Done safely or not at all
Tree Removal in Portland, Maine
Dead, dying, storm-cracked, or just in the way: when a tree does need to come down, the job is equal parts physics, rigging, and respect for everything under it. Free written estimate first, real insurance behind every cut.
Free estimates ยท Maine-licensed & fully insured crew
When a Tree Actually Needs to Go
- It's dead or mostly dead. Bare limbs in summer, bark sloughing off, woodpecker highways: a standing dead tree near a house, driveway, or play area is a countdown, and dead wood gets more dangerous (and more expensive) to remove every season it stands.
- The trunk is structurally compromised. Vertical cracks, big cavities, fungus shelves at the base, or carpenter ant highways mean the tree's engineering is failing regardless of how green the crown looks.
- It moved. A new lean, lifted or cracked soil on the uphill side of the roots, exposed root plate: that tree has already started coming down; the only question is schedule.
- Storm damage took too much. When more than half the crown is gone or the main leader snapped, most species never recover a safe structure.
- It's simply in the way of the addition, the garden, the solar panels, the view. Your property, your call, made legal (mind shoreland zones) and safe.
Not sure your tree is on this list? That's what the free assessment settles, and pruning saves more trees than most people expect. See trimming & pruning for the alternative, or arborist services for a formal keep-or-remove evaluation.
How a Safe Removal Works
In the open, a tree can be felled whole into a planned lane, quick and clean. But most Portland removals happen thirty feet from a house, over a fence, under CMP lines, next to the neighbor's new deck. Those trees come down in pieces: a climber or bucket operator works from the top, every section is roped, rigged, and lowered under control, and the ground crew feeds the chipper as fast as the tree comes apart. Big trunks get bucked into moveable rounds; crane-assisted picks handle the monsters. The finish is a raked lawn, a pile of firewood if you want it, and, if you've added stump grinding, nothing left but mulch and daylight.
One honest warning: tree removal is consistently ranked among the most dangerous jobs in America, and the gap between a professional crew and a bargain operator is invisible right up until it isn't. Maine law requires a licensed arborist on the job and real liability insurance behind it; ask for both, from us or anyone else.
Common questions
Tree Removal FAQs
How much does it cost to remove a tree?
In Greater Portland, small open-access trees often run a few hundred dollars; average yard trees typically land between $600 and $1,500; and large pines or oaks over structures (especially crane or heavy-rigging jobs) run higher. Dead trees cost more than live ones because they can't be safely climbed. The free written estimate is the real answer for your tree.
Does the price include cleanup and the stump?
Cleanup, yes: brush chipped, wood bucked, lawn raked is the standard finish, with log removal or leave-for-firewood as options. The stump is a separate line item because it's separate equipment: most people add stump grinding while the crew is already there, but it's always your call. See the stump grinding page for how that works.
Can you take down a tree in a tight spot between houses?
That's most of the work in Portland's older neighborhoods. Tight-quarters removal means climbing or bucket work, rigging each section on ropes, and lowering pieces into a landing zone the size of a kiddie pool. Slower than dropping a tree whole, and the reason you hire an insured, licensed crew instead of a guy with a truck.
My tree is alive and healthy. Will you still remove it?
If it's yours and it's legal to remove (watch shoreland zones and city street trees), yes. But expect an honest conversation first: sometimes what you actually want (more light, less roof debris, a safer feeling) can be had with pruning for a third of the price while keeping the shade and the property value.
Get that tree handled before the next storm does it for you
Free written estimate, honest advice about whether it really needs to come down, and a Maine-licensed crew that's rigged trees out of every tight spot in Greater Portland.
Call (207) 558-3036- Maine-licensed arborist crew
- Free estimates
- Fully insured tree work