What to Ask a Tree Removal Company First

Ask these questions before you agree to anything

Ask for the scope in writing, who does the climbing, what happens to the stump and the chips, how the work is priced, and what proof of cover they can show you, in that order.

That order matters. The scope decides the price, the climber decides the risk, and the disposal decides what your yard looks like when the truck pulls away. Get the answers before anyone puts a saw to wood, because once a trunk is on the ground the conversation changes.

Whoever answers these questions before the first cut is the person you are trusting with the tree.

What is included in the written scope?

Ask for the scope in writing, with the tree identified, the height, and the exact work described, and ask what is excluded.

A spoken plan is not a scope. On paper you want to see which tree, roughly how tall it is, whether it is being removed to the ground or left as a stump, whether limbs are being lowered or dropped, and where the debris is going. You also want the exclusions named, because the exclusions are where surprise charges live.

Three things get left out of verbal scopes more than anything else:

• Stump grinding, which is often a separate line from the removal itself.
• The root flare and any surface roots, which may or may not be ground.
• Haul-away, meaning whether the wood, chips and rakings leave the property or stay.

If you want the firewood, say so and get it written down. If you do not, get the haul-away written down. Both are decisions, and neither one should be settled on the day by whoever is holding the clipboard.

Who is doing the climbing, and who is on the ground?

Ask who will physically be in the tree and how many people are on the crew. The answer tells you how the job will be run.

Removal work splits into two broad methods. A tree that can be dropped whole in an open area is felled from the ground. A tree leaning over a roof, a fence, a driveway or a power line has to be taken apart in pieces, often by a climber working with ropes and rigging, sometimes with a bucket truck or a crane. Those are different jobs with different time and equipment needs, and the price reflects which one you are getting.

Ask directly: will this be climbed, or can it be felled? If it is being climbed, ask who is climbing it and whether that person is on the crew or brought in for the day. Ask how the limbs will be controlled on the way down, because rigging is what keeps a limb off your roof. Ask where the drop zone is and what gets moved out of it, including vehicles, planters, birdbaths and anything under the canopy.

You are not checking credentials here. You are finding out what the plan is, and a plan you can repeat back to your neighbour is a plan that has been thought through.

How is the price built, and what changes it?

Ask what drives the number rather than for a figure over the phone. A removal price depends on the tree, the access and the disposal, and it needs an on-site look to be accurate.

These are the things that move a removal price up or down:

• 1 Height and trunk diameter. A tall tree with a wide trunk is more wood, more weight and more time.
• 2 Lean and condition. A tree leaning toward a structure, or one with dead limbs or decay, takes longer to bring down safely.
• 3 Proximity to anything you cannot replace. Roofs, gutters, siding, fences, sheds, wires and vehicles all shape how the tree comes apart.
• 4 Access. A tree in an open back corner is easier than one behind a gate a truck cannot pass, or one with no room to drop debris.
• 5 Disposal. Chipping, loading and hauling add time and truck space, and leaving the wood on site changes the total.
• 6 Stump work. Grinding, and how deep and how wide, is its own task.

Ask how the quote is structured: is it one number for everything, or a number for the removal plus separate lines for the stump and the haul-away? Ask what would change the price after the work starts, and get that in writing too. If a trunk turns out to be hollow, or a hidden fence line turns up, you want to know in advance how that gets handled rather than arguing about it in the driveway.

What happens to the stump, the chips and the mess?

Ask where the stump ends up, where the chips go and what the site looks like when the crew leaves. Disposal is the part homeowners notice last and care about most.

Stump grinding leaves a hole and a pile of grindings. Ask whether the grindings are taken away or left, and whether the hole is filled. Ask how deep the grind goes, because a shallow grind leaves enough stump for suckers to come back. If the stump sits near a walkway, a foundation or buried lines, say so, because grinding near those needs a different approach.

On cleanup, ask what gets raked, whether the lawn is protected with mats or plywood where the truck and equipment travel, and whether the ruts from a heavy machine are part of the plan. Ask about the chips: they are useful mulch if you want them, and a nuisance if you do not.

Then ask about the wood. Trunk sections can be left cut to length for firewood, or hauled off. Decide which you want before the day, because a pile of trunk rounds in the driveway is a decision you will be living with for a while.

What proof of cover can they show you?

Ask to see proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation coverage before work begins, and ask for the certificate to be sent to you directly.

This is the question people skip, and it is the one that matters if a limb lands on a neighbour's car or someone is hurt on your property. Ask for the certificate, not a verbal yes. Ask who is covered by it and what the policy period is. If a crew member is not covered by workers' compensation, an injury on your property can become your problem, so ask how the people on site are covered.

Ask the same question about the equipment. If a crane or a bucket truck is coming, ask who operates it. If a subcontractor is doing part of the work, ask who that is and whether their cover is separate from the crew's.

You are allowed to ask for paperwork. Anyone who does this work regularly has it ready, and asking costs you nothing.

The questions, in the order to ask them

Work down this list on the call, then ask for the answers in writing before you agree to a date.

• 1 Which tree, how tall, and what exactly is being removed?
• 2 Is the stump included, and if not, what does grinding add?
• 3 Does the debris leave the property, and does that include the chips and the wood?
• 4 Will this be climbed or felled, and who is doing that work?
• 5 How is the price built, and what would change it after the work starts?
• 6 What gets protected, and what gets raked and cleaned?
• 7 Can you send proof of liability and workers' compensation coverage?

If you are in Chattanooga and a tree is leaning, cracked, or hanging over something you care about, the answers to those questions start with a look at the tree. Call us and we will walk the property with you, tell you what the work involves, and put the scope in writing so you know what you are agreeing to before anything comes down.