Washington, D.C. Tree Services

Tree Service in Washington, D.C.

Neighborhoods filled with healthy, pruned trees are undeniably beautiful. They often raise the value of homes in the area and, for many people, add a homier feeling to the streets. But unhealthy, overgrown trees can do the opposite. They can make a property look unkempt or uncared for, especially if the trees have illnesses and are falling apart. Even worse, they can do major damage to nearby houses, cars and city equipment, resulting in costly repair bills.

With a reliable tree trimming and maintenance company, you can enjoy healthy, eye-catching branches. It's essential to practice proper tree care in Washington, D.C., and Richard's Tree Service has your back. From evaluations to emergency tree removal, see how we can help you keep your property in check.

Tree Service in Washington, D.C.

Over time, even the healthiest trees require maintenance. Checking if your trees need attention is essential to keeping them standing and growing at a healthy rate without posing a threat to city property or dropping branches. Even so, sometimes you won't be able to avoid the inevitable, and a tree will need extensive trimming or complete removal.

Tree removal and trimming services keep your property safe from falling limbs, overgrown branches, and dead or decaying trunks. When trees fall apart, they pose a threat to nearby buildings and property, and the damages they create can be expensive. If you don't maintain your trees, you could get an unwelcome surprise in your yard or, worse, your home or office. You want a knowledgeable and reliable tree removal service in Washington, D.C.

However, not all tree care providers are created equal. For example, most landscapers aren't licensed to care for trees, and very few have a dedicated arborist on their teams. With the proper certification and a crew of knowledgeable professionals, your team can properly examine, diagnose, trim or propose a solution for a problem tree. At Richard's Tree Service, we are licensed and insured, and we come to each job with decades of experience and a wealth of knowledge that can't be replicated.

When you need tree services in D.C. and you need them done right, make sure you find an experienced, knowledgeable source for dedicated arborists — a provider like Richard’s Tree Service.

Tree Removal in Washington, D.C.

When trees die, they decompose and decay. You may notice brown leaves or the lack of flowers on a branch in springtime, but it can be difficult to recognize other symptoms of tree distress without an untrained eye. Once a tree dies, it becomes a danger to your property. Insects may infest the tree, which can weaken it and eventually lead it to topple over. This can cause serious damage to your property.

While proper maintenance can prevent some trees from dying, it's not a foolproof solution. Certain circumstances can cause a tree to die regardless of how well-trimmed you keep it or what kind of precautionary measures you take for treating disease. Recognizing when to take it down and hiring the proper tree services company are crucial.

Three major steps compose the tree removal process:

• Evaluation: If you're unsure whether one of your trees is beyond saving, a thorough assessment is the first step. A certified arborist should inspect the tree in question to check for diseases, rot, hazards and location complications. They can then tell you the reason it needs removal and note any potential difficulties for the trimming and felling process.

• Preparation: Large trees often require time and heavy machinery for proper removal. Thus, in a crowded city environment, safety precautions and careful planning are critical. If the crew needs to employ cranes or bucket trucks, spacing can get tight, and the process can interrupt the regular flow of traffic. All of these elements need consideration. The company should plan how they will take down the tree, haul the wood and dispose of it. Because the process holds a high potential for damages or other unpredictable incidents, hiring a service company with new equipment and insurance is a must.

• Physical removal: Once all the preparations are squared away, the service team must perform the task carefully. It's one thing to make plans and another to carry them out. The company needs to remove problem trees quickly, with no damage to the surrounding property.

With a team of certified arborists and industry professionals, Richard's Tree Service provides reliable tree evaluation for Washington, D.C. We can remove trees on your property that have become unsafe. We take care of dead, bent, or leaning trees to eliminate the threat to your yard, home or office. In the Washington, D.C., area, many trees have sat here for decades and grown large. We can even handle large tree removals from your property with confidence.

Tree Trimming in Washington, D.C.

Taking care of trees sometimes seems easy and straightforward — especially when you're thinking about pruning or trimming your trees. But home and business owners may not realize the intricacies of tree trimming. Proper procedures are imperative to your tree's overall health, its future growth and even its lifespan.

At Richard's Tree Service, we provide comprehensive tree trimming in Washington, D.C. We often trim:

• Branches that are growing toward houses or other buildings
• Branches that are rubbing against one another or blocking each other’s growth
• Branches that are weak, diseased, dead or insect-infested
• Branches that obstruct roadways or paths
• Branches that interfere with wires, gutters, roofs, chimneys, windows, etc.

If you notice any of these problems with trees on your property, it's time to schedule trimming services. All of these scenarios pose a risk of property damage or a future problem for the tree itself. With a regular trimming schedule — three years or fewer between maintenance — your trees are much more likely to remain healthy. Proper care means a lower chance of running into the hazards of damages from falling branches or future diseases.

When you call on Richard's Tree Service for tree trimming in Washington, D.C., you get the job done without posing a threat to your trees' overall future and health.

Tree Pruning in Washington, D.C.

With so many beautiful trees in the metropolitan area, we also have many customers who require a trim. Trees are much like hair. They need regular trimming to keep them from growing out too long. While we associate pruning with older trees, young ones can also benefit from periodic trimming. With proper care, your trees can grow to be shapely and healthy, increasing the chances of future structural integrity and other benefits.

