Tall loblolly pines along lot lines are the usual reason Alpharetta homeowners call. We trim and remove them, prune hardwoods and maintain the ornamental trees in large 1990s and 2000s subdivisions around downtown, Avalon and the Big Creek Greenway. Pines left as privacy screens between houses are the common concern. Alpharetta sets its own tree rules, and many neighborhoods have HOA guidelines too, so we check both before quoting. Our phone is answered 24/7.
Pine rows along Alpharetta lot lines
When Alpharetta subdivisions were built, the builders cleared the house pads and left strips of loblolly pines along the side and back lines as screens between neighbors. Twenty or thirty years later, those strips are rows of tall, thin trunks with small crowns at the very top. Their roots run under both lots, and when one goes over it usually lands on somebody's roof or fence.
We look at the row as a group, not one tree at a time. Pines that grew up together shelter each other from the wind, so taking out every other one can leave the rest more exposed. When removal makes sense, we take them down in sections and coordinate with the neighbor whose yard the limbs hang over. Our article on tall pines near the house covers how we weigh the risk.
Trimming that keeps HOA neighborhoods tidy
Most of the big Alpharetta subdivisions have HOAs with their own landscaping expectations. That usually means clean lines, limbs raised over sidewalks and streets, and no topped trees. Raising the crown on street-side maples and oaks keeps them clear of mail trucks and school buses, and keeps the lawn below getting enough light.
Ornamental trees need their own care. Bradford pears planted at the entrances and along driveways in the 1990s are splitting at their weak V-crotches, and crape myrtles too often get topped every winter. We prune ornamentals back to a clean framework and replace a split pear with something stronger if the HOA allows.
Alpharetta's rules, downtown to Avalon
Alpharetta is its own city and sets its own tree rules. Before we quote a removal, we check what the city requires for that tree on that lot, then tell you what needs filing. On HOA lots we also ask you to check with the board, since many associations want notice before a tree comes down.
Closer to downtown Alpharetta and Avalon, newer homes and townhomes sit on tighter lots with less room for a truck, so removals lean on rope work and smaller equipment. Out along the Big Creek Greenway, back yards often run into wooded buffer land, where trees may carry their own restrictions. We sort that out on the visit.
Leyland cypress screens and drought-stressed pines
Leyland cypress was a favorite for quick privacy screens in Alpharetta, and many of those hedges are now failing. Canker kills sections from the inside, and a whole tree can brown and collapse in a single season. Once a screen starts dying in patches, it rarely recovers, and removal with replanting is usually the practical answer.
Dry summers bring the other big threat: southern pine beetle and Ips engraver beetles in stressed loblollies. Pitch tubes and a fading crown are the signs. We remove beetle-killed pines quickly, before they turn brittle, and look at the rest of the row. Homeowners in Johns Creek and Forsyth County call about the very same pine rows.