We remove dead, dying and hazardous trees and do practical trimming across Sylvan Hills in southwest Atlanta, near Sylvan Road and Perkerson Park. Tall loblolly pines, water oaks and southern red oaks shade small brick and frame homes on medium lots. This is inside Atlanta city limits, so removals at 6 inches or more at 4.5 feet (pines 12) need a permit, but dead trees go through with no application fee. Call our 24/7 line.
Dead trees that stood too long
A dead tree doesn't fall the day it dies, and that's the trouble. Many Sylvan Hills yards have a pine that browned out after a drought and a beetle year, or a water oak that leafed out thinner each spring until it stopped. Owners leave them because nothing has happened yet and the work seems expensive. Meanwhile the wood dries, the bark peels off in sheets and the tree gets weaker every month.
Time works against both the house and the budget. A pine dead for a season or two can usually still be climbed and taken down in sections. One that has stood gray for several years may be too brittle to hold a climber, so it has to be taken apart from a bucket truck or a crane, which costs more. The same goes for oaks with rotted tops. Our dead tree service costs least when the call comes early, and the dying tree guide shows what to look for.
How we keep the bill down on a Sylvan Hills job
Most people here want a straight answer about what actually needs doing and what can wait. We give it. On the first visit, we sort the trees into three groups: the ones that are a real danger now, the ones worth watching and the ones that are fine. That way you can pay for the urgent work first and plan the rest when it suits you.
There are other ways to save. Where a lot has room, we fell a tree whole into an open lane rather than climbing it, which takes less time. If you'd like to keep the wood for firewood, we leave it in rounds and skip some of the hauling. You can also leave the stump for later and add grinding once the budget allows. Our tree service price guide lays out what moves the price.
Big pines and hardwoods on the lots near Perkerson Park
The streets around Sylvan Road and Perkerson Park have plenty of old trees, many of them left from the woods that covered this ground before the houses. Tall loblolly pines stand at the back and side lines, with water oaks and southern red oaks closer to the homes. The pines are the most common removal call, especially after a dry summer when Ips engraver beetles move in and kill several trees in a cluster.
Hardwoods bring different work. A southern red oak may only need its dead limbs pruned and a low branch lifted off the roof. A water oak at this age is more likely to be hollow and better taken down. We tell you which is which, and if a tree touches a power line, we leave that part to Georgia Power and work only on the sections that are clear of the wires.
No-fee permits for dead and hazardous trees
Sylvan Hills sits inside Atlanta city limits in Fulton County, so removing a tree 6 inches or more across at 4.5 feet needs a permit, and pines start at 12 inches. For dead, dying and hazardous trees, the city Arborist Division charges no application fee and no recompense once its inspector confirms the condition. We photograph the tree, measure it and handle the permit paperwork for you. Nearby West End and Adams Park follow the same rule.