Pruning the trees on your property is a wise investment for many reasons. In the right conditions, some trees can grow quickly — almost too fast to keep up with maintaining them. Specific pruning techniques will slow the growth rate and keep the branches from getting out of hand. On the other hand, if a tree is growing slowly and you want to speed up the process, trimming can also help limbs sprout faster.

Pruning can help your tree's health in several other ways, as well. In some cases, branches can take over too much space and grow into one another or nearby structures. Limbs that take on a disease or bug damage can also sicken the rest of the tree. Both of these situations will worsen if left uncorrected and can result in losing the tree entirely. With careful and regular pruning, you can avoid all of these issues.

Here are a few options you can consider for your tree trimming and pruning in Washington, D.C.:

• Thinning: Reduce the number of total branches to encourage air circulation around the tree
• Raising: Eliminating the lower limbs on a tree, usually to allow for safe passage of vehicles or pedestrians
• Cleaning: Taking off diseased or dead branches

With a team of knowledgeable professionals, Richard's Tree Service can provide regular trimming and pruning services to keep your trees healthy. Proper maintenance will keep them from becoming hazards in the future, and prevention is essential in creating the best possible environment for your trees to flourish.

Tree Care in Washington, D.C.

Sickness is one of the top reasons you might need to remove a tree. Trees can easily catch diseases that will compromise their structure and integrity, and if a sickly looking tree is on your property, it may be time to cut it down. You can use four main criteria to determine whether you should have tree service professionals remove your sick tree:

• Location: If the tree in question is aging and close to or touching your home, it can cause mold damage. Branches that touch siding and trunks that block the sun from reaching parts of your house can prompt mold growth on the outside and inside of your home. It's much more costly to repair mold damage than to remove the tree. A tree can also pose a hazard if it's too close to power lines, as the branches can grow into the wires. This issue is especially well-worth taking care of it before an incident occurs.

• Branch examination: It's typically easy to tell if a tree has dead branches, as they will be bare or sometimes hanging. These can pose several threats, including potential roof damage, as winds and storms can cause the branches to fall. Instead of waiting for a roof repair, which can cost you thousands of dollars, you may want to these unattractive trees professionally pruned. It will make the tree appear more balanced, healthy and structurally sound.

• Leaves, branches and bark health: Licensed arborists and removal companies can diagnose issues by looking at the outside of the tree in question. If the leaves show signs of discoloration, lack of veins, nodule growths or early loss, the tree may be diseased. Additionally, if the bark is growing abnormal bumps, branches begin to die or fungus is visibly growing anywhere on the outside, it may be cause for concern. You'll need to consider a range of diseases and severities, which can tell you whether you can salvage the tree or if it's at the point of removal.

• Structural defects: Splits, cracks, hollows and other defects can be warning signs for a compromised structure. If these are visible, the chances of the tree falling at some point are higher than healthy trees. It's best to have its health inspected and potentially remove the tree because, if it falls, insurance likely won't cover the cleanup costs.

Do you suspect a tree on your property is diseased or otherwise sick? If so, speed is of the utmost importance. We're well-prepared to conduct emergency tree services in Washington, D.C. Contact us for tree evaluation, diagnostics and, if needed, remediation. We have a 24/7 answering service for tree emergencies of all kinds, and we work quickly to salvage trees that may be diseased or dying.

Cost to Remove a Tree in Washington, D.C.

In a densely packed city area, tree removal can be particularly challenging. Between sidewalks, busy streets and the many residents, taking down an entire tree isn't a one-step task. It involves an evaluation by a certified arborist in Washington, D.C., preliminary trimming, felling and tree stump removal. Beyond the necessary tasks, specific details dictate how intensive the removal process needs to be, which will determine the service's exact pricing.

The cost of removing a tree will vary depending on many factors, including:

• Size: Removal costs will vary based on the scale — typically the height and width — of the tree. Large trees cost more to remove because the process takes longer. Tall trees with many branches must be trimmed down before removal can start. The average tree will cost $500 to $700 to remove.

• Location: The tree's location can dictate whether the costs are the property owner's or the city's responsibility. Exceptions exist for occupants of row houses, brownstones and residences within a certain distance of public streets. Trees on the edges of their lawns may technically be on city property, therefore making D.C. responsible for their removal. Anyone unsure of whether a tree is located on their property can request an arborist inspection by calling 311.

• Health: If a tree's health is compromised or it has become overgrown, it may be more hazardous to remove. Trees with rotting trunks or branches growing close to power lines can cost the responsible party more for removal services, as they take extra care and potentially more time to trim down.

Richard's Tree Service offers free quotes for any job, so you know the price in advance. We can perform the estimate whether you are at your property or away, allowing you to keep to your busy schedule.

Trust Richard's Tree Service With Your Tree Maintenance Needs

Family-owned and -operated since 1996, Richard's Tree Service is one of the leading landscaping and tree service companies in the Washington, D.C. area. Our owners have more than 70 years of combined experience in the industry, and our licensed and insured arborists have the know-how to provide the best solution possible.

We do everything from inspecting trees for environmental damage to helping you preserve ones with signs of illness to removing those that have become hazardous to your property. Our team will work with you to decide on a plan and take care of the issue quickly and correctly. If you have an emergency, you can always call our customer service line, which is open 24/7 to ensure a timely response.

Take care of your trees with Richard's Tree Service — contact us to request a service, schedule a free estimate or get in touch with any questions you may have.