Frequently Asked Questions

For a boulevard tree, yes: Saint Paul Forestry requires an approved permit for any work on publicly owned boulevard trees, and there is no fee to apply. The city's pages do not describe a removal permit for a healthy tree on your own lot. If you are not sure which side of the line a tree is on, ask us at the estimate or call Forestry at 651-266-6400.

LawnStarter's Saint Paul figures average about $400 to trim a medium tree and about $744 to remove one, with large removals near $1,957. National guides from HomeGuide put most removals between $200 and $2,000 depending on height. Access, what is under the tree and its condition matter more than height alone. You get a written price after we see it.

Winter. Saint Paul Forestry advises not pruning oaks from April through October, and the University of Minnesota Extension rates April through July as the highest-risk period for oak wilt and November through February as safe. If a storm breaks an oak limb in summer, the wound should be cleaned up and sealed right away with latex paint or shellac.

It depends on the tree's health and where it stands. Saint Paul treats only select public ash and considers the city totally infested, so an untreated private ash is at high risk. A healthy, well-placed ash may be worth a treatment program; one that has already lost much of its crown, or that stands over the house or the alley, is usually better removed while the wood is sound.

Xcel Energy clears its main distribution lines on a cycle, usually every three to five years. For the service wire that runs from the pole to your house, Xcel asks you to call 1-800-895-4999 so it can disconnect or de-energize the line before a qualified tree worker trims around it. A line that is down or has a tree on it is a 911 call.

Only small ones. Saint Paul's yard waste collection does not accept woody material more than three inches wide or three feet long, or stumps, and bundles must stay under 40 pounds. Ramsey County's free yard waste sites take branches at some locations for residents hauling their own. For a tree job, cleanup and hauling are agreed on the quote.

Under Saint Paul's ordinance, a painted red ring means Forestry has found a diseased or dangerous tree on private property. A door tag and a letter with the removal specifications follow, and you have 30 days to remove the tree and dispose of the wood; a diseased tree's stump also has to be debarked to ground level. If it is not done, the city may hire the work out and assess the cost to the property.

Yes. If you are in Saint Paul or a nearby Ramsey County suburb, we will come out, look at the tree, tell you what we see and leave a written quote, at no charge. Call (651) 374-8562 or use the form to set a time.

LawnStarter's Saint Paul averages run from about $382 for a small tree to about $1,957 for a large one. HomeGuide's national guide puts trees from 30 to 60 feet at $500 to $1,500. A tree over a garage roof with only alley access costs more than the same tree in an open yard. We give a written price after seeing it.

Yes, and winter often suits it. Frozen ground carries equipment with less damage to the lawn, the bare canopy shows the structure clearly, and diseased elm and oak wood is less likely to spread disease than in the growing season. Deep snow or ice on the limbs can slow a job, and we schedule around that.

We can only remove a tree with the owner's permission, so the neighbor needs to agree. If the tree is on your side of the line, we can lower limbs over the neighbor's yard on ropes so nothing lands there, but it helps to let them know beforehand. Saint Paul Forestry has a private property tree disputes section for neighbors who disagree.

Yes. Under Saint Paul's ordinance, Forestry can require the owner to remove a diseased or dangerous private tree, generally within 30 days of the letter, and to debark the stump of a diseased tree to ground level. If the work is not done, the city can hire a contractor and assess the cost to the property.

Only if you want it. The stump is its own line on the quote, so you can grind it with the removal, later, or not at all.

LawnStarter's Saint Paul averages are about $136 for a small tree, $400 for a medium tree and $832 for a large one. HomeGuide's national guide puts 30- to 60-foot trees at $600 to $1,200. Deadwood, access and how much the crown needs shape the price. We write a price after seeing the tree.

Late fall through winter suits most trees, and for oaks it is the only safe time: the city advises no oak pruning April through October. Elms and honeylocusts are also best done in the dormant season. Dead or broken limbs over a roof or walkway should come out whenever they are found.

