Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on the tree's height, its condition and how hard it is to reach. LawnStarter's New Orleans figures put an average removal at about $308 for a small tree, $744 for a medium tree and $1,900 for a large one, and trimming at about $133 to $896 by size. Angi's national guide adds 25% to 50% for tight or hazardous sites. We give a written price after seeing the tree.

Not if it is a City tree. The Department of Parks and Parkways maintains all City trees, including those between the sidewalk and the street and on neutral grounds, and any work on one requires a City tree work permit. Start with 311 or (504) 658-3200. If you are not sure where your property line is, find out before anyone cuts.

The City's published tree permit covers work on City trees, and its current tree protections apply to public trees rather than private ones. The City has been working on a new tree ordinance, so if your lot is in a historic district, part of a building project or the tree is near the property line, check with the City before removal. We will point out anything that looks like it needs a call first.

Late winter and spring, well before the June 1 start of the Atlantic hurricane season, give the most time and the most open schedules. The goal is removing dead wood, reducing long heavy limbs over roofs and thinning crowns lightly so wind passes through, not stripping trees bare. Heavy cuts done in a rush in August can leave a tree weaker for the storm.

Entergy trims trees near its lines and takes requests at 800-ENTERGY (800-368-3749). It inspects requests and handles needed trimming, but it does not remove the debris from trims a customer asks for. Never try to cut or pull a limb off a line yourself; if a line is down, keep everyone away and call Entergy.

Not automatically. LSU AgCenter notes that infested trees can be treated, and a tree with a small infestation may have years of life left. The question is how much sound wood is left in the trunk and major limbs, and what the tree would hit if it failed. We look for the signs and tell you plainly what we see.

Yes. Call (504) 384-7694 any time and leave the address, what fell and what it hit, and we work through calls in order of danger: trees on houses and trees blocking exits first. If wires are involved, call Entergy before anyone goes near the tree.

LawnStarter's New Orleans averages are about $308 for a small tree, $744 for a medium tree and $1,900 for a large one. Angi's national ranges run from $150 for a tree under 30 feet to $2,000 for one over 80 feet, with 25% to 50% added for hard-to-reach or unsafe sites. A tree over a house in a narrow side yard usually costs more than the same tree in an open lot. We give a written price after seeing it.

That strip is usually City property, and Parks and Parkways maintains all City trees there and on neutral grounds. Any work on a City tree needs a City tree work permit, and the City has fined property owners for cutting live oaks on public land beside their lots. Call 311 first.

No. LSU AgCenter notes that infested trees can be treated, and many are. Removal makes sense when so much of the trunk or major limbs is hollow that the tree could fail onto something that matters. We tell you what we find and why.

Only if it is written on the quote. Most published price guides treat stump grinding as a separate line, and we list it separately so you can choose.

You choose: logs left in rounds for you, cut to firewood length, or hauled away. Brush is chipped, and the chips can stay for mulch or leave with us.

For most mature live oaks around homes, every three to five years is a reasonable rhythm for deadwood removal and clearance, with younger trees benefiting from lighter structural pruning more often. A tree that hangs over a roof or lost limbs in a storm may need attention sooner. We can tell you after looking at it.

No. Cutting crape myrtles back to the same stubs every year, often called crape murder, is topping, and it leads to weak sprouts and swollen knobs. Thinning out crowded stems and removing seed heads you can reach keeps the tree tidy and stronger. If it has outgrown its spot, it can be reduced properly or replaced with a smaller variety.

Not without the City's say. A tree between the sidewalk and the curb is usually a City tree, maintained by Parks and Parkways, and any work on it needs a City tree work permit. Request trimming through 311 or (504) 658-3200, and we can handle the trees that stand on your side of the property line.

Neither is a parasite; both use the tree only as a place to grow. A tree that is losing leaves and has heavy moss is usually a tree that is declining for some other reason, and that is what we look for.

LawnStarter's New Orleans averages run about $133 for a small tree, $456 for medium and $896 for large. Big live oaks with long limbs over a house often fall in HomeGuide's $1,000-plus range for trees over 60 feet. The written quote is the price.

LawnStarter's New Orleans average is about $250. HomeGuide's national figures put the first stump at $120 to $400 and each additional stump at $30 to $60, so several stumps on one visit cost less each. Diameter, hardwood versus softwood, surface roots and access change the price. We give a written price.

Yes, but grind deeper and wider, remove most of the grindings and bring in good soil, because decaying wood chips tie up nitrogen. Offsetting the new tree a few feet from the old stump is often easier.

Some species, including Chinese tallow and some elms, can send up sprouts from roots after the stump is gone. Cutting sprouts back as they appear usually wears the roots out over a season or two.

Most residential stumps take well under an hour of grinding once the machine is in place. Very large stumps, big surface roots and hard-to-reach backyards take longer.

Get everyone out of the affected rooms, stay away from any wires and call Entergy if lines are involved. Photograph the damage, call your insurance company, and then call us at (504) 384-7694 so we can take the weight off the house safely.

Many policies help pay to remove a tree that fell on a covered structure such as the house or a fence, usually up to a set limit, while a tree that fell in the yard without hitting anything is often not covered. Policies differ, so check yours and keep photos and the written quote.

Report it through 311 or (504) 658-3200; Parks and Parkways maintains City trees. For an after-hours City tree emergency, the City says to call 911. If it hit your house, call your insurer as well.

Call (504) 384-7694 any time and leave the details. After a major storm, we work in order of danger, so a tree on an occupied house will come before a tree across a back lawn, and we will be straight with you about timing.

Get a written price that lists the work, do not pay the whole amount up front, and be wary of crews who knock on doors after a storm. LSU AgCenter specifically warns homeowners about door-knocking crews after storms.

Late winter through spring, before the season opens on June 1. By August, schedules fill and trees are in full leaf. If a storm is already in the forecast, focus only on removing dead or cracked limbs over the house rather than heavy pruning.

Not just because they are big. LSU AgCenter warns against removing sound trees out of fear and rates live oak, bald cypress and southern magnolia as highly wind resistant. Trees worth a hard look are declining or damaged trees of weaker species, such as water oak, laurel oak, pecan and Chinese tallow, close to the house.

Light, even thinning and reducing long limbs can lower wind load. Heavy thinning that removes the inner branches leaves weight at the ends of limbs and can make breakage more likely. Good storm pruning is moderate.

No. UF/IFAS research found that palms with most of their fronds cut off, the so-called hurricane cut, were more likely to lose their crowns in storms than palms with full crowns. Remove dead fronds and seed stalks only.

Cabling can reduce the movement of a weak fork and is a recognized practice under the ANSI A300 standard, but it is support, not a cure. It is installed high in the crown, needs periodic inspection, and is not a fit for a fork that is already cracked through or a trunk with serious decay.

HomeGuide puts most palms at one to two trims a year, depending on species and how fast they drop fronds and seed stalks. Native sabal palms often need less. Many homeowners have palms cleaned up in spring, before hurricane season.

Yellowing or half-dead older fronds are often a sign of potassium or another nutrient deficiency. UF/IFAS advises leaving them on and fertilizing, because cutting them speeds the decline.

Removing dead fronds and seed stalks before the season reduces flying debris. Cutting off healthy green fronds does not help; UF/IFAS found hurricane-cut palms lost their crowns more often in storms.

Usually not. A palm grows from a single bud at the top, and if that bud is dead the palm cannot grow a new one. It should be removed before it becomes a hazard.

HomeGuide's national figures run about $100 to $650 per palm, from $50 for a short palm to more than $1,000 for one over 80 feet. Several palms on one visit usually cost less each. We give a written price.