A tree pruned well stays up for decades; a tree pruned badly, topped, flush-cut, or a crape myrtle hacked back every February, loses years of life and gets more dangerous. We prune the way an arborist prunes: remove the dead and crossing wood, thin the crown so wind passes through, lift branches off the roof and away from the service drop, and leave the tree looking like a tree.
Typical jobs in Tyler: oaks and pines overhanging a roof, limbs rubbing gutters, pecans that need deadwood cleared before the fall drop, and magnolias, crape myrtles and Bradford pears that have outgrown their spot.
What a tree trimming and pruning job involves
- Dead and cracked limbs taken out over the roof, the driveway and the swing set
- Thinning the crown so wind and light pass through, and raising it for headroom
- Limbs cut back from the siding, gutters, chimney and the service drop to the house
- Young trees trained to one strong leader while the cuts are still small
- Ornamental pruning: crape myrtle, magnolia, Japanese maple, Bradford pear
What's included
- Cuts on oaks sealed as they are made
- Limbs over the roof and the service drop roped down, not dropped
- Brush chipped and hauled, lawn raked
- A note on the estimate if the tree should come down instead
- A word on when the next prune is due, so you are not paying yearly
What the price does not cover
- Topping or lion-tailing, which the crew will not do
- Limbs in contact with power lines, cleared by the utility first
- Fertilizing, cabling or disease treatment, quoted separately when wanted
When to prune in East Texas
Oaks around Tyler are left alone from February through June, while the beetles that carry oak wilt are flying and drawn to fresh cuts; the crew books them from October through January, with every cut painted the same minute it is made. Every cut on an oak is painted the moment it is made, whatever the month. Pines can be limbed up most of the year, crape myrtles get a light late-winter prune and never a topping, and a storm-cracked limb comes off the day it happens, or the whole tree does if the crack runs into the trunk (tree removal is its own estimate).
The long East Texas growing season means a thinned crown fills back in fast. A properly thinned shade tree usually goes three to five years before it needs a crew again; a tree that was topped needs one every year forever, because topping trades one big limb for a dozen weak ones. Most trimming calls here are oaks and pines over a roof, limbs rubbing gutters, and pecans that want their deadwood out before the fall drop.
Two rules from the city are worth knowing before a crew climbs. Trees overhanging a street have to keep 14 feet of clearance above the pavement, and city crews do not trim anywhere near power lines; that side belongs to Oncor, at 1-888-313-4747, and a private crew stays off it too until the utility has cleared the line.
Tree Trimming and Pruning pricing in Tyler
Trimming runs $250 to $900 per tree in the Tyler area, by size and access: a crape myrtle or a redbud at the bottom of the range, a big pecan or post oak at the top, and 30 to 50 percent more when the work is over a roof or the service drop and every limb has to be roped down instead of dropped. Several trees on one visit cost less per tree than one, because the setup is paid once.
The estimate is written after a look at the tree and says exactly which limbs come off and why. If a tree is past pruning, a hollow trunk, a growing lean, beetle sign, the estimate says that instead, and you get a removal price rather than a trim that buys nothing.
Full price list and what moves the price →
Related: Tree Permits, Storm Cleanup and Debris Rules in Tyler, Tree service in Whitehouse, Tree service in Lindale. Official page: City of Tyler.
Tree Trimming and Pruning questions, answered
How often should trees be trimmed in East Texas?
A mature shade tree that has been properly thinned usually needs a crew every three to five years. Young trees benefit from a structural prune every two or three years so they grow one strong trunk instead of competing leaders. Crape myrtles want a light touch each late winter, not the annual topping that leaves knuckles. Deadwood over a roof or a walkway is the exception and comes off whenever you spot it.
When is it safe to trim oaks in Texas because of oak wilt?
Any month outside February through June is allowed under the state rule, and October through January is the window the crew prefers. From February through June the sap-feeding beetles that spread oak wilt are active and land on fresh wounds, so cutting an oak then invites the disease. Whatever the month, a good crew paints every oak cut immediately with pruning sealant. Pines, pecans and most ornamentals do not carry the same risk and can be worked most of the year.
Does trimming a tree over the house cost more?
Yes, usually 30 to 50 percent more than the same tree in the open. Every limb over a roof, a pool or the electric service drop has to be tied off and lowered instead of dropped, which takes more rope work, more time and a crew covered for work over structures. If a limb is touching the power line itself, the utility clears that side first and the crew does the rest.