Oak savanna country with a city tree inspector

Tree Service in Maplewood, MN

Help with marked trees, ash decisions and seasonal pruning on Maplewood lots.

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Each tree listed with its own price in writing
You choose what stays: chips, logs or nothing

A City Named for a Tree It Barely Has

Our Tree Service in Maplewood deals mostly with oaks and ash, which is a little ironic for a city with that name. When the area was organized in the 1850s it was largely prairie and oak savanna, and the local historical society has joked that there are no maple trees in Maplewood. Walk most streets north of Larpenteur and you will see what that history left behind: big bur and red oaks on older lots, plus ash trees planted along newer streets in the decades after the city incorporated in 1957.

When the inspector marks your tree

Maplewood uses a contracted tree inspector to find trees with contagious disease or pests, on public and private land. The city lists emerald ash borer and oak wilt as the main targets, and an infected private tree may have to be removed at the owner's expense. If you get a notice, do not panic and do not hire the first person who knocks on your door that week. Call us, and we will look at the tree, tell you whether removal is the only option, and give you a written price you can compare. If the tree is an ash in early decline, we will also tell you honestly whether treatment still makes sense.

Paying for an ash removal over time

The city runs a Private Tree Relief Program for EAB-infested trees. Homeowners hire their own contractor, the city pays up to $3,000, and the owner repays it through property tax assessments over time. That changes the math for many families with a large dead ash they have been putting off. If you plan to use the program, ask the city for its current paperwork first, and we will write the estimate so it shows exactly what is included: felling, rigging, hauling and stump grinding as separate lines.

The no-cut season

Maplewood advises that oak and ash trees should not be trimmed between May 1 and October 1. For oaks, fresh pruning wounds in spring and early summer attract the sap beetles that carry oak wilt. For ash, summer cutting can move beetle-infested wood while adults are active. We schedule routine oak and ash pruning in Maplewood for late fall and winter, when the ground is often frozen and the lawn takes less damage from equipment. Emergencies are the exception: a split oak over a driveway in July gets dealt with, and the cuts get sealed right away.

A long, oddly shaped city

Maplewood wraps around Saint Paul's north and east sides and runs about 10 miles north to south, with a narrow southern leg. That means our work here ranges from compact postwar lots near the Saint Paul line to larger wooded parcels in the south. In 2024 the city used a $450,000 Minnesota DNR grant to remove diseased public ash and replant with climate-adaptive species in the area east of Rice Street, north of Larpenteur, west of Prosperity Road and south of Highway 36. If you live there, the street trees in front of you may be young now, while the ash in your backyard is still the old one.

Services we handle here

Removal of dead and declining ash, including trees flagged by the city inspector
Dormant-season pruning of oaks to cut oak wilt risk
Stump grinding after removals, with the grindings hauled or left as mulch
Storm cleanup and hanging-limb removal
Clearance pruning over roofs, driveways and service lines

Call (651) 374-8562 to set up a visit.

Maplewood Notes

Diseased tree inspection. A certified city tree inspector identifies trees with emerald ash borer or oak wilt on private and public property, and an infected tree may require removal at the property owner's expense.
Private Tree Relief Program. For EAB-infested trees, the city pays up to $3,000 toward a homeowner-hired removal, repaid through property tax assessments over time.
Trimming window. The city advises that oak and ash trees should not be trimmed from May 1 to October 1.
2024 ash replacement project. A $450,000 Minnesota DNR grant paid to remove diseased public ash east of Rice Street, north of Larpenteur Avenue, west of Prosperity Road and south of Highway 36, replanted with climate-adaptive species.
Prairie and oak savanna roots. When the area was organized in 1858 it was mostly prairie and oak savanna; Maplewood incorporated as a city in 1957 with about 14,200 residents and had 42,088 at the 2020 census.

Emergency Storm Tree Service in Saint Paul, MN

Our Services in Maplewood, MN

Maplewood Questions

The city inspector put a mark on my oak. What now?

A marked oak usually means suspected oak wilt, which spreads through root grafts to nearby oaks. We can look at it, talk through removal and whether neighboring oaks need a root barrier, and give you a written price. Call Maplewood Public Works at 651-249-2400 if you need details on the notice itself.

Can I use the Private Tree Relief Program with your estimate?

The program lets you hire a contractor of your choice for an EAB-infested tree. Check the city's current requirements before work starts, then we will provide an itemized written estimate you can submit.

Why won't you prune my oak in June?

Maplewood advises against trimming oaks and ash from May through September, and for oaks that guidance follows how oak wilt spreads. Unless the tree is a hazard, we book that work for late fall or winter.

Is it worth treating an ash instead of removing it?

Sometimes. A healthy, well-placed ash with little canopy loss can be protected with trunk injections every few years. A tree that has already lost a big share of its crown is usually past that point, and we will say so.

Free Estimates in Maplewood, MN

Free estimates for Maplewood homes, from Gladstone to the south leg.

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