Stump Grinding
Stumps ground below grade so the spot can be mowed, planted, or sodded. One stump or a whole yard full.
Tree Removal · Maryville, Tennessee
Tree Removal in Maryville, Tennessee
Dead trees, leaning trees, trees over the house, trees in the way. We take them down and clean up after ourselves.
- Free estimates
- Send photos for a quote
- Price in writing before work starts
Get a free estimate
The basics and a few photos are plenty. We'll get back to you with a price.
About tree removal
Large trees can become expensive problems quickly when they start leaning toward a house, driveway, fence, or utility line. Volunteer Tree Co. handles tree removal in Maryville and the surrounding East Tennessee area.
Taking down a tree near a house is rarely one cut at the base. Depending on the tree and what's around it, removal may involve cutting it down in sections, rigging pieces down, or equipment-assisted removal. The goal is the same either way: the tree comes down and the house, gutters, fence, and lawn stay in one piece.
We'll look at the tree in person or from your photos, tell you how we'd take it down, and give you a price in writing before any work starts.
When to call
When a tree needs to come down
A tree usually needs to come down for one of these reasons:
- Dead or dying trees
- Dead wood gets brittle. Limbs drop without warning, and the tree gets harder to take down safely the longer it stands. Ash trees killed by emerald ash borer are common around here and tend to break apart quickly once they die.
- Trees leaning toward the house
- A lean that's getting worse, soil heaving up on one side, or new cracks near the base mean the tree is moving. If it's leaning toward something you care about, don't wait on it.
- Limbs over roofs, driveways, and fences
- Branches wearing on shingles, roots lifting the driveway, a trunk pushing the fence out of line. Sometimes trimming fixes it. Sometimes the tree is just in the wrong place.
- Storm damage
- Split trunks, broken tops, hanging limbs, and trees that partly uprooted in the last storm.
- Trees in the way of a project
- A new driveway, addition, garage, pool, fence, or garden. Getting the tree out first keeps the project on schedule.
- Trees near power lines
- Trees crowding the line to your house. If a tree is touching a power line, call your electric utility first. The line has to be made safe before anyone works near it.
The process
How a removal usually goes
Step 1: Estimate
We look at the tree, what's under it, and how to get to it. Photos work for a first look; bigger or trickier removals usually get a visit.
Step 2: Plan
Where the tree can safely come down, what has to be protected, and how the wood gets out of the yard.
Step 3: Take it down
Depending on the tree, that can mean felling it whole, taking it down in sections, or lowering pieces with rigging.
Step 4: Clean up
Brush and wood handled the way the estimate says: hauled off, or usable wood left on site if you asked for it.
Step 5: The stump
Leave it, or have it ground below grade now or later.
Pricing
What affects the cost of tree removal
There's no flat price for a tree. Two trees the same height can be completely different jobs depending on what's around them. Here's what goes into the number:
- Size and trunk diameter
- Height and thickness decide how much wood there is to cut, move, and haul.
- Condition
- Dead wood, rot, and some species are less predictable to cut. A dead tree often takes more care, not less.
- Lean
- A tree leaning away from the house is simpler than one leaning over it.
- What's nearby
- Houses, outbuildings, fences, pools, and power lines add time and care.
- Access
- Gate widths, how close a truck can park, and whether wood has to be carried out.
- Terrain
- Slopes, soft ground, and creek banks slow down every part of the job.
- Equipment needed
- Some removals need a crane, a lift, or utility coordination. If yours does, the estimate will say so and include the plan, or tell you if it's outside what we can take on.
- Debris and wood removal
- Hauling everything away costs more than leaving usable wood on site.
- The stump
- Grinding can be included or left off. It's priced mostly by stump size.
What to photograph
Clear photos are often enough to price a straightforward removal. A large tree close to the house may need an on-site look first.
- The whole tree, from far enough back to see the top
- The base of the trunk up close, including any cracks, rot, or mushrooms
- Anything it could hit: the house, fences, the driveway, or lines
- The way in: gates, slopes, and where a truck could park
The work
Doing it safely
Most of the risk in tree removal is in the details: how each cut is made, where each piece is going to land, and what happens if something shifts. The right approach depends on the tree, the site, and how much room there is to work.
Depending on the job, a removal can involve:
- Climbing and cutting the tree down in sections
- Rigging to lower heavy pieces near structures
- A crane, lift, or utility coordination when a job calls for it, identified in the estimate
- Equipment to move heavy wood out of the yard
After the work
Cleanup
Cleanup is part of the estimate, so you'll know what's included before work starts. It usually covers:
- Limbs, brush, and wood hauled off, if that's in the scope
- Usable wood left on site instead, if you ask before the job
- Sawdust and small debris cleaned off lawns, drives, and patios
- Stump grinding, if it's part of the job
Where we work
Tree removal around Maryville and East Tennessee
Home base is Maryville. We also work in Alcoa, Knoxville, Farragut, Louisville, Friendsville, Seymour, Lenoir City, Townsend, and Walland, plus the areas in between.
Questions
Questions about tree removal
Do I need a permit to remove a tree on my property?
Usually not for a tree on private residential property, but there are exceptions: trees in the public right-of-way, trees covered by HOA or subdivision rules, trees in required landscape buffers, and trees on TVA-managed shoreline. If any of those might apply, check with the city, your HOA, or TVA before scheduling.
Can you remove a tree that's close to my house?
Yes. Depending on the tree, access, and surroundings, removal may involve sectional cutting, rigging, or equipment-assisted removal. Those jobs take longer than felling a tree in an open yard, which is part of why they cost more.
Will you grind the stump too?
If you want it gone. Stump grinding can be added to the same job or done later. In a lawn, most people have it ground. At the edge of the woods, plenty of people leave it.
What happens to the wood?
Cleanup and debris haul-off can be included in the estimate. If you'd prefer usable wood left on site, let us know before the job and we'll account for that in the scope.
Do you take on every removal?
Most, but not all. Jobs that need a crane, a lift, utility coordination, or other specialty equipment are evaluated individually. We'll tell you in the estimate what it would take, or if it's outside what we can reasonably take on.
Will the equipment tear up my yard?
Keeping marks to a minimum is part of the plan. Soft ground, septic fields, irrigation lines, and tight gates get planned around before the work starts: where equipment goes, whether the ground is dry enough, and whether a smaller machine or ground mats make more sense. Tell us about anything buried that we can't see.
Do I need to be home?
Not always. For the estimate, it helps to walk the yard together, but photos work too. On the day of the work, what matters is that we can get to the tree and know about anything to watch for, like pets, gate codes, or a spot you want left alone.
How long does a removal take?
Most residential removals take a few hours to a day. Very large trees, tight access, or several trees can take longer. You'll know the plan before we start.
Can you tell me whether my tree really needs to come down?
We'll tell you what we see, including when a tree just needs trimming. If you need a formal written risk assessment, for an insurance claim or a disagreement with a neighbor, an ISA Certified Arborist with the Tree Risk Assessment Qualification is the right person to ask.
Related work
Often part of the same job
Excavator Stump Removal
The stump, root ball, and major roots dug out with an excavator, for when grinding isn't enough.
Storm Damage Cleanup
Broken limbs, split and uprooted trees, and yard-wide debris after wind, ice, and storms, cut up and hauled off.
Got a tree that needs to come down?
Call, or send a few photos. Estimates are free.