I think many are becoming more and more frightened of the dangers of these older trees and they are real threats, as evidenced by what is happening all over the city. The safest thing to do is to trim any dead limbs that you notice and remove a diseased tree, replacing it with a new one. Be considerate of your neighbors by taking down a tree that poses an issue for others in the surrounding area. It's always awkward to have the conversation with your neighbor about a tree you believe is a threat to you but sometimes it's just cecessary.

I do worry, I live in a wooded area with many really big trees. I know many of them are diseased but I can't afford to be diligent with their care. A neighbors tree split off a large branch and the cost to my property damage was $28,000. The tree guy said most of the trees they work on are diseased. One issue not mentioned is the permit and fee requirement in Atlanta. Some might believe it is intended to protect our canopy, but an audit of that might show the government uses more of the revenue for general fund items than tree maintenance. Would love to know how much developers pay to have all the trees on a lot removed before building the latest McMansion. Maybe Patch could do some digging ?

@Virginia
I'm with you on all points.

I agree about the outragious cost of tree removal. We have two that should probably be removed but when we checked into it the cost was $3000 per tree. We just don't have that kind of cash laying around.

Cost of tree removal is really high. Not to mention permits. We are going through that with the City of Atlanta right now and our tree guy said we may not even get permit to remove the big oak we have. What?! that's the one that's going to cost us 3k and is hanging low on top of our pool. Making Permits easy to get should to be dealt with, Buckhead Patch!

Our trees don't pose a threat to our neighbors. They have their own trees to worry about. P.S. I do carry insurance for property damage and assume others do as well!

I wouldn't know what they have. What a stupid question!

One thing a property owner can do is contact their home insurance company to see what coverage they have for tree removal. Many times the policy will cover it if the tree is close to the structure and an obvious hazard. In the event a neighbors tree is visibly in danger of damaging your structure, you may notify your neighbor in writing and request them send the letter along to their insurance company. The cost of a tree removal is substantially less than a liability claim.

J.H. - as someone who has had to pay the price* for a neighbor who did not take care of or remove his trees as he should have, it is NOT a stupid question. It is YOUR responsibility to take care of YOUR trees, which can just as easily fall onto your neighbors' property as onto yours. Your neighbor should not have to worry that your negligence will result in monetary, emotional and time cost to him/her, nor should s/he have to deal with it.

That is part of good citizenship as well as responsible homeownership. It's also part of the cost of owning one's own home.

* on just one occasion: $1,000 out-of-pocket deductible; 2 days off work to deal with contractors, permits, utility companies, & inspectors; aggrevation in having to take care of food in my freezer and refrigerator; having to move myself, my child and my pets to a hotel; and more.

This was for a *very* minor issue of a neighbor's tree falling across the powerline connecting my house to the street. The weight of the tree tore the powerline from the meter box. No other real damage was done to the house, as would have occurred had the tree fallen directly on my house.

I hope they replace many of the aging trees in public spaces with more Pecan trees. Kids enjoy gathering the nuts, and the trees grow well here. Pecan trees bring another healthy way to interact with green spaces to our public areas.

I have a general question. Isn't it a requirement to contact the COA and DeKalb County COA before larger trees can be removed? Am I mistaken?

I had over 110 trees on my home property. Over time I have had some cut down and I have my own chain saw and I cut down the ones that I know I can do safely.

Owning land is a good thing it does carry a responsibilty on your property. The Power Company does come around and cut and trim limbs close to power lines.
The rest is up to you/me.
As for the trees along the highways and roads. The cost of downing them is very high, probably too high and it would take time and also strangle traffic where it would be done. Unless of course the State Of Georgia came up with a plan that utilized labor from our prison and jail systems for the clean up and only took down trees that were diseased.

Another aspect is that we have to be carefull and aware in storms and high winds.
People here drive poorly and worse in bad weather. Oh? Did I mention that many drivers are RUDE too boot?

I have warned my nieghbor about some trees that are covered with Ivy and some are dead. LOL, Hope their insurance is paid.

One of my neighbors has wrestled with the affordability issue. It seems that many insurance policies will pay for the damage done - after a tree or big limb falls. But if a property owner wants to do preventive pruning or removal of trees to protect their property or their neighbors' properties, insurance won't cover that. Has anybody had a different experience?

This just happened to me, literally. My insurance company did a great job of fixing about $40,000.00 of house damaged caused by a neighbor's tree. My neighbor was so good that he actually cleared away the tree and the additional enormous mess the tree left. But what was on my property was my personal responsibility (and expense) to clean up. People in Tucker can be the best you find anywhere.

Anna, Yes, Insurance companies will pay for damage done. Now, they will not pay to remove a tree that is standing and could potentially fall on lines or houses. That is the homeowners responsibility. If you have a car you have car insurance, but it does not pay for regular maintenance. Take an envelope and write TREE REMOVAL FUND on it. Tack it up where you will see it everyday. Put some cash in it once in a while. et voila. Or whoops there it is.

