A tree pruned well can stand for decades more; one pruned badly (topped, flush-cut, or hacked back every February the way crape myrtles so often are) lives a shorter life and gets more dangerous as it goes. We prune the way an arborist prunes: remove the dead and crossing wood, thin the crown so wind passes through it, lift branches off the roof and away from the service drop, and leave the tree looking like a tree.
Typical jobs in Macon: oaks and pines overhanging a roof, limbs rubbing gutters, pecans that need deadwood cleared before pecan season, and magnolias and cherries that have outgrown their spot.
What a tree trimming and pruning job involves
- Dead and hazardous limbs taken out where they hang over a roof, a driveway or a play area
- Thinning and raising the crown so light and wind get through and there is room underneath
- Limbs cut back from siding, gutters, the chimney and the service drop to the house
- Young trees pruned for structure while the cuts are still small
- Ornamental pruning: crape myrtle, Yoshino cherry, Japanese maple, magnolia
What's included
- Every cut agreed on the estimate, made at the branch collar
- Climber or bucket work where the limb is over something
- Brush chipped and the lawn raked before the crew leaves
- Firewood-size wood left if you want it
- No topping, no flush cuts, no stubs
Not included
- Work on the utility side of a power line
- Removal of the whole tree, which is a separate estimate
- Fertilizing, cabling or disease treatment
When to prune in Middle Georgia
Pruning in Middle Georgia follows the calendar more than most places, because the growing season is long and regrowth is fast. Hardwoods such as the water oaks, willow oaks and pecans in the older parts of town are best thinned in late winter while dormant, before the March flush. Crape myrtles get a light late-winter prune and are never topped; the stubby knuckles that topping leaves are the most common damage the crew is asked to undo. The Yoshino cherries the city celebrates every March are pruned right after they bloom.
Storm-damaged limbs are the exception to every calendar. A limb hanging over a walkway in Shirley Hills or Ingleside after a summer squall comes off the day it is noticed, not in January. The same goes for anything rubbing a roof or a gutter. Limbs growing toward the service drop between the pole and the house are checked with the utility before anyone climbs, because a branch that looks clear can be closer to the wire than it seems from the ground.
Heat and the long season mean a properly thinned crown in Macon lasts about three to five years before it needs attention again; a tree that was hacked back hard needs it sooner and grows weaker wood each time. Pines take limbing-up in most months of the year. Magnolias and Japanese maples are shaped lightly and rarely, because a heavy cut on either shows for a decade.
Tree Trimming and Pruning pricing in Macon
Trimming is priced per tree, by size and by how much of the crown is over something, on a written estimate after a walk-around: typically $250 to $900 per tree. A young oak thinned from the ground with a pole saw sits at the bottom of that range; a mature water oak over the roof that needs a climber, ropes and the chipper truck sits at the top.
Several trees on one visit cost less each than one tree per visit, because the chipper and the crew are already on site. Deadwood-only work is cheaper than a full crown thinning. Clearance near a power service drop is quoted after a look, since anything near a line changes how the crew works.
Full price list and what moves the price →
Related: Tree Permits, Storm Cleanup and Debris Rules in Macon, Tree service in Gray, Tree service in Forsyth. Official page: Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning.
Tree Trimming and Pruning questions, answered
How often should trees be trimmed in Middle Georgia?
For most mature hardwoods, a crown thinning every three to five years is enough; deadwood over a roof or a walkway is removed whenever it appears. Crape myrtles get a light prune every winter or two. Ornamentals such as cherries and Japanese maples are shaped only when they need it. A tree that has been topped needs attention more often, because the regrowth is fast and weakly attached.
When is the best time to prune oaks in Macon?
Late winter, while the tree is dormant and before the spring flush. Cuts made then close faster, and the crew can see the structure of the crown without leaves in the way. Heavy pruning of oaks in spring and early summer, while the tree is pushing new growth, is avoided. Storm-damaged or hanging limbs come off whenever they happen, in any season.
Is it cheaper to trim a tree or remove it?
Trimming, almost always: $250 to $900 per tree against $700 to $3,500 to remove the same tree, and you keep the shade. The exception is a tree that is dying or structurally failed, where a trim only postpones a removal that will cost more as an emergency. The estimate visit is where to ask which of the two you are looking at.