AFFORDABLE TREE REMOVAL SERVICE IN Douglas County, IL

What Are the Most Common Tree Issues in Douglas County?

There are a large number of problems seen with the trees in our area. We’ll tackle just a few of them here. The first one we often see is the Bur Oak Blight, which is a fungal infection attacking Bur Oak trees. The first sign your oak tree has the infection is by the brown-colored spots that start appearing on the leaves. It will progress through the veins of the leaves and then partial leaf browning will be noticed by late summer. Symptoms will continue from year to year, and if left untreated, the Bur Oak will eventually die. 

Another issue we see here is Bacterial Leaf Scorch, which affects deciduous trees, like oak, maple, and mulberry trees. You’ll begin to notice scorch marks on the leaves, and after a few years, you’ll begin seeing dieback. It can be treated by mulching the tree, watering it often, and fertilizing it. 

One of the most common insect infestations we see in Douglas County is the Japanese Beetle, which is known to attack LittleLeaf Linden, Crabapple, and Birch trees. They feed on the foliage of the tree, causing them to brown and wilt over time. Eventually, you’ll begin to see the Japanese beetles flying around the leaves while it’s infested. To treat them, you can spray them with a special insecticide. 

Does the City of Douglas County Provide Any Assistance in Tree Removal Problems?

Douglas County doesn’t offer much help in tree removal unless it’s on property they own. Otherwise, trees in your yard are pretty much your responsibility to maintain and remove if necessary. Tree trimming and removal isn’t an easy task, so don’t be afraid to contact a professional tree service, like us, to handle the job for you. We can tackle any project you might have safely and efficiently. 

Who Is Responsible For Fallen Tree Removal in Douglas County?

If you’re a homeowner?

You’re responsible for maintaining the trees on your property to prevent any possible accidents occurring from them falling over and damaging other properties. On occasion, you’ll want to remove any diseased or dying trees. However, you might want to check with a professional, like us, because there are a few cases where permits will be needed. There are a few endangered trees in our state and we want to avoid cutting them down if we can. 

If one of your trees falls over onto the home or garage, your home insurance will pay for the damages to the house. Sometimes, they’ll cover the removal of the fallen tree if it falls onto the driveway or by the front door, but not all companies will. Check with your agent to see where you stand with your policy, even if none of the trees have fallen yet. If you can, add it beforehand. 

If you’re a renter?

If a tree falls on the home you rent, the landlord’s policy covers the damages to the home, garage, or other structures on the lot. They might also handle the removal of the tree once an agent has evaluated the situation. 

However, if the tree falls over onto your car, regardless of whether it belongs on the lot or it’s a neighbor’s tree, you’re going to be responsible. Your car insurance policy should kick in to pay, provided you have a collision taken out on the car. Any personal items in the home that might have been damaged will have to be covered under your renter’s policy, depending on the specifics of your coverage. 

If you’re a landlord?

If a tree falls over onto the home that you rent out, your homeowner’s insurance will cover most of the damages, minus any deductibles you might have. It might also cover the removal of the tree from where it hit the home. However, it might only be a portion of it. Otherwise, you will be responsible for the costs. 

If the tree falls over into the yard and doesn’t damage any structures on the lot, most insurance companies won’t cover the removal. Some will check your particular policy to see what type of coverage you have. You will need to pay for the removal if the insurance won’t cover any of it. 

If you’re a neighbor?

As with many areas in the state of IL, the home the tree falls onto is the one that will pay for the damages through the homeowner’s insurance policy. So, even if it’s not your tree, but it fell onto your home, your policy will cover the repairs. In some cases, they will cover the removal of the tree as well, but most companies will typically pay only $500 or so of the final bill. 

If the tree fell from having a disease and the neighbor neglected to deal with it, your insurance will still cover the damages. If it’s proven that the neighbor neglected it, your insurance company may go after the neighbor’s insurance for reimbursement. If it’s proven, you might also get reimbursement for your deductible.

How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Douglas County?

Douglas County has many varieties of soil, most are silty loam, while others are more clay-based. Silty loams are densely packed, but not so much that water doesn’t seep through. These aren’t bad for trees unless you’re planting one that shouldn’t have tons of moisture. Willow, birch, and Cyprus trees do well in this soil. 

The clay-based loamy soils are also densely packed, but because clay sticks together, water doesn’t seep through as easily as it does for the silty soil. Too much water and it could take a long time to get through to the tree’s roots. Also, long-standing water doesn’t allow oxygen to seep through the soil to get to the roots, which is what the tree needs to survive. 

Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Douglas County?

In the summertime, it’s not uncommon to have storms pass through Douglas County, causing some leaves and small branches to fall to the ground. On occasion, however, winds can blow up to 70 mph and even more, causing large limbs to break off trees and in some cases, a whole tree to get uprooted. When winds get that much force behind them, even healthy trees are no match. 

The winter brings some issues as well. On days where the temperatures get down to 15°F or lower, frost cracks often occur. You’ll usually see them on the south or southwest sides of the trunk as that’s where it experiences fluctuations in the temperatures the most. This can often weaken the tree to the point where the cracks appear annually. 

What If Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines in Douglas County?

One of the worst places a tree can fall is right on top of an electrical power line. When it happens, anyone nearby can be at risk for serious injury, and it will more than likely cause a power outage in a couple of blocks of area for quite some time. That’s not ideal in the heat of the summer or on the coldest days of winter. 

It’s best to keep branches away from electrical lines or remove dying trees that are near them before a disaster happens. If you do run into an emergency, call the power company to let them know. They will come out and trim or remove the tree safely after shutting the power to the line. If you plan to replant a tree in the area where you removed a dead one, be sure it won’t grow more than about 25 in height. This way, the tree won’t interfere with the electrical lines in the future.

How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Douglas County?

With several varieties of trees found on many residential as well as commercial lots, prices to remove trees on the yards will vary significantly. On average, you can expect to pay anywhere from $200 all the way up to $2,100, depending on the size of the tree along with some other contributing factors. The average cost is around $710. Here are a few of the things that might affect the price of your project. 

Cleanup 

The cost of removing a tree has the clean-up price often built into the overall bill. If you’re the type of person that just wants it gone and doesn’t want to deal with it, then a company like us can easily handle the job. However, if you choose to keep the wood, branches, and other debris and decide to handle that part yourself, you might be able to get a discount on the overall price, depending on the situation. That can be discussed when we evaluate the tree/trees you want to be removed from your property. 

What Time of Year You Choose to Remove a Tree

Summer is a popular time to remove trees and trim branches in this area. Booking a job might have you waiting weeks or months to get the project done. This is when costs are typically higher. If you choose the off-season, like late fall, winter, or even early spring, you might save a little money, because those times are generally not busy. 

What Equipment Is Needed for the Job

A small tree could easily be done with a chainsaw and a ladder in most cases. The taller the tree is, the more equipment will be necessary to complete the removal process. For larger diameter trees, cranes could be brought in because the sections of the tree will be extremely heavy. The more equipment needed, the more it’s likely to cost. 

Maintaining trees in Douglas County is important to the residents living here as well as the environment, by improving the quality of the air. For help in keeping the trees on your lot trimmed and healthy, contact a professional service, like us, because we have the experience, the know-how, and the skillset to do the job right.