Tree removal in Albany, Georgia

How it works

1. Call or send a request

   Call or send a request with your address and what the tree is doing.

2. We connect you

   We pass it to an independent tree service that works in and around Albany.

3. They call you back

   They look at the tree in person and quote the job directly.

Who is this site for?

Homeowners, landlords, churches and small property managers in Albany, Georgia and the communities around it: Putney and the Radium Springs area to the south, and Leesburg and the Lee County subdivisions to the north along U.S. 19. If you have a tree that needs to come down, storm debris to clear, a stump to grind out or limbs hanging over a roof, we put you in touch with a local tree company that can come see it and give you a written quote.

Why do so many Albany trees end up on houses?

Albany has taken several hard hits from wind in a short span. On January 2, 2017, straight-line winds the National Weather Service estimated at 85 mph snapped or uprooted hundreds of trees across the northern half of the city, and the survey noted that much of the serious damage came from trees falling onto homes and power lines. The Rawson Circle area, with streets canopied by old oaks, was hit especially hard. Twenty days later, an EF3 tornado with peak winds estimated at 150 mph crossed the south side of Albany and destroyed nearly every tree in its path through the Radium Springs area. Then Hurricane Michael came through on October 10, 2018, the first major hurricane to hit Georgia directly since the 1890s, and downed trees all over Albany and Dougherty County.

The lesson local crews took from those years is simple: a big tree with a weak spot is a tree with a deadline. The time to deal with it is on a calm day, not after it lands on the carport.

Is a tree still dangerous if it survived the storms?

It can be. After Michael, the Dougherty County sheriff warned residents that even if trees hadn't fallen, they still might. Wind can crack roots and twist trunks without dropping the tree, and the damage may not show for months. UGA Cooperative Extension's guide to judging tree health says mushrooms or other fungal growth at the base or on the trunk point to severe or advanced rot, and that root decay can't be reversed. Storm-wounded pines draw Ips bark beetles too: the Georgia Forestry Commission notes that storm damage creates breeding material and that beetle numbers can climb fast enough to kill several trees.

Warning signs to look for

• A lean that's new since the last storm, or soil and roots lifting on one side of the base
• Mushrooms, conks or soft, crumbly wood at the root flare or on the trunk
• Cracks, splits where two big stems meet, or bark sloughing off the trunk
• Dead limbs or a broken top hanging in the crown over the roof, drive or street
• A pine with a crown fading from yellow to red-brown, or fine sawdust in the bark
• Branches rubbing the roof, sitting on gutters or growing into the service drop

What should I do right after a storm?

Treat every downed line as live. Stay back, keep kids and pets away, and call your electric utility. Georgia's High-Voltage Safety Act bars work that brings people or equipment within 10 feet of an overhead high-voltage line until the utility has been notified and has made the line safe, so trees in the wires are a utility job first. If a tree is on the house, get everyone out of the rooms underneath it, photograph everything before it's moved, and call your homeowners insurance. Then call for a tree service and describe what's resting on what. More on storm damage tree removal.

Remove the tree or trim it?

A single dead limb or a few branches over the roof can usually be handled with pruning, and a healthy shade tree is worth keeping in a South Georgia summer. A tree with a rotten base, a big split, a crown that's mostly dead or a fresh lean toward the house is a different conversation. UGA Extension recommends having a certified arborist assess trees that stand near homes or businesses, and many local tree companies have one on staff. More on tree trimming.

Does the quote include the stump?

Not always, so ask. Grinding takes the stump below the soil line so you can sod or plant over it. Because grinding goes into the ground, a careful company will get buried lines marked through Georgia 811 first, which is free. More on stump grinding.

Is the tree mine or the city's?

The City of Albany has a city arborist in its Engineering Department who looks after trees on public property, inspects public trees that are dead, dying, diseased or hazardous, and reviews tree removal tied to site plans and commercial properties under the city's tree ordinance. If the tree is along a city street or on a commercial lot, check with the city before anyone cuts. Trees on your own residential lot are generally yours to take care of.

Are you a tree service?

No. Albany Tree Removal is a referral service. We connect you with an independent tree company that works near your address, and that company quotes, performs and stands behind the work. Georgia doesn't license tree care companies, so read our tips for hiring a tree service and the Albany, GA tree removal guide before you sign anything.

Areas we cover

• Albany
• Leesburg and Lee County
• Putney and Radium Springs

Planning ahead? Read our Albany, GA tree removal guide.