Only with a permit, apart from removing suckers at the base. Saint Paul Forestry requires an approved permit for any trimming on a boulevard tree. The permit is free; you or a contractor apply, Forestry inspects the tree, and the work is at your expense.

Less than most people expect. Removing too much live canopy in one visit stresses the tree and triggers a flush of weak sprouts. On a mature tree we take out deadwood freely but remove live wood selectively, and if a tree needs a lot of work we may suggest spreading it over two dormant seasons.

Not while it is live. For the service wire to your house, call Xcel Energy at 1-800-895-4999 to have it disconnected or de-energized, and then the branches can be trimmed. Lines on the poles along the alley or street are Xcel's to clear.

LawnStarter's Saint Paul average is about $275. HomeGuide's national guide puts a first stump at $120 to $400 and each additional stump at $30 to $60. Diameter, roots and access change the price. We price each stump in writing.

Below the soil surface, deep enough to cover with topsoil and grow grass. If you plan to plant a tree or set pavers in the same spot, say so and we will plan for that.

You can, but the ground will be mostly wood chips and old roots. Remove most of the chips and add soil, or plant a few feet to one side, which is often easier.

Not for a stump on your own lot, though utility locates are still wise. For a boulevard stump, yes: any stumping on a boulevard tree needs a Saint Paul Forestry permit and Gopher State One Call locates first.

Usually. If the stump is on the quote and the locates are done, it can be ground right after the tree comes down.

Get everyone out of the damaged area. If any wire is involved, stay clear and call 911. Then call your insurer and call us at (651) 374-8562. Do not try to cut a tree off a roof yourself; the weight shifts as pieces come off.

Not as a standard service. Saint Paul says private property owners must dispose of downed trees and debris themselves, by taking it to a Ramsey County yard waste site or hiring a tree care company. After an unusually large storm, the Mayor may declare an emergency and issue special instructions.

Saint Paul Forestry handles damaged trees on boulevards: 651-266-6400 during business hours, or 651-266-9700 after hours if the tree is blocking a street. Call your insurer about the car.

It depends on your policy and on what the tree hit. Talk to your insurer before work starts if you can. We provide a written estimate and photos either way.

In Saint Paul and nearby Ramsey County suburbs, call (651) 374-8562 and leave your address, what the tree is on and whether wires are involved. We work storm calls in order of danger and call you back with a plan.

HomeGuide's national guide puts ash removal at $650 to $2,000, and LawnStarter's Saint Paul average for a medium tree is about $744. A dead ash over a garage with alley access costs more than a live one in an open yard. You get a written price after we see it.

If it is untreated, it is very likely. Saint Paul Forestry considers the whole city infested. Thinning at the top of the crown, woodpecker flecking on the bark and sprouts along the trunk are the usual first visible signs.

Yes, for use at home. Ramsey County is inside Minnesota's emerald ash borer quarantine, which regulates moving ash wood and hardwood firewood out of quarantined areas, so do not haul it to a cabin or campground outside the quarantine.

No. Saint Paul's program removed ash on boulevards and public land. Private ash are the owner's responsibility, and Forestry can order a diseased or dangerous private tree removed under the city's ordinance.

Usually not. Dead ash becomes brittle within a few years, which makes the removal harder and riskier, especially over a house or garage. Removing it while the wood is sound is generally simpler.

November through February is safe, according to the University of Minnesota Extension, and Saint Paul Forestry advises against pruning oaks from April through October. Routine oak work belongs in winter.

In red oaks, leaves wilt and brown from the edges inward, often bronze or red-brown, and fall while partly green, starting at the top of the crown in summer. White oaks decline more slowly. Other diseases can look similar, so it is worth having it checked.

Sometimes. Extension says propiconazole injections can protect healthy oaks and white oaks with early symptoms for up to two years, but symptomatic red oaks are not recommended for treatment because it often fails.

Do not move it. Extension advises debarking the logs or splitting them into firewood, stacking them on site and covering them tightly with clear plastic by late March with the edges buried. Chips and bark can stay.

Have the break cleaned up and sealed right away with latex paint or shellac, as Extension recommends during the risk months. Leave any other pruning on that oak until winter.