Lord have mercy - I hope my tree service doesn't see this article - y'all are paying too much, sounds like. Our property is surrounded by trees, and since the years of drought during which the roots start working back up towards the surface, it doesn't take a dead or diseased or dead tree to cause problems. A perfectly healthy looking tree can snap like a matchstick or topple over during a good wind storm. So over the last couple years, I have had them come survey (as an arborist, but without the extra cost), and clean up existing situations as well as look at everything else to be proactive. I would post their name, but some dufus would accuse me of working for the company, OR they would get too busy from referrals! Good luck!

Just because a tree is large does not mean it is diseasede or dangerous. Many fly by night tree crews use that ploy to take down healthy trees at inflated rates. ALWAYS have a tree evaluated by a Certified Arborist first. Reputable tree companies employ Certified Arborists and most will evaluate the needs of your tree for free,

You can do alot to improve the healthy of your tree, starting with mulching the root zone with 2-4" of woodchips, eliminating grassy lawns beneath trees (compete for water and nutients), and appropriate pruning.

Online resources for urban trees include Trees Atlanta and the Georgia Department of Forestry.

The $40,000 was for the house repair..all three floors and two bathrooms. It was not for the tree service.

Trees have a limited lifespan, and they are going to come down at some point either by natural force or by man--either as a precaution because it is known that the tree is dying/dead, or because of construction. We should see more aging trees fall as those that were planted right after the civil war are reaching their end of life. Should be every 25 years a tree planting spree of long life hard woods to replace those majestic oaks....Speaking of majestic Oaks....consider the following:

There is unrest in the forest,
There is trouble with the trees,
For the maples want more sunlight
And the oaks ignore their pleas.

The trouble with the maples,
(And they're quite convinced the're right)
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light.
But the oaks can't help their feelings
If they like the way they're made.
And they wonder why the maples
Can't be happy in their shade.

There is trouble in the Forest,
And the Creatures all have fled,
As the Maples scream oppression,
And the Oaks just shake their heads.

So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights.
"These oaks are just too greedy;
We will make them give us light."
Now there's no more oak oppression,
For they passed a noble law,
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe, and saw.

Catrina, be gone before someone drops a tree on you................

J. H., hopng you do better as a responsible property owner - which includes taking care of the trees on your property - than you do at movie quotes. Glinda's line is actually a house, not a tree.

Just a point....we had a huge, beloved white oak on our property that began to show signs of stress. Two arborists from different companies came out to look at it.....both from "reputable" companies. One said it could be saved by spending hundreds on vitamins and injections. The other said it was gone and they could take it down for 6K! I then called the city arborist in Decatur out b/c he had no interest in selling chemicals or in taking down a tree and he told us it was diseased and would begin to be dangerous in a matter of months. Arborists aren't all created equal.

We paid $1,500 to take down that specimen oak and the one behind it w/ the same disease! My advice is to get some competitive bids when you're ready to take down a tree. We found someone to trim our trees who doesn't use spikes to climb and does it himself, eliminating the middle man!

Losing those two oak trees was a great loss to us and at the time, impacted our property in a negative way but now the other oaks have flourished b/c they're not competing for nutrients, water, etc. and the topography is looking a lot better.

Trees aren't the only thing that will come raining down on us if we keep pushing god out of our lives. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of an angry god!

Large trees can survive crowning and severe pruning (up to 1/3-1/2). You don't have to cut them down. Crowning and pruning can extend a mature hardwood's life 10-20 years. If you have mature pines (over 15 years old), however, they should probably be removed. I have not seen one taken down that was not infested with pine bark beetles. There are county "mandates" on diameters (minimums) for removal of trees, but, who in their right mind is going to listen to DeKalb County?

Roger That -
Please provide a reference supporting severe pruning and crowning in mature hardwoods. In much work with certified arborists I have never heard such and the only result of such I've ever seen from those practices is the accelerated loss of old growth hardwoods.

The only ones I have ever seen promote those practices are fly by night tree services pitching unneccesary work at inflated rates.

Please provide a scientific reference supporting severe pruning and crowning in mature hardwoods. I have had NO degreed arborist support either practice. Your hacking your own trees to death is not evidence for science based practice nor do you mention actually having had your trees evaluated by a certified arborist. You really haven't a clue as to the REAL health of your trees.

Wow...47 personalities and 47 professions...and to think people worry about the NRA!

WARNING! Graphic content of tree abuse that no "certified" tree swinger would approve!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRM8qxW9cjE

Is the intent of this 'article' to tamp down opposition to the 'bare earth' policies in place in the Brookhaven Overlay?

The pwer cmpanies and state highway departments sure practice severe pruning. Dn'r see any of the trees they butcher dying.