What to Expect Before, During and After a Tree Removal

What happens at the estimate walk?

Someone looks at the tree with you, on site, before any number is given. The walk covers the tree itself (species, size, lean, dead wood, signs of decay) and everything around it: the house, fences, sheds, the neighbor's property, overhead wires, the septic tank and drainfield, sprinkler lines, and the route equipment would take from the street to the trunk.

It is also where the scope gets decided. Does the wood stay or go? Is the stump being ground? Where will the chipper sit? Which gate will be used? The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) advises getting the work in writing, asking for proof of insurance and calling the insurer to confirm it, and checking for any local permits. Our guide to tree service insurance and licensing in Montana covers what to ask for.

One permit question is specific to Missoula. Trees in the boulevard or other public right-of-way fall under the city's Urban Forestry Division, and the city says all work on them requires a permit. See our guide to Missoula tree permits and the right-of-way if the tree stands between the sidewalk and the street.

Who calls 811, and when?

Cutting a tree down does not disturb the ground. Grinding the stump does, and so does digging out roots, so a utility locate is part of any job that includes the stump. Montana811 is the state's free call-before-you-dig service. A request is made by dialing 811 or online through montana811.org, and Montana811 states that the person doing the excavating is the one who has to make the request. On a professional job that is normally the contractor; confirm it at the estimate.

The timing shapes the schedule. Montana811 says digging can begin two full business days after the ticket is issued, and recommends requesting the locate at least three days ahead. The marks are good for 30 days as long as they remain readable. You will see paint or flags in the yard in the days before the work; leave them where they are. Montana811 also warns against relying on marks left from someone else's earlier locate. This is general information, and Montana811 is the authority on the current rules.

What will the locate not find?

Anything you own. Montana811 explains that most utility companies own their line up to the meter, and that what runs past the meter is a private, customer-owned line that may not be located. If the meter is on the house, the line is marked to the house. If the meter is on a pole or pedestal out in the yard, the run from there to the building may not be marked at all.

On rural Bitterroot and Missoula County properties that gap can be large. Lines that a property owner installed, such as sprinkler pipe, wiring to a shop or well, or a line from a propane tank, are the kind of thing a utility locate is not designed to find. Montana811 suggests asking the utility whether it will locate the customer side, or hiring a private locator. At a minimum, tell the crew everything you know is buried, including the septic tank and drainfield, and mark sprinkler heads near the work area.

How does the crew get in without wrecking the yard?

Access is planned at the estimate and protected on the day. The questions are how wide the gate is, what the equipment will drive over, and what lies under that route. Lawn can be shielded with ground protection mats or plywood where equipment and loaded carts have to travel, and soft ground matters more than distance: a wet spring lawn ruts far more easily than the same lawn in August or under frost. If you have flexibility on timing, dry or frozen ground is kinder to turf.

Hardscape and structures get the same thought. A good crew will ask about the driveway's condition, keep heavy equipment off the drainfield and septic tank, and move or cover what cannot take a hit. Ask what the plan is for the patio, the fence panel nearest the tree and the beds underneath it.

How does a tree come down in a tight space?

In pieces, from the top. A tree in the open can sometimes be felled whole. A tree beside a house, over a fence or between buildings cannot, so it is dismantled in sections. A climber goes up, removes the limbs working upward, then takes the trunk down in short lengths from the top.

Where there is nothing below, pieces can be dropped into a cleared landing zone. Where there is a roof, a deck or a garden below, they are rigged: each piece is tied off before it is cut and lowered on a rope under control by a ground worker. Rigging is slower, and it is the reason a tree surrounded by things worth protecting takes longer than a bigger tree in a field. Sectional dismantling and rigging in confined spaces is routine work for our crew, as described on our tree services page.

Power lines change the plan. ISA's advice to homeowners is never to attempt to remove branches or any tree part from or near power lines. If any part of the tree is touching or could contact a line, the utility is the first call, before any cutting. Our tree work near power lines page explains how that coordination works.

How loud is it, and how long does it take?

Loud. Chainsaws run on and off all day and a brush chipper is louder still. It is considerate to let adjacent neighbors know the date.

Duration depends on the tree and the site, not on a rule of thumb. Size, how much has to be rigged, how far brush must be dragged to the chipper and whether the stump is ground the same day all move it. Your contractor should give you an expected duration for your job when the work is scheduled. Weather can move the date, because high wind and climbing do not mix.

What does cleanup include?

Whatever the written scope says, which is why it should say. A normal full cleanup means brush chipped and hauled, wood removed or cut and stacked where you asked, and the lawn, beds and hard surfaces raked and blown clear of sawdust and twigs. HJ Property Care hauls debris away as part of its tree work.

If you want to keep rounds for firewood or chips for mulch, say so beforehand, because it changes how the crew stages the job.

What happens to the stump?

Removal ends with a stump cut close to the ground unless grinding was included. Grinding is a separate step with a separate machine. It turns the stump into a pile of chips mixed with soil, leaves a shallow depression, and is the part of the job that needs the utility locate. It may happen the same day or on a later visit, depending on the locate timing and the schedule.

Tell the estimator what you plan for the spot. Growing lawn over it, replanting a tree nearby and building on it are different goals. See our stump grinding page and our comparison of stump grinding and full stump removal.

What should you do before the crew arrives?

A short list makes the day go faster. Move vehicles out of the driveway and away from the street frontage where the truck and chipper will park. Clear the work area and the access route of patio furniture, planters, grills, toys and hoses. Unlock gates. Keep children and pets indoors for the day; a removal site is not a place to watch from up close. Point out anything fragile or sentimental under the tree that should be protected or moved.

Then confirm the details once more with the crew lead before the saws start: which tree, what happens to the wood, where the stump stands, where the buried lines are. Five minutes of walking the plan together prevents most misunderstandings. More guides on tree work in this region are collected in the Montana Tree Guide.

Call HJ Property Care & Tree Service at (406) 215-7319 or request a tree assessment and an ISA Certified Arborist will look at the tree with you.

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