig in a shell of ice. Pines and pears break first. In summer, fast thunderstorms throw short bursts of strong wind, and the leftover rain from tropical storms soaks the ground for days before the wind arrives. When a tree does come down on a roof, a car, or across a driveway, our storm response crew can get it cut off and cleared so you can get back to normal.

How is tree work done safely on a crowded lot?

Careful planning before the saw starts. We walk the property with you, note what's under the tree, and decide where every piece of wood will land. On tight jobs we use rigging, which means ropes and pulleys that let us lower each cut section slowly instead of dropping it.

A few things we handle up front on busy streets:

• We ask building managers and neighbors to move cars out of the drop zone the day before.
• We plan around school bus pickup and drop-off times so our trucks aren't blocking the road when buses come through.
• We lay plywood or mats over lawns and walkways so the equipment doesn't leave ruts.
• We keep our crew and the public outside a marked work zone the whole time.

When should branches over a sukkah be trimmed?

Call us in July or August, not the week before Sukkos. A sukkah needs open sky above the covering, with no tree limbs reaching over it. Every year we get calls from families who notice in September that a maple branch has grown out over the spot they use every fall.

Early summer and late summer are good times for cutting back overhanging limbs on most shade trees. Booking early gets you on the schedule before the rush, and it gives us time to shape the tree properly instead of just chopping off whatever is in the way. Proper cuts close over faster and don't leave the tree open to rot.

What happens to the stump after a tree is cut down?

Unless you ask for it, the stump stays behind when a tree comes down. Most people don't want it. Stumps get in the way of mowing, trip kids, and slowly rot, which can draw carpenter ants toward nearby buildings.

We can grind the stump down below the surface with a machine that chews the wood into mulch. Afterward, we rake the area and fill the hole with the grindings or with topsoil if you plan to plant grass.

Can you clear a wooded lot for a new building?

Yes. New construction keeps pushing into wooded ground, and builders need the trees, brush, and stumps gone before the excavator shows up. We handle clearing wooded ground for builders and property owners, from a small backyard strip of brush to a full building site.

If there are healthy trees worth saving at the edge of the lot, tell us early. We can mark them and fence off the root zone so they have a real chance of surviving the construction.

Why not cut the tree down yourself?

A single large limb can weigh more than a car. When it falls, it doesn't always go where you expect. Dead ash and storm-damaged trees are the most unpredictable because the wood can snap before the cut is finished.

A professional crew has the rigging to control the wood, the training to read how a tree will move, and liability insurance that covers your property if something goes wrong. Any tree touching or near a power line should only be handled by the utility company or a crew qualified to work near lines. Stay back and call.

You can read more about how our crew works before you call.

Where is our office?

Our office is on Forest Road. Office hours are Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Most estimates happen at your property, so you don't need to